Decadence Full Guide Outfits Ideas And Event Tips

Decadence is a big New Year’s Eve event that takes place in 3 different cities. The three locations are Salt Lake City, Utah, Chandler, Arizona, and Denver, Colorado.

New Year’s Eve Events are massive, and Decadence is one of the biggest in the US.

If you have been planning on going to one of those 3 we want you to be fully prepared and fully ready for this amazing event!

We are covering here all 3 Decadence events to give you the best outfits ideas and events tips per location, as each venue has its own specificities and each production company brings different elements to the table.

This article presents the 3 events, with tips and outfits ideas per event, and also the best rules for raves to enjoy Decadence to the fullest.

Table of Content

3 Different Venues means 3 different experiences

Even though they have the same title, and they are all under Global Dance name, Decadence Utah, Colorado and Arizona really bring different experiences.

The 2 main reasons are that, for one, it is not the same production company that will be in charge of running each event. Decadence Colorado is produced by AEG Presents, Decadence Arizona is produced by Relentless beats and Decadence Utah is produced by V2 presents.

And second, the type of venue will differ as well.

Because of those differences and depending on which one of those 3 Decadence you decide to go to, you will have to prepare and get ready differently.

This is why we broke down below all the differences for each Decadence event, so you will know what to do and how to prepare.

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Decadence Arizona

Decadence Arizona’s pros and cons

Number of stages: Decadence Arizona has 2 stages

Venue: Rawhide Western Town & Event Center

Pros:

Always has a great lineup
Great stages and visuals
Easy to park

Cons:

Part of the venue is outside
You will be cold going from one stage to another (it’s December)
If it rains, it can be really muddy
It can take a long time to get in and get out, with only one or two lines for entrance

Decadence Arizona Tips

If you have never been to Rawhide, get there before dark to get to know the place

Rawhide is a western town replica that hosts gunfights, stagecoaches, train rides, mud-girl, and much more.

Getting to Rawhide during daytime matters because the stages will be inside tents or warehouses but the porta-potties, the water stations, etc… will be outside.

Getting to know the place before dark is important, as it will help you understand the setup of the whole venue and help you navigate to each essential area.

It has been the case for Decadence Arizona where they missed their signage and people had a hard time finding water stations. Quite a bummer when you have been dancing for the last 2 hours and your camelback is empty…

Get ready for the cold

Decadence events take place in winter and as mentioned above, the stages will be inside tents or warehouses, but the rest will be outside.

Where and when will you be cold?

As this takes place end of December, you will be cold outside. So you have to have warm clothing for, at the very least, the line to get in, when you go to the porta-potties, when you change stage and when you go back to get your car.

This is why, as your rave outfit will probably not cover much of your body, we recommend you take, at least, a hoodie or a jacket to make sure the cold does not ruin your night.

Click here if you want to jump to our warm rave outfit selection for ideas and inspiration!

Get ready for the rain

The chance of rain is relatively high, you absolutely need to bring a poncho because to be cold is one thing, but to be cold and wet is too much to bear.

Disposable Rain Ponchos

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Pro-tip: bring fresh socks, those new socks will revive your feet!

Get ready for the mud

As we said, it could rain during the event, and it could be light rain or heavy rain, so you need to have proper shoes for the night.

Do not bring your favorite shoes because they will be ruined, but come with shoes that are already broken in. The best option for this type of event is comfortable hiking shoes, they are a bit heavier than sneakers but in case of rain or mud, you will be more protected.

And if you know it will be raining, bring ankle rain boots or full-on rain boots.

Hunter Ankle Boots (we don’t recommend the Ankle boots if the rain is heavy and the mud is deep).

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We recommend using a locker

Specifically, because of all the reasons above, you will need to bring extra layers and gear as you will not know how the weather will be during the event.

If you want to avoid traffic, leave 30 min earlier

If you went to the event with your car, leaving a bit early can save you a lot of time getting out of there. That said if you don’t mind the wait, and you prefer to enjoy the show until the end, fair enough, do that.

To sum up Decadence, Arizona:

They always have great lineups and great stages, and the overall show is amazing.

Not all the venue is covered, so at some point, you will be outside during the event.

Therefore, you need to dress accordingly, bring at least one warm piece of clothing, one poncho or rain jacket, and one pair of shoes that can take water and mud.

As you will be cold outside and warm inside, using a locker will help you know and adjust what to keep with you. It will be easy to park there, and it can take time to get in or out.

Decadence Arizona Outfits Ideas

What to wear before and after the event

Decadence Arizona is an indoor and outdoor event, this is why, as mentioned above, you will have to have the appropriate clothing for cold, rain, and mud.

