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Electric Daisy Carnival's Latest Effort to Keep Ravers Safe: a Very PLUR Video Called #WeAreWideAwake

DJs like 12th Planet, Afrojack, Carl Cox and Martin Garrix remind festivalgoers to look out for each other.

As festival season kicks into high gear with Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas this weekend, organizers are keen to prevent what has become the scourge of these events: drug and alcohol-related deaths. The latest harm-reduction effort from Insomniac, the promoter behind EDC, is an initiative called #WeAreWideAwake. Heavily leaning on rave culture's PLUR ethos, the video encourages festivalgoers to look out for each other and party responsibly. Refreshingly (and perhaps realistically), nobody says "just say no."

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In a rapid-fire montage, DJs like 12th Planet, Afrojack, Carl Cox, and Martin Garrix tell viewers how important it is to do things like "use the buddy system," "stay hydrated," and "say something" if someone looks dangerously intoxicated. (These messages were also repeated during a panel today at EDMbiz on the subject of drugs.) Robert and Linell Shapiro, whose son Brent died in 2005 after taking ecstasy and drinking beer at a party, also appear on camera, saying that Brent's death could have been prevented if someone had spoken up.

In a press release, Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella remarked, "As human beings, we owe it our fellow brothers and sisters to simply look out for one another. Being united and wide awake means living life with both eyes open, and working together to make sure we enjoy this wonderful culture safely and responsibly."

Messages like these are nice and hard to argue with. Still, the question remains if appealing to rave culture's "we are one" sensibilities will keep ravers safe, even in spite of themselves.

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