The breakdown stretches out, and a hundred flags go up at once. A Canadian maple leaf, a rainbow, a bedsheet painted with a crew name in silver glitter, and a homemade banner stitched from four old festival tees. Under each one, a little knot of friends throws its hands in the air, kandi stacked to the elbow. Behind the crowd, the Queen Mary glows along the waterline, every porthole lit.
That's the heart of Dreamstate SoCal outfits: a look your trance family can find under a flag, warm enough for 50–55°F harbor air, with enough left in the tank to follow the music aboard the ship until dawn.
This year's edition runs Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the Queen Mary Waterfront, and next year is still dates TBA. Magus Fawn is the two of us, Magus and Lylyth, Los Angeles visionary artists (Magus produces Psy EDM, so trance runs in the family), and here's how we'd dress a crew for 2027.
Dressing for a Dreamstate night by the water
Dreamstate runs from late afternoon into the small hours, then carries on aboard the ship. Dress in two layers: something that shines on the dance floor, and a hooded layer for the damp. Keep both easy to carry, because the bag rules are tight.
| Stretch of the night | By the water | Layer up with |
|---|---|---|
| Gates open, 4 p.m. | Daylight on the harbor | Velvet tee or bodysuit, cloak over an arm |
| After dark | 50–55°F, damp harbor air | Cloak on, hood up between sets |
| The main floor | Warm crowd, flags waving | Cloak open, flag up |
| Aboard the ship, 12–6 a.m. | Dawn coming up over the harbor | Crop hoodie or tee, cloak zipped for the walk out |
The official site describes a gathering "beneath the stars and beside the sea", and the world of Dreamstate page hands the spotlight to the crowd: "YOU are the Headliner."
Can you bring a flag to Dreamstate?
Yes. Dreamstate SoCal's official Hours & Info page lists flags, banners and handmade signs as acceptable items, with two limits: nothing corporate or company-branded, and no hard flagpoles. Country flags, fan-group banners and painted bedsheets are all welcome, so bring your crew's colors and carry them on a soft pole or across your shoulders.
Flags are how trance families find each other. Dress so the flag and the outfit read as one: pick your crew's color, then let every piece echo it. For the knot that turns a flag into a cape, our Dreamstate 2026 guide shows the way.
The flag bearer. Electric blue is trance's signature color, and the Metallic Blue Fractal women's festival cloak ($250) wears it like polished metal: cobalt and royal-blue fractal curls with a raised, embossed look, spiraling into a fractal disc between the shoulders. Its print stars in a winter love story, too: Frost on Steel.
Under the print, it's built like every Magus Fawn festival cloak: a micro-mink outer, an ultra-soft fluffy microfiber fleece lining in black or white faux fur (listed fabric weight 200 g/m²), a double front zipper, heavy drawstrings and four pockets, two deep side pockets and two interior stash pockets, one zippered. Unisex fit, XS–5XL.
Under the cloak, the Temple of Horus yoga leggings ($70, XS–XL) stack electric-blue and violet bands, with lime and gold shield shapes across the thighs and cyan spirals curling around the calves. They're four-way stretch at 225 g/m², 75% recycled poly and 25% elastane, with a raised waistband.
PLUR on the harbor: dressing the trance family
Peace, Love, Unity, Respect runs deep at Dreamstate; even the official totem rules sign off with "Please keep it PLUR." In practice, PLUR looks like kandi traded with a handshake, strangers welcomed under your flag, and room made for the dancer beside you. Our PLUR culture guide covers the handshake step by step.
For outfits, unity is the fun part: crews pick one color family (pastels, violets, electric blue) and each person chooses a print inside it.
The kandi kid. The Purple Marble V-neck bodysuit ($55, XS–2XL) swirls lavender, violet and white like paint folding into paint, the softest pastel on the floor. It has a plunging V-neck, an open back and a snap closure, in 95/5 microfiber at 180 g/m².
When the harbor air rolls in, the Sacred Geo crushed velvet crop hoodie ($75, S–2XL) goes over the bodysuit: plum and mauve velvet with a big lavender-and-white Om across the chest, fine gold flower-of-life linework everywhere, and more Om and star forms down the sleeves. It's 240 g/m² crushed velvet with a drawstring hood (its story: The Laminated Burner).
The crew captain. The White Fractal Bubble crushed velvet T-shirt ($60 in crushed velvet or cotton, $50 in poly jersey) covers pale grey in a fine lavender-grey lattice of bubble-like rosettes, the quiet pastel that lets a crew flag do the shouting. The crushed velvet is 240 g/m² with a crew neck, in XS–5XL, and the print has a Las Vegas rave story of its own: Small Sips.
