Vancouver’s rave scene is one that’s flourishing in plenty of ways, with the city paying home to a slew of clubs and larger venues that allow for multiple shows on a single night. Needless to say, we were more than a little curious to make the drive north from Seattle to go check it out. All we needed was the right occasion to make the journey. For Blueprint Events’ Get Together, we had found that show, featuring a lineup of Myon and Shane 54, ilan Bluestone, Jaytech, Will Sparks, and Gareth Emery.
The event itself was less than typical; it was scheduled for a Sunday, with Canada’s national holiday Family Day giving the country Monday off. Despite us having our own weekly day jobs to make stateside, the decision was made: We were going to Get Together. We bought our tickets online, booked a cheap room at the Ramada in downtown Vancouver, and hit the road north. Three hours and one aggressively terrifying border guard later, we’d made it to the land of kilometers.
[divider]Settling in On Foreign Ground[/divider]
If we’re being honest, DMNW are no strangers to Vancouver. Blueprint Events generously hosted us for an incredible night last May at Armin Only, and the weekend before Get Together, a Seattle caravan made its way to the Commodore Ballroom to see Excision. This time around, we were experts at all things Canadian. For those of you who haven’t yet made your way north (and really, you should), a few quick pro-tips:
Plan for the border crossing: We can’t emphasize this enough, do not try to sneak anything across the border. Marijuana may be legal here in Washington, but they won’t be forgiving of that at the checkpoint into Canada. Also, it may go without saying, but don’t bring any other kinds of illegal substances across the border either. Nothing is worth the prison time you’d serve should you be caught. If they deem it necessary, they will search your bags and vehicle thoroughly. In terms of timing, the crossing can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the line (there are warning signs in the miles leading up telling you how long the wait is).
Find a cheap hotel on Granville: Granville is the street in Vancouver you absolutely want immediate access to. It features most of the major nightclubs in the city, including but not limited to: Commodore Ballroom, Caprice Nightclub, Venue Nightclub, and The Roxy. The last two times we’ve been to Vancouver, we’ve managed to pay no more than $35/person for 3-4 person rooms here.
Trust in the after-party: Traditionally, Blueprint Events will sell tickets to an after-party following their major events with a “mystery guest” as the headliner. We’ll get into the Get Together after-party we attended at Caprice Nightclub later, but expect to see the big artists from the main event in an intimate club setting until they close down at 4am. Drinks are cheap, there’s plenty of room to dance, it’s more than worth the extra $20-30.
With all that information, we were able to focus on the true reason we were in Vancouver: For all the trance we could possibly handle, courtesy of Get Together (and the subsequent after-party).
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
Pop culture junkie, dinosaur enthusiast, and proud Managing Editor. While an avowed basshead, has been known to be ever-so-slightly trance-curious under the right circumstances.
