Grandfather at a rave: 79-year-old partygoer visited dozens of festivals (8 photos + 1 video)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
7 May 2024
Rave parties are good not only for millennials and generation Z. So pensioner Alan Grofe has become a regular at electronic music festivals. In March of this year, the 79-year-old man, along with his daughter and son, had a blast at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. 
Grofe's frenetic energy has landed him in dozens of TikTok videos, and his dance at the 2016 Sunset Music Festival in Tampa went viral. 
The grandfather of five grandchildren attended 45 raves and became convinced that there are no age restrictions.
The former tech and healthcare entrepreneur said: "I thought I wouldn't be accepted or respected by my young rave friends. I realized that if you just be yourself, be open and happy, you can win their hearts and minds."
The man was introduced to electronic music by his DJ son Gavin in 1995.
The California native recalls: "He was playing drum 'n' bass, and I was totally into it. I spent two years trying to convince my son to take me to a party. It was in Washington, D.C., at a big club called the Capital Ballroom. Great building. , built in 1924, and had several rooms for house, trance, drum and bass and hip-hop."
At that first rave, he stood behind the best dancers, “mostly women,” and learned to move to different musical styles. As a child, Alan was in a ballroom dance troupe, so he has a good sense of rhythm.
In 1999, Grofe says he had an unforgettable experience with DJ duo Sasha and John Digweed and Paul van Dyk performing at the Twilo nightclub in New York, where his daughter Paige was working at the time.
Despite his upcoming 55th wedding anniversary, the man, who is also a keen runner, has no plans to slow down.
Asked what his dream rave would be like, the bubbly partygoer replied: “A three-day festival on the beach in Bali. Three or four stages scattered around, with a wooden dance floor like the Capital Ballroom we talked about. It would have state-of-the-art sound and visuals so my favorite DJ Eric Prydz could work his magic!"
Alan and daughter Paige
"I love it when young people come up and say they want to be like me when they grow up. I tell them I give them permission. No matter your age, just let the positive emotions and music fill you."
