May 17, 2024
SHREK RAVE
With a tagline of “it’s dumb just come have fun” it had to be good, right? EDM raves tend to do well at the WOW Hall, but this event brought it to a whole new level. This was a later start than usual for our shows, with the event kicking off at 9 p.m. and continuing until 1 a.m. Our staff and volunteers were thrilled with the turnout, enthusiasm, and most of all the costumes. Hundreds of teens and 20-somethings came out for the rave, very enthusiastically dancing to popular songs cleverly mixed with lines from the Shrek films and an absolutely absurd video accompaniment that incorporated various elements of Shrek twerking, Shrek taking out Thanos with his swamp door, Shrek on acid, and other bizarre visuals.
Behind the sound was the DJ duo of Sammy + Harry, keeping the energy high well into the night. The stars of the show was the audience itself though, the majority dressing up as one Shrek character or another. There were plenty of green Shrek ears, some had Shrek plush dolls, others were side characters. There were fair godmothers, three teen girls dressed as the three blind mice, pinocchio, dragons, and so much more. Even those who didn’t partake in the occasion to dress as a character from the Shrek film still got caught up in the event, some bringing glow-in-the-dark accessories and waving around various flags, banners, streamers, and fans fitting for the setting. Some songs got the crowd quite rowdy and the WOW Hall’s floor bounced numerous times from the exuberant weight of the crowd, while some wallflowers simply enjoyed the video display.
I left while the event was still ongoing, and on the drive home through. much of downtown I passed crowds on the sidewalk of teens dressed up as Shrek characters bound for the WOW Hall — meaning the party went on well into the night.
As a nonprofit all-ages venue nights like this are why we do what we do — providing a fun, welcoming place for all ages to have good clean fun and make great memories and new friends with no judgment or harassment. The party was an uplifting, friendly affair from what was observed, and with the extent of costumes it was clear that people in Eugene/Springfield had planned for this event for quite some time. ‘Twas a silly affair, but lived up to the hype because the unbridled joy in the crowd was palpable and all who came certainly had fun.
Thank you WOW Hall patrons for packing the place, and we look forward to seeing you back at the WOW Hall again soon. Enjoy some photos and a short video highlight of the evening below.
-Kurt
WOW Hall Marketing Director