Words by Freya Hellstrom
Photos by Andrew Larmour, Andrew McGrail, Eleanor Waciega and Reggie Chang
Thousands of Scouts gathered in the Main Arena looking for a good time – and a good time was what they got! For two hours, they were treated to a spectacular rave, DJ’d by none other than the world renowned Havana Brown. She played dozens of crowd favourites, like ABBA, Hotel Room Service, and Fein.
Havana Brown, who spoke to the Media Team prior to the show, mentioned that she was “a bit nervous” about performing in front of such a young audience but she could also see how pumped they all were. She was “going to try [her] best to give them…the best rave experience”, and she absolutely followed through on her promise, as evidenced by the joy radiating from the massive crowd.
Leaders Hayley, Brumby, and Lion shared their thoughts on Scouting raves, and the positive impacts of introducing young people into new environments in an entirely safe and supportive manner. “Jamboree is opening up all aspects of life, not just the adventurous stuff…they’re all working with each other, getting out there, and getting introduced to things for the first time”.
A Scout, Max, and their friend told me that they were absolutely pumped to be at their first rave, mentioning how “it’s a big area, so you can go to places that are quieter, and then if you want to get into the party, you just go into the [centre] where there’s lots of people”.
Every youth member I spoke to told me that this was the first time they had attended a rave, and that they were having a complete blast and meeting lots of new people. It’s no secret that many lifelong friendships begin at Jamborees, an (offline) platform that fosters a sense of community and provides connections for likeminded people in the real world.
