Moving Castle: Szentek’s Annual Rave

Once a semester, the student music collective Szentek hosts an event outside of town for a day or night full of Electronic music. ​​In the first semester, there's a nighttime event at the Silo, but the committee's main event is Moving Castle, which took place on Saturday 5 April, from 1pm to 9pm. 

For £56, Szentek provides buses to drive its attendees the anticipated thirty minutes to Dundee’s Main Castle. The sixteenth-century castle poses a stark contrast to the contemporary dance music blaring from its stone walls. The Szentek committee completely transformed the space into a colourful and extremely inviting atmosphere. The old architecture was covered with painted lanterns, CDs tethered by a string, bed sheets, and tapestries hung from trees with bright, hair-like material wrapped around their branches. The decorations served as the background for DJs and contributed to the carefree environment. 

As we stepped off the buses, attendees could hear the music beats before seeing the DJs. The first stage was positioned at the entrance. It was outside, covered by a tent, and a personal favourite that was no doubt helped by the unusually good weather. Some of the DJs were St Andrews students, and a highlight of the first stage was the Wax Rooms set, which featured fast electronic beats and attracted an energetic crowd. Directly behind the first tent were tables with crayons for people to draw on their faces, tooth gems by Ella, and a private sofa area for people to relax in the shade or eat their food. 

To the right of the stage was a path to the side of the castle, lined with more eclectic decorations that led to the second stage in the back. The rare sunny weather caused event-goers to lay in the grass behind the dome-shaped tent featuring more artists. A standout from that stage was Azamiah, who cultivated a more relaxed environment with her own vocals and a guitar paired with electronic music. The backyard was also where people could purchase Venom, which was the only alcoholic drink that specific bar served — I saw many cups filled with a bright green liquid that day. The only stage inside the castle was purposefully dark, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the change from the outdoor dance floors. Flashing lights came from behind the DJ booth to illuminate the room, and it felt more like a traditional rave stage. Behind that room was another bar providing more drink options than the one outside. At the end of the night, the first stage closed down, but attendees did not want to leave, filling up the upstairs room until the music completely stopped.

Szentek can seem like an intimidating event for people not interested in electronic music. However, attendees seemed to be at Szentek for more than just the music. It cultivates an unmatched, free-spirited atmosphere unlike other St Andrews events, which is why people return each year. 

Associate Director Jada Wenger spoke to me about that sentiment: “Szentek makes everyone just feel so comfortable to be themselves. You can fully immerse yourself into the art and music, finding a sense of childlike wonder. There’s something for everyone.” 

Like many St Andrews collectives, Szentek is a charity that has donated £46,000 pounds to Variety Scotland since 2016, making the ticket prices even more reasonable. Moving Castle is an event people look forward to every year, and because of its unique ambience, students become regulars to the music collective.

Photo by Lizzie Rosenman