Beautiful pool, great tunes, party people… what’s not to like about the Raves in Waves EDM event in the city last night? Kicking off late afternoon, Hotel Alba on South Tce was pumping hard and loud and the crowd was loving it.

Billed as a “Las Vegas-Style Pool Party”, Raves in Waves Did not disappoint. The DJ’s were technically excellent, the atmosphere was nothing but fun and friendly (no roid-rage lookin’ jerks here folks), and the location was ideal.

You would have been forgiven for thinking that the weather might dampen the festivities (with light rain a constant throughout the event), but the dance floor was full, the pool was put to good use, and everyone looked to be having a great time. Even the petrol-head Boomers here for the Adelaide Motorsport festival, high above us on their hotel room balconies, seemed to be getting into the spirit. 

Drum & Bass fans were treated to a banging 105-minute set first up, with the hard dance crowd getting their itch scratched with an equally cranking set after. I don’t know the DJ’s names, but their mixing abilities sounded almost flawless to me. 

With tasty food thrown in, plus pool toys, outdoor games, and of course the luxurious Hotel Alba pool, organisers did their best to create the classic outdoor pool party environment. And, in my opinion, they nailed it.  

Spearheaded by local EDM stalwart, DJ Mel-C, with excellent service from staff and management at Hotel Alba, this event just got better as the night progressed. The general sentiment amongst the crowd seemed to be “I hope they run this event again”.

Adelaide Ravers, young and not-so-young anymore, keep an eye out for ‘Raves in Waves’ in 2027. Get your tickets early, as this is an event that will only go from strength to strength if it returns.