Pre‑ and afterparty affect: exploring well‑being beyond electronic dance music events

This study explores how participants experience well-being across the pre- and post-attendance phases of electronic dance music events (EDMEs). While existing literature suggests that EDMEs can induce various—predominantly positive—forms of well-being that extend beyond the event itself, research has largely focused on the immediate effects of participation. The processes through which anticipation and post-event reflection shape participants’ experiences of well-being remain underexplored.
Drawing on Small’s concept of musicking, alongside theories of anticipation and retrospective evaluation, this study examines how well-being emerges through the broader social and cultural practices surrounding EDME participation. These practices include pre-event preparation, collective anticipation, community engagement, and post-event sense-making and integration.
Empirically, the study is based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a total of 28 frequent EDME participants from the Netherlands, representing a variety of subgenres and event types.

Preliminary findings suggest that pre- and post-event phases are largely experienced as positive and meaningful, characterized by anticipated detachment from everyday life, social connectedness with fellow participants, the temporal extension of the event experience, and the incorporation of these experiences into everyday practices of well-being.
Overall, this research contributes to music sociology by extending understanding of how musical participation creates well-being beyond immediate consumption moments, offering insights into the temporal dimensions of music’s social and psychological impacts.