For the rain and mud, you will be covered with a poncho and good hiking shoes.

And if you need some inspiration for warm rave outfits, click here to see our warm rave Decandence outfit ideas selection.

What to wear during the event

If you are inside the tent or the warehouse, as it will be warm and dry, you can wear any type of outfit you want. If you are looking for some inspiration and ideas, click here to see our light rave Decadence outfits ideas.

Decadence Utah (SLC)

Number of stages: Decadence SLC has 1 stage

Venue: The Great Saltair

Decadence SLC’s pros and cons

Pros:

Always has a great lineup
Great stage and visuals
Easy to park
Indoor event
Great sound

Cons:

You will be cold waiting in line to get in
It can take a long time to get in and get out of the parking lot

Decadence SLC Tips

You might be cold waiting in line to get in

That one is always tricky, as you never know how long you will be in line. But if you think you can endure the cold before getting in, that would be the best option, so you have nothing to carry inside.

But if you are sensitive to cold click here

To sum up Decadence, Utah SLC

The Great Saltair is a great venue for a one-stage event like decadence SLC and the experience is excellent.

It will be easy to park. If you are sensitive to cold, bring warm clothing with you, just in case the line to get in is big, and leave your extra layers at the coat check. Leaving a bit early will help you save time and avoid the traffic.

Decadence SLC Outfits Ideas

What to wear before and after the event

The only moments you will be exposed to the cold are when you wait in line to get in and when you go get your car to go back home.

You have three options:

Bring a jacket or a hoodie and put it in your camelback once inside, or go through the coat check
If you are not too sensitive to cold, go there with just your outfit and will have the privilege to have nothing to carry inside and not use the coat check
Bring a onesie that you can then open once inside

If you are sensitive to cold, and you are looking for inspiration for warm clothing ideas, click here to see our warm rave Decadence outfits selection.

What to wear during the event

As the whole event will take place inside, you can wear anything you want, so if you are looking for rave outfits inspiration, click here to see our light rave Decadence outfits list.

Decadence Colorado

Number of stages: Decadence Colorado has 3 stages

Venue: The Colorado Convention Center

Decadence Colorado’s pros and cons

Pros:

Always has a great lineup
Great stage and visuals
Great Sound
The venue is fully indoor, in a stunning convention center
Beautiful light structures

Cons:

Parking can be expensive
You could be freezing walking from your car to the convention center or waiting for your ride

Decadence Colorado Tips

If you can avoid the coat check, do it, you will avoid a big line

Even though AEG presents organization is formidable, you will have to wait in a big line to get your things back at the coat check.

Therefore, as the whole event takes place inside the building, if you are not too sensitive to cold, don’t bring too much with you so you can avoid the coat check.

Or if you do use it and as the big line will occur, leave a bit earlier about 30 min, so you minimize the wait to get your things back.

If you are sensitive to cold, a locker can be a great idea

Decadence Colorado is an indoor event, everything takes place in the convention, this is why you could avoid the coat check or the need for a locker.

But if you are sensitive to cold, we recommend a locker over the coat check as you will not have to endure the line.

Having a locker will give you the freedom to wear warm clothing when you need it, meaning when getting in, during the event, and getting out of the convention.

Parking is expensive, plan how you will get to the convention center

The Colorado Convention Center is a beautiful venue, that being said, it is also in the middle of the city, which means that parking can be expensive.

If you managed to book a hotel near the convention, walking is a great option.

To sum up Decadence, Colorado

They have arguably the best Decadence venue, they have a great sound system, amazing visuals, and lights, they also have great light structures all over the place and provide an overall fantastic experience.

The downside will be the parking fees, as the convention center is downtown, parking your car can be pricey.

Decadence Colorado Outfits Ideas

What to wear before and after the event

The only time you will be cold is outside the convention, that is when you will get there and when you leave the place.

You have three options:

Bring a jacket or a hoodie and put it in your camelback once inside or go through the coat check
If you are not too sensitive to cold, go there with just your outfit and will have the privilege to have nothing to carry inside
Use a space blanket to keep you warm and then once inside fold it in your fanny pack or your camelback (folded space blankets are quite small)
Bring a onesie that you can then unzip once inside

If you are looking for warm clothing ideas, here is our warm rave outfits list here

What to wear during the event

Inside the venue, you will not be cold, so if you are looking for some inspiration for your next rave outfit, click here to see our light rave Decadence outfits list.

Basic Rave Tips

Those basic tips will help the first-time raver, and even if it is not your case, we hope you will still get something out of it.

Get there as soon as you can

Get to know the environment

Pretty basic, but each city, each rave, each venue, and each crowd are different, this is why you will never know where you could potentially waste time on an event.

