PLUR stands for peace, love, unity and respect. It is the code of conduct of rave culture: leave the aggression at the door, accept people as they are, treat the crowd as one group, and respect the people and the place around you. Some ravers add a second R, for responsibility.
What does PLUR stand for?
Peace, love, unity and respect. Each word is a way of treating the people around you at a show, and some ravers argue it belongs beyond the dance floor too. You will see it in kandi bracelets, on shirts and in the handshake people use to trade kandi.
Where did PLUR come from?
It goes back to the New York rave scene of the early 1990s and DJ Frankie Bones, who threw the Storm Rave parties in Brooklyn. In an interview with Insomniac, he tells it this way.
On the Fourth of July, 1990, his crew painted a subway car with the message "Peace Love and Unity". They called the idea PLUM, the Peace Love Unity Movement. The point was simple: everyone was welcome, and nobody should come to the parties to start trouble.
The R came later. Around 1993, at an outdoor party in a park in the Bronx thrown by the Back to Basics promoters, a fight broke out and spun into the DJ booth. Bones jumped up, grabbed the mic and told the crowd to start showing some peace, love and unity. Respect became more important than the movement itself, the M dropped away, and PLUR spread from there, including through Hyperreal, one of the first online rave groups.
What does PLUR look like at a rave?
It is less a slogan than a set of small habits:
- Peace. Keep your cool on a packed floor. If someone bumps you, let it go.
- Love. No judgment about what anyone wears or how they dance. A compliment to a stranger costs nothing.
- Unity. Everyone in the crowd is there for the same music. If someone is alone, lost or not doing well, they are part of your group for the night.
- Respect. Ask before you touch anyone, hug anyone or film anyone. Give people room to dance, and respect the venue and the staff.
What is PLURR?
PLURR adds responsibility to the original four. It means looking after yourself so that nobody else has to: know your limits, drink water through the night, protect your hearing, and look out for your friends. Some ravers and rave communities use PLURR.
What are the basic rules of rave etiquette?
Most of them come straight out of PLUR:
- Ask before touching. That covers dancing up close, hugs, and photos or video of other people.
- Say excuse me. Moving through a crowd politely beats shoving or elbowing your way to the front.
- Look out for others. If someone seems unwell or overwhelmed, check in, offer water, or get staff or medical help.
- Pick a meeting spot. Agree on one with your group when you arrive in case you get separated.
- Leave no trace. Pick up your trash and leave the ground the way you found it.
- Protect your ears. Earplugs with acoustic filters lower the volume and keep the music clear.
- Drink water. Pace yourself and keep drinking water through the night.
Our High Fidelity Earplugs come with acoustic filters listed at 24 dB, in a standard and a small size, with an aluminum carry case. A hydration backpack keeps water on you without tying up your hands; the Raverunner Black holds a 2 liter bladder.
Raverunner Black Hydration Backpack
Find more in our hydration packs and rave essentials collections.
How does kandi fit into PLUR?
Kandi is how PLUR gets passed hand to hand. Ravers trade beaded bracelets using the PLUR handshake, one step for each letter, and giving kandi to someone who has none is part of the spirit of it. Our guide to kandi bracelets walks through the handshake step by step.
You can make your own or bring a ready-made set to trade. Our Good Vibes set comes as 13 bracelets made with 7mm pony beads on stretchy thread, and the Kandi Bead Kit has string and 9mm silicone round beads in a carry case.
"Good Vibes" 13pc Pre-Made Kandi Bracelets
Is PLUR still a thing?
Yes. It still shows up in kandi trading and in what people wear. Frankie Bones calls it the raver manifesto, and says people have always made fun of it.
Common questions
Who came up with PLUR?
DJ Frankie Bones is credited with it. By his account it began as PLUM, the Peace Love Unity Movement, in July 1990, and the R for respect came after a fight at a party in the Bronx around 1993.
Can I wear PLUR?
Plenty of ravers do. Our PLUR Police Mesh Vest is a lightweight, breathable polyester mesh vest with a neon design, and our Stay Trippy PLUR Shorts have a blacklight reactive print. For the rest of the outfit, see our guides to what to wear to a rave and what men wear to a rave.
