noun Music Slang

Kandi

/ˈkændi/ · noun · slang

Homemade beaded bracelets ravers trade as gifts and symbols of connection.

0

Definitions

1

By extension, the gifting ritual itself — trading kandi is a peace-and-friendship handshake in the scene.

“She gave me kandi and we did the PLUR handshake.”
by community
0
2

Colorful beaded bracelets, usually handmade, that ravers wear stacked up their arms and trade with strangers as tokens of friendship.

“My whole forearm is covered in kandi from this weekend.”
by community
0
3

The act of making these bracelets, often with words, charms or perler-bead figures threaded in.

“We stayed up doing kandi the night before the fest.”
by community
0

Kandi In A Sentence

Made forty pieces of kandi to trade, came home with sixty.
That single you can't tell apart from a dozen others? Pure kandi energy.
His arms were stacked elbow to wrist with kandi.

Origin & Usage

Emerged in the 1990s US rave scene, tied to the PLUR ethos. The spelling 'kandi' distinguishes the bracelets from regular candy; the trade ritual grew alongside the handshake gesture.

Variants kandi braceletkandi cuffperler kandi
Tags #american#90s#gen-z

People Also Ask

What is kandi at a rave?

Kandi is a beaded bracelet ravers make and trade as a gift, symbolizing friendship and the PLUR ethos.

How do you trade kandi?

Two ravers do a four-part PLUR handshake (peace sign, heart, hands clasped) and slide the bracelet from one wrist to the other.

Why is it spelled kandi and not candy?

The 'k' spelling marks it as the rave bracelet rather than literal sweets, a common stylization in the scene.

Comments 0