bhan 2.0

If you've landed on this page, you're probably curious about the next chapter of our journey: BHAN 2.0 – Intentional raving.

This is what we learned, why we need this shift, and what the new format will look like. But before we look ahead, let's return to where it all began.

BHAN 1.0 - raving with kindness

BHAN was originally born from the need to be here and now at raves, as per its acronym.

We wanted to create a safe space where everyone could fully let go into electronic music, without distractions, in a sort of trance-like and meditative state.

Things didn’t work out as expected unfortunately, for two main reasons.

1) We cannot survive in this system

The current club system relies on 3 things:

  • Alcohol consumption

  • Social media sharing

  • Overcrowded dancefloors

BHAN consciously goes against each of these points. Our crowd doesn’t drink much. We don’t allow phones on our dancefloor. And we expressly leave a lot of space on the dancefloor to dance.

The results? Our business model is not financially sustainable.

2) BHAN is not for everyone

This is probably the hardest lesson to digest: BHAN is not for everyone.

It is a very niche experience that only some people understand and desire. Because BHAN is not just raving, let alone clubbing.

It feels closer to meditation, to mind expansion, to trance - a form of collective hypnosis driven by the power of sound. A BHANner is someone who needs to BHAN not just for fun, but to feel well, to heal, to reconnect with themselves, before even connecting with others.

BHAN is a ritual

In this sense, BHAN feels closer to a ritual than to a typical rave. And a ritual cannot happen by accident. It requires intention, presence, and participation.

To truly take part in a ritual, people need to understand the space they are entering - its purpose, its guidelines, and the boundaries that hold it together.

So far, we feel we have only partly achieved this, in those few blissful moments where everyone lost themselves in the music, all at once.

BHAN is like going to the cinema

Imagine going to the cinema. You sit down. The film begins. Then people around you start talking or taking videos with their phones. The moment is broken and you get distracted. How would that feel?

This is how BHANners often feel on many dancefloors today - in a space that only superficially looks shared, but where the intention is not.

And that’s why we will now focus on intentionality.

BHAN 2.0 - intentional raving

BHAN will return soon in a new format, closer in spirit to the Ecstatic Dance. We are still shaping it, but the goal is simple.

We want people to come to BHAN for the BHAN experience itself - and nothing else.

Not for the DJs. Not to hook up. Not to take photos or videos. Just to be here and now and lose yourself in the music.

What’s new?

Here are a few ideas we have in mind.

  • Inspired by formats like UNFOLD, we will no longer announce DJs in advance, to keep the focus on the experience rather than the names.

  • Contrary to what we have done so far, there will be no recordings of the events - no photos, no videos, no sets, not even a tracklist. What happens at BHAN, stays at BHAN.

  • Phones will not be physically allowed during the event. Like in Berlin’s KitKat Club, they must be left in the lockers.

  • We realised that even short conversations can break the meditative state of a BHANner. So we will follow the example of Ecstatic Dance, and introduce a simple rule - no talking.

Thank you to everyone who joined our first four events. Your presence, your energy, and your support made BHAN what it is. We are grateful for what we have built together, and we are ready to take it deeper.

Let’s keep BHANning,

Giovanni and Carlo
BHAN founders

People in a dimly lit room illuminated by red light, showing emotions of awe and joy, some with eyes closed and smiling.