On August 5 and 6, festies attending VELD in Toronto's Downsview Park definitely showed off their creativity.

Attendees of the annual electronic music festival are known to show up in unique, extravagant outfits, and this year was no different. The crowds were filled with flashy colourful outfits and surfacing above those vibrant crowds were eccentric totems that further elevated the already flamboyant party atmosphere.

Rave totems surface above VELD's bass stage crowds on day two of the festival.

Rave totems — typically a sign, plush toy, or inflatable— are objects EDM event-goers carry to find their group. They also provide a creative avenue for groups to express themselves amidst the sea of people.

Totems usually come with heartwarming stories. Some have been around the world with their owner, and others have been passed along from one friend to another. 

Here are some of the awesome totems spotted at VELD 2023.

Dancing Cookie Monster 

This VELD attendee travelled all the way from Ohio to Toronto to attend his final festival before starting medical school, and he was determined to make the celebration unforgettable.

Photo by Fareen Karim.

Being a bassist, he aimed to have something with a similar shape that he could use to play along with the beat. The illuminated black X on his DIY totem added a stunning visual element, especially when the event become dark.

According to this festie, he'd never experienced such a thorough security search as when he entered VELD with this distinctive totem.

At the pinnacle of his creation, there's a Cookie Monster stuffed animal that bounces to the rhythm whenever he presses a button. He explained to blogTO that he randomly chose the Cookie Monster having stumbled upon the toy lying around his home.

 Christmas-lit umbrella

An umbrella decked out in Christmas lights made for a distinctive totem. In the daylight, it shielded those holding it from the sun, and at night it looked incredible all lit up.

Kevin the alien

This green alien is named "Kevin," and according to those dancing with him, he is a popular totem at American raves. 

When carrying this distinctive alien, Kevin's owners told us they'd usually have strangers yell, "Kevin!" at them during the festival.

Inflatable joint

This VELD attendee bought this inflatable joint at a dispensary.

Photo by Fareen Karim

Boots n Cats

These attendees erupted into beatboxing when blogTO asked about their "boots n cats" totem, which we could have seen coming since the phrase was popularized for sounding like beatboxing.

Photo by Fareen Karim

Surprised Patrick meme

This totem resembles the popular surprised Patrick meme, and the VELD attendee it belongs to got it from someone at a rave in Germany. Its owner has partied with it at electronic music events around the world.

Photo by Fareen Karim.

Who's that Pokémon?

According to the EDM fan carrying it, this totem was donated to him by a friend, is about five years old, and has been to countless festivals. 

Photo by Fareen Karim.

Sharky

"Sharky" is the name of this inflatable shark who has raved around the world, collecting signatures from fellow party-goers. 

Photo by Fareen Karim.

blogTO staff even had the chance to add our names to this fun totem.

Photo by Fareen Karim.

Baby Kurama

Baby Kurama from the manga series, Naruto, was spotted above the crowds depicted in this stunning DIY totem. The VELD attendee carrying the totem also had a tattoo dedicated to the series.

Photo by Fareen Karim.

Inflatable palm trees

This group of friends came to VELD in a beach theme and brought totems to match. The group told blogTO their beach theme is a VELD tradition they've been doing for years. 

Photo by Fareen Karim.