Carnival in Canada?

What’s the crazy Canuck version of Carnival? High-energy music, wacky banana costumes and a moveable party. It’s called a Decentralized Dance Party (DDP), and it’s a spontaneous way to see a city and party at the same time. Powered by boomboxes tuned into a radio signal that’s broadcast from a DJ’s backpack FM radio transmitter, the party wanders through the streets, down into subways, over bridges, and even goes for a swim in public fountains. It’s a portable party safari that has no set route and no set boundaries. Similar to Carnival in South America, it’s a public party known for uninhibited self-expression.

DDP originated in Vancouver, but has since spread across the continent. Their recent 2011 Strictly Business tour travelled to six cities in Canada and eight in the U.S. In 2012, DDP goes global with eight countries planned for Central Asia, in addition to events happening in North America.

This social networking-powered party revolution is winning people over by the thousands (from 20 people at the first party two years ago to a more recent event that numbered 20,000) because it satisfies a huge societal need—to party freely in public spaces and connect to others experiencing that same freedom

Since the events happen in public, people of all ages and walks of life can take part. It’s this inclusiveness that is key to breaking down barriers between people and why DDP partyheads have such a liberating time.

Touring a city can get rather predictable. Pick out a few sites in the guidebook, hop on a subway and check them out. Wandering through a city with no set plan adds some unpredictability, but it can still get repetitive. So if you have a particular city you’ve been wanting to travel to, but don’t want to tour it the same old way, keep an eye on the DDP website for their event dates and time your vacation accordingly. And if you’re really down with the free-spirited party vibe just follow the crew and party-tour every city along the way. But be careful, decentralized dance partying is addictive. You may just turn into a partyhead yourself.