I’m aware many of you are reading this in an attempt to understand what Shrek Rave is, so I’ll address that at the top. 

What is Shrek Rave? 

Here’s everything you need to know about Shrek Rave. It’s fun. It’s silly. It’s camp. It’s a counterculture phenomenon driven by nostalgia, irony, and pure adrenaline. 

Shrek Rave is a touring rave themed around the Dreamworks icon, Shrek. The rave element of the tour is traditional – talented DJs, mind-melting visuals, and a wide-open dance floor. That attracts ravers – party people who deliver on the peace, love, unity, and respect. However, taking that base element of raving and adding the second-highest-grossing animated franchise of all time creates a whole subgenre within the world of ravers. 

Shrek Rave began to rise in global popularity after the pandemic, right around the time the generation that grew up with the Shrek movies became old enough to party. Following the removal of “stay at home” orders, Shrek Rave rapidly spread across the world. Its founder Ka5sh claimed that “Shrek Rave is a lot of people’s first-ever rave. A lot of people don’t know how to get into it or where to go. Especially a lot of kids coming up during the pandemic, they didn’t get nightlife.” Well, they’re certainly making up for lost time.

Ka5sh is the mastermind behind Cool is Dead, his multi-tasking empire of events and merchandise. The merchandise branch of the business contains ironic Y2K-themed shirts that include Shrek references, like the crisp white tee that says, “If that’s your girl, what’s she doing in my swamp?” The event management side of the business boasts multiple themed rave tours, such as Big Bubble Rave and The Spooky Rave. Shrek Rave, however, is the most booked and promoted of the touring parties and appears to be the biggest draw for partiers. Over the last few years, Shrek Rave has amassed over 100K+ followers across social media for their predominantly 18+ swamp soirees. Venues have grown from small clubs to amphitheaters in certain cities. Shrek Rave even hosted an impromptu pop-up rave in Times Square. The success is not unfounded, though – Shrek Raves are like an onion. They have layers.

The recent Shrek Rave stop at Las Vegas’s legendary Area 15 immersive multimedia multiplex was a specialty Shrek Rave stop called “Shrekno.” Certain Shrek Raves have slight variations- some are called “Shrek Rave XXL” to indicate a larger venue. “Shrekno” is described as an immersive 360° projection experience, powered by Shrek Rave. Same killer Shrek Rave DJs, updated with a unique visual experience.

Shrek Rave made excellent use of the 360° immersive projections with animations of the iconic Shrek characters partying. On top of the wall-to-wall visuals, the light show was perfectly paired with the flow of music. The visual choreography of curated characters and shifting spotlights was enough to transport ravers Far Far Away to a dreamworld of dance. Dancing next to a Shrek cosplayer and looking up to see a visual of actual Shrek dancing alongside everyone created a captivating sense of community. 

Just outside of the dance floor was a small marketplace of nearly a dozen local artists selling accessories, such as clacker fans, dance gear, and art pieces. This was a pleasant surprise that doesn’t appear to happen at all Shrek Raves, but brought a beautiful element of togetherness to an already awesome event.

Within the Shrek Rave community, one of the strongest bonding agents is cosplay. Naturally, the dance floor was dripping in green, but surprisingly, there were a lot of blind mice cosplayers. Many of the former strangers gathered together to raise their canes in the air on the dance floor. Interestingly, only a few Lord Farquaads and Fairy Godmothers were spotted. Two of the three little pigs were grinding near a whole pack of red dragons while a kind young man did a light show for several mesmerized Shreks.

The event was 18+, and there was a bar available for attendees over the age of 21 who cared to indulge; however, the crowd was extremely well-behaved. The bar was never overcrowded, as most attendees appeared to opt out of drinking. This may be in part due to the cultural shift of Gen Z remaining drier than other generations, or perhaps the overstimulation of sights and sounds was enough to set the mood. If you’re already partying with an amateur bodybuilder dressed like a donkey, you simply don’t need tequila shots to have a good time. 

Shrek Rave may appear to be a joke; however, the joke is truly on those who scoff at its magic. Shrek Rave has built an incredible community founded on irony and mutual respect, and is the raving world’s worst-kept secret. Best practices include hydration, cosplay, and an avid love of being happy around others. A splash of appreciation for Smash Mouth certainly doesn’t hurt. 

Have you been to Shrek Rave? Would you go next time it’s in your city? Sound off in the comments! 

Curious about other pop culture-themed raves? We went to Video Game Rave in early 2025 (and lived to tell the tale). Keep the party rolling and check it out here:

I attended this event as a guest of The Vox Agency, receiving complimentary tickets.