Remember the days when raves were held in the wee hours of the night, usually in dodgy parts of town in a decrepit warehouse or your friend’s ecstasy dealer’s apartment, and everyone danced to tinnitus-inducing music blaring through towering speakers?

While those days are far from dead, a new trend dubbed “silent raves” or “discos” has emerged. Participants show up at a “secret” location and dance to their own personalized play list with MP3 players taking the place of DJs. The “silent rave” is set to hit Calgary this Saturday for the first time, and up to 1,000 people are expected to attend, says Caitlyn Spencer, one of the organizers of the event.

“It’s nice to get together with such a large amount of people who don’t necessarily like the same music,” says Spencer. Regardless of one’s musical tastes or lifestyle, the event is a chance for a diverse group of people to participate in a “unifying event.”

She says it will probably only last a few hours and will dissipate as attention spans wane and batteries begin to die. She doesn’t believe the event is a high priority for Calgary police, as she has tried to contact them but hasn’t heard back. Similar raves are planned on May 17 in a number of cities across North America including Edmonton and Vancouver.

The Calgary location is being kept under wraps for now, though organizers have hinted at potential venues including Olympic Plaza, Stephen Avenue, Eau Claire Plaza, Nose Hill Park and 17th Avenue.

Those interested in attending can go to Facebook or Twitter and search for “Calgary Silent Rave” to sign up to be notified. If you don’t have an account with either of these sites, you can e-mail srcalgary@gmail.com for details. Once signed up, people will be notified of the location 24 hours in advance on Friday, May 9. The event is slated to start at 5:23 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. (TH)