It could be in traffic, finding the place, finding a parking space, going through the line, searching water stations, etc…

But why arrive so early?

For starters, if you have no luck, you could miss a whole set of an artist, unfortunately, it happens.

And also, arriving early when the crowd is not fully there, allows you to get to know the place better, you can walk around the grounds to find where are things, like exits, water stations, bathrooms, etc…

Like we said for Decadence Arizona, they did miss their signage and people had a hard time finding water stations. Not cool when you have been dancing for a while and your camelback is empty…

So in case of bad signage, get to know the place beforehand for more efficient use of the venues.

Find the right spots

Sound vs Visuals vs Artist vs Dancing

This comes down to what you prefer to do at a rave party, what are you planning on doing there? This matters because based on what your preference is, you hang at different locations at the venue.

Clearly, the ideal would be to be able to enjoy the sweet spot of SVAD, Sound, Visuals, Artist, and Dance at the same time, but unfortunately having SVAD at the same time and the same location is close to impossible.

Best sound spots

Usually, the best spot for the sound would be right in the middle and centered, close to the Soundbooth.

If there are enough delay towers, the sound should be amazing further back as well.

Best visual spot

The best spot for visuals would be not at the very far back but somewhere there, so you can see the full picture with all the effects that have been well-thought-out by the production.

Best artist spots

The best spot to really see your favorite artist actually depends. It obviously has to be in the front, but it is not necessarily in the center.

Some stages have a ton of decoration, and sometimes being front center only allows you to see the head of the artist. Not to mention when he or she starts to move back and dance you will lose sight of him or her.

Sometimes being front far left or far right will give you a better view of the artist, but it entirely depends on the stage setup.

Best dancing and poi spinning spot

If you want to have free movement as much as possible, it will be at the very far back of the venue.

Otherwise, for people that are gloving as you do not need as much space, depending on the crowd you could actually find many spots. But that will entirely depend on the crowd density.

Where to go then?

Now that you know what are the best spots, this is really up to you and your preferences.

The good news is not everyone wants the same thing, or actually they pretty much all want the same which is to have everything, but their priorities will be different.

The two parameters that are the easiest to combine are sound and visuals, though. In most cases, if you have the best spot for the sound, you should be close to the best spot for visuals.

But again, that is based on your priorities, some will put the artist above sound, others sound over dance, some dance over visuals, etc…

It is obviously a trade-off, but knowing what you want will help you get the best spot for YOUR experience.

New Year Kandi Bracelet Are Even More Special, bring some

What are Kandi Bracelets?

Kandi Bracelets are homemade bracelets, usually made of pony beads, that are exchanged with someone you had a special connection with during the rave.

Those bracelets are gifts you prepare beforehand and if you meet someone special enough for you, you will give them a bracelet.

Those bracelets are one of the best tools to help spread PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect) in raves.

It’s always good to have Rave Kandi bracelets when you go to a rave, this is an important part of the Rave World.

That being said, there is something even more special when you enter a new year with a Kandi Bracelet you did not have the previous year.

The new year is all about starting fresh and being open to new possibilities, and if you let it make a new you.

And besides the fact that a new Kandi bracelet is a new connection, for us, it can also become a totem for the year to come.

You can carry this new Kandi bracelet for the new you during this new year as a reminder to help you move forward and not come back to the old patterns you want to avoid.

So now that you know how powerful Kandi Bracelets can be, bring some and give them away, spread PLUR.

Bring some Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are great to bring to rave parties, they can be used for many aspects of the rave.

They can either become a great accessory for your outfit, like lights effects for your dancing moves, and they can also be used for waving to the sound of the beat with the rest of the crowd.

Outfit-wise, you could wear them as a necklace, headband, bracelet, fasten to your shoes, or any other ideas you might have will be a great way to spice up your outfit.

For dancing, they are usually attached to the parts of the body that moves the most, like the hands, wrists, feet, or ankles, in order to make cool light effects when dancing.

And lastly, when enough people bring glow sticks to the show, the crowd then becomes part of the show and starts waving, and sometimes throwing, glow sticks to the sound of the music following drops and whatnot. A pretty cool effect really!

Glow sticks

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Bring a camelback or a reusable water bottle

Bringing a camelback is always a great idea for raves or festivals.

As it will give you a way to carry your hoodie or any piece of clothing if you are too hot, as well as your personal items, and give you water as soon as you need it.

Standard Camelback

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Water Bottle with Time Marker

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Protect your ears

The high-fidelity earplugs are good for raves because raves’ sound systems are powerful, and if you are planning on being close to the front, we recommend you bring a pair of those High-Fidelity earplugs.

High-fidelity earplugs