People in Gagetown will be rocking out to the sound of silence in Gagetown this weekend during Folly Fest.

So-called silent disco is the latest dance craze to hit the Maritimes and it's helping event organizers two-step around noise bylaws.

DJs pump music through dancers' wireless headphones.

"It's like you're … in your bedroom," said dancer Lee Neckritz. "You want to listen to music really loud, but so that no one else hears it.

"Now everyone gets to do that in the same room," he said.

Avoids noise complaints

Silent disco dancers can choose which music they want to listen to by changing the frequency on their headphones.Silent disco dancers can choose which music they want to listen to by changing the frequency on their headphones. (CBC)

The marriage between music and technology will allow Folly Fest organizers to keep the party going without fear of noise complaints, said Mike Humble.

"We have a curfew in the village of Gagetown, which we completely respect," he said. "So we can't have late night music, which most music festivals of our stature do. So it was a way to solve a whole bunch of problems with a really cool idea."

About 160 wireless headsets from the company Silent Storm have been brought up from Boston for Folly Fest, with a test run of the equipment being held in Fredericton last Saturday, during an outdoor silent disco at the Capital Complex.

Fredericton's noise bylaws have no power over the new technology, so partiers could dance on into the night without fear of being ousted.

"You can pick and choose what you want to listen to too," said festival head-of-security Lee Breen.

Multiple DJs spin tunes simultaneously, while a band also plays. Dancers simply have to change the frequency on their headset to listen to whichever music they prefer.

Throw in a volume toggle and dancers at Folly Fest will have more of a choice in how and what they listen to than ever before.

Folly Fest runs until at Sunday with silent discos at 2 a.m.