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Online engagement parties and ‘e-raves’: How to stay social despite the coronavirus shutdown

Love in the time of corona: More couples are adding views to their vows.

Love in the time of corona: More couples are adding views to their vows. Photo: Getty

Australians are finding creative ways to stay social in the current age of coronavirus-induced isolation.

As pubs, clubs and restaurants all over the country close their doors due to the pandemic, using the internet to stay connected has become more important than ever.

Over the weekend, soon-to-be-wed Cameron Joss (36) and Daniela Delgado (31) hosted their engagement party online so that friends could join in remotely.

Faced with the reality that their big night would be called off, the pair decided last minute to bring the party to the people.

“We had all the food, the catering, everything organised and then we had to make a decision late last week to postpone it or cancel it,” Mr Joss told The New Daily.

“On the night we were having a bit of a party with ourselves, so we sent out an invitation to everybody and everyone had a party in their own living rooms.

“Daniela made a playlist on Spotify with lots and lots of songs, and we sent out messages to all our friends with a link to the playlist and told everyone to tune in.”

Mr Joss said friends were able to participate by sharing a drink and a dance from home.

“We linked a WhatsApp page up to the TV on the wall, and throughout the night messages and videos would pop up at different times,” he said.

“This is just some out-of-the-box thinking.

“It’s not the end of the world to be in isolation.

“I think people will be more inclined to create and innovate new ways to stay positive and pass the time.”

Although the pair’s June wedding is still scheduled to go ahead, other couples looking to tie the knot haven’t been so lucky.

Weddings all over the world have been cancelled due to limitations on gatherings, but many have chosen to share their vows virtually.

But it seems that those with upcoming nuptials aren’t the only ones making the best of a bad situation.

Local Melbourne talents DJ Brigida and DJ Mulch held their first ‘internet e-rave’ on Saturday called Dial Up.

The event, which ran for more than five hours, was available on the live-streaming service Twitch, and also at lossless.radio.

“It was kind of an experiment to see how well a live-stream would work,” said DJ Brigida.

The interactive link allowed viewers to leave comments and post videos of themselves enjoying the party in real time.

DJ Brigida

DJs are hosting social events from the comfort of their homes. Photo: DJ Mulch

“People were sending in videos of themselves playing the stream during dinner parties, or while cooking, or with their friends around,” she said.

The online party drew in a virtual crowd of between 300 to 400 visitors.

DJ Mulch, who uses ‘they/them’ pronouns, said the Dial Up event was a great way for young people to stay connected.

“I think it’s going to be a really nice opportunity for people to still feel like they can have a normal weekend hanging out with friends even though you’re doing it from home,” they said.

“Heaps of people were sharing their Instagram stories, so it really felt like you were hanging out with a bunch of friends even though we are all separate.”

After the success of their first e-rave, DJ Brigida and DJ Mulch along with other guest performers will be broadcasting internet raves for free every Friday from 7.30pm on lossless.radio.

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