The Art of Gloving

Gloving is the latest twist on the light show, an old rave tradition. Anyone who's been to an electronic music festival has likely been the recipient of one. Back in the day, they usually consisted of a pair of frantically waved glow sticks. But in recent years, the preferred delivery method has become gloves, typically white, with an LED light in each fingertip. 

Gloving's growing popularity has not been without controversy. Insomniac, an L.A.-based rave promoter and host of the gargantuan electronic music festival Electric Daisy Carnival, banned gloving from all of its events last year, vaguely explaining that light shows send "a false message of what the electronic dance music scene is about." When asked for further clarification, Erika Raney, Insomniac's communications director, explained that LED light gloves "distract from the fan experience," likening them to "beach balls at a baseball game."