Kandi for raves and festivals

Kandi grew up at raves, and it is still at its best at shows: music festivals, EDM nights, anywhere people dance for hours and talk to strangers. If you are going to your first one with kandi on, here is how to get ready.

The idea behind it

Kandi comes with a small set of values called PLUR: peace, love, unity and respect. The bracelets are the part you can see. The rest is how you treat people, especially people who are new, on their own, or having a bad night. There is a short history and the four-step handshake in what PLUR means.

Trading kandi is a tradition people do in person at shows. Someone offers, you do the handshake, a bracelet moves from one wrist to another. It is not something you have to do, and it is not a feature of any app. The etiquette is in trading kandi.

What to make

• Singles, lots of them. They are quick to make and easy to give away. Ten to fifteen is a comfortable first stack. How to make one.
• A few word bracelets. Song lyrics, the artist's name, an inside joke. Words get noticed and laughed at, in the good way. Ideas in word and name bracelets.
• Small charms. A flower charm or a little star clips onto someone's single and takes five minutes to make. See 3D kandi and charms.
• One piece for you. A cuff with a picture you love, that you are keeping. You are allowed to keep things.

Colors for night shows

Neon pony beads glow under the blacklights a lot of shows use. Glow-in-the-dark beads keep glowing after you leave the light. UV color-changing beads change in sunlight, so they suit daytime festivals. Mixing one of these into an ordinary single is a cheap way to make it stand out. The pony beads guide explains the kinds.

How to wear it

Stack singles up your forearm. Keep the pieces you are happy to give away on one wrist and the ones you are keeping on the other, or in a bag. A common habit is right wrist for giving, left for keeping, but it is far from universal, so do not assume and do not grab.

Wear cuffs a bit looser than at home. Hands swell in the heat and after hours of dancing, and a tight cuff gets uncomfortable fast.

Making it survive the night

• Pre-stretch the cord and use double knots. A bracelet that snaps in a crowd is gone.
• Use 0.8mm or 1mm cord for anything you will wear all night.
• Pack spares. A few extra singles in a pocket for the people you meet late in the night.
• Skip glass or sharp beads. Plastic pony beads are light, safe in a crowd, and fine if they get sat on.

When you get there

Offer, do not demand. The person giving picks which piece to give. No means no, straight away. If someone hands you something and you have nothing to give back, say thank you and pass one on later. Beginners are not a problem in this scene, they are the point of it.

If you are under 18, go with a parent or another adult you trust, and check the event's age rules before you buy a ticket. Many shows are 18+ or 21+.

Before and after the show

This is where KandiCon fits. Before a show you can find patterns, make a stack, and post it to the feed so other makers going to the same event see it. Afterwards you can post the pieces people gave you, follow the makers you met, and like and comment on what they post. Some makers go live while they bead for an upcoming festival, and you can chat with them while they work. There are themed contests too, like Summer Vibes and Rainbow Week. It is free on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. If someone at a show told you to download "Candy Con", they meant KandiCon.

Get KandiCon free on iPhoneGet it free on AndroidOpen it in your browser

More guides: How to make a kandi bracelet · Kandi stitches explained · Pony beads guide · Kandi cuff patterns