Can you bring a backpack to Dreamstate?
Only a small or clear one. Dreamstate SoCal allows clear bags up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, one-gallon clear freezer bags, non-clear bags of 6 x 9 inches or smaller, and hydration packs with no more than two main compartments plus one small one, empty at entry. So the outfit itself has to carry the essentials.
Let the outfit carry the load: a cloak's four pockets hold a phone, ID, earplugs and spare kandi. Dreamstate is cashless (card or phone pay), and the official FAQ says lockers come with a universal phone charger. Blankets stay outside per the prohibited list, so bring your warmth in as something you wear.
For the legs. The Chakra Mandala joggers ($100; $105 in 2XL, $108 in 3XL) climb the chakra rainbow in mandala rosettes: red at the ankles, then amber, gold and green, then indigo-blue and violet at the hips. They're 96% recycled poly and 4% elastane at 308 g/m², brushed vegan fleece inside, with side pockets, cuffed legs and an elastic drawstring waist, slim fit in XS–3XL.
What do you wear to the Dreamstate afterparty on the Queen Mary?
Wear your festival outfit plus the warmest layer you brought. The official afterparty runs aboard the Queen Mary from midnight to 6 a.m. each festival night, after the main event's 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. hours. It takes its own ticket plus your Dreamstate wristband, totems stay off the ship, and the walk out meets the dew.
The afterparty page promises to "dance into the sunrise on The Queen Mary." Picture the last anthem, the harbor turning from navy to pearl, and the whole crew pulling hoods up for the shuttle.
The dawn cloak. The Madriax men's festival cloak ($250) stacks two sapphire mandala medallions down the back, ringed with teal and blue dots and swept by feathered blue wings, over violet and indigo that turns into a starry hexagon honeycomb near the hem. It has a trance-night story of its own: The Fifth Envelope. George, reviewing a Madriax cloak in May 2023: "So comfortable you almost forgot how cool it looks!"
For a love story set on this same waterfront, read One Beat Ahead. And if you're wondering how Dreamstate compares with the region's chillier nights, our roundup of the coldest music festivals in North America files it under "cool, if not quite cold."
Planning the 2027 order: the October timeline
This year's November 20–21 edition falls inside our made-to-order window, so 2026 is a dress-from-the-closet year. Next year has room. Every order starts from scratch: as long as 11 business days of production, then as long as 14 business days of delivery. If Dreamstate keeps its weekend before Thanksgiving week, opening Friday, November 19, 2027, an order placed by Friday, October 8, 2027 reaches a US address by Tuesday, November 16, even on the slowest run with Veterans Day off the calendar.
- Free US shipping on orders of $70 or more.
- Layers welcome. Sizing up on outerwear is the FAQ's suggestion, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under."
- Sales are final. Size questions are welcome at art@magusfawn.com with your measurements, and replies typically arrive within 1–2 business days.
Fall has more nights worth dressing for: Escape Halloween at NOS in late October and EDC Orlando at Tinker Field in November.
Outfit the trance family: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · crushed velvet · bodysuits · leggings · joggers
Frequently asked questions
When is Dreamstate SoCal 2027?
Expect late November on the Queen Mary Waterfront in Long Beach; the official 2027 dates are TBA. The 2026 edition runs Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, according to the official site, and the 2025 edition, on November 21–22, marked its tenth year. Check the official site for 2027 announcements.
How do you get to Dreamstate SoCal?
Take the free shuttle. Dreamstate's travel page says there's no parking at the festival grounds, and shuttles run continuously between the Long Beach Convention Center and the event from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. You can also walk over the Queensway Bridge from the aquarium side. Drop-offs right outside the Queen Mary aren't allowed.
Can you leave Dreamstate and come back in?
No. Once you're through Dreamstate SoCal's gate, the FAQ rules out ins and outs, and entry closes an hour before the event ends. The afterparty also asks for your Dreamstate wristband, so keep it on and pack everything before you leave the hotel: the harbor layer, the crew flag on a soft pole, and enough kandi to trade until sunrise.
Is Dreamstate SoCal 18+?
Yes. Dreamstate SoCal admits ravers 18 and over only, guardian or not, and alcohol is 21+. What counts at the gate is a valid physical photo ID: school IDs, digital IDs, consular IDs and photocopies all sit on the unacceptable list. Zip yours into an inside cloak pocket, where it stays dry on a damp harbor night.
Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 on Etsy (4.7★ from 144 reviews as of October 2026) and here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.
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