I was fortunate enough to be part of an underground beach party on the shores of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Our party took place at an area called Virginia Beach, just north of the port of Durban. The party had been planned almost a month before by a like-minded group of individuals calling themselves Kindred Spirit. We were all part of the underground dance culture in Durban, inspired by the Goa trance parties taking place in our own country and all over the world. Coming from various corners of the rave culture (clubs, gatherings and so forth), we were all brought together by a common goal - to create the ultimate outdoor party for our fellow party freaks.
Our black and white flyers went out around a week before. We called our gathering the Longest Moon, because our party was to fall on the night of the longest full moon. The day of the party began with us collecting a large number of poles, scaffolding and UV banners from a house in Durban. We arrived at the site around 10am and held a small meeting, discussing where to set up our party. Others arrived with generators, lighting and sound systems. The basis of all our organisation was teamwork - we all worked together with a common goal in mind. A teepee was set up and a scaffold wall was built at a 90 degree angle to the bank which led down onto the beach, effectively cutting off the party from anyone who did not wish to be there. UV banners were tied to the scaffolding and UV string was strung across the roof of the area. A large firepit was dug into the middle of the area to keep everyone warm (although it doesn't really get THAT cold in Durban). Fire, I believe, also has great spiritual significance within such a culture so it was also serving another purpose.
By around 5pm the venue had been completed - the police had, a number of times, popped past on routine patrols and seemed to have no problem with what was taking place. By nightfall, everything was working and we had organised two large UV blowers so it was all glowing wonderfully . Party goers had begun arriving. Our DJs spun into action and the party began in earnest - all in all, a total of about 400 people arrived at the party that night. The full moon shone down upon us and the sea crashed around us. Many of the party goers sat together and smoked our local ganja, or took a little sliver of a Dr Hoffman, incredibly psychedelic LSD. Together we connected and danced the night away. A massive dream catcher hung above the fire and the world connected and begun spinning in tune to the incredible energy that existed on the beach as we danced and drummed under the skies.
Many of the people who had come together that day to organise the gathering had met for the first time - now they had experienced the spirituality of the earth together. As dawn broke, together we cleaned the beach and made sure there were no traces of our presence left on the sacred earth. All that remained was the burnt firewood and the memories of what had taken place. I was honoured to be a part of such a celebration of life - one where the negativity of our modern societies' attitude towards mind-expanding substances had not made an impact. Although narcotics police had made their presence felt at the party by confiscating one or two people's stashes, they had not made any arrests or attempted to shut down the party. Perhaps they, too, had felt the serenity and energy of what was happening.
The incredible thing for me is that I made such great friends at the gathering - I met like-minded souls who are, to this day, still good friends of mine. I truly believe that the earth goddess, or whichever gods it is that we claim created this earth, smiled upon us that night and saw that what we were doing was good. Dancing under the stars is a thing which we have done since the beginning of time and is happening all over the world. Substances such as LSD, Marijuana and Ecstasy are drugs which, used in the correct context and with the right people, serve merely to show us that peace, love and unity are the only ways in which we should be living our lives - and they help us to celebrate the greatness which is creation.
Alex, a 26 year old man from South Africa