Quick Guide to Music Festivals

Quick Guide for Music Festivals

The sun’s out, the weather is warming up, girls are trading skinny jeans for shorts and guys are busting out bro tanks—music festival season is here. Whether you’re a seasoned music festival veteran or this will be your first time, there are definite methods to keep yourself from tapping out too early from festivities. Here are some ways to make sure your music festival stays at Coachella-lit levels!

1. If you’ve never been before, take it slow

While pretty much everyone will agree that music festivals are an essential life experience (well, at least once) they can be a bit overwhelming your first time. Maybe try for a one day festival, hosted in a park or somewhere more accessible. If it all becomes a little bit too much, you’ll have an easy way out of there and to the nearest non-port-a-potty restroom.

2. Pack wisely

This might be surprising news, but it sucks to not have something when you need it (cue all guilty overpackers crossing their arms and smirking at each other knowingly). Grab enough Wet Naps, bottled water, deodorant, and portable phone chargers to last you through WWIII to save yourself a headache and some cash. Not only that, but be prepared for some potential rain ruining your carefully crafted Pinterest-researched look—you can’t always guarantee that a summer festival will have great weather.

3. Bring a buddy who can keep up!

As part of the music festival culture, you want someone who can keep up with your seemingly unending pool of energy and can match you shot for shot, or at least take care of you if it comes to that. However, it’s crucial that they can stay on pace with you and will be there for all the ~~festivities~~.

4. Pace yourself

It’s easy to get lost in the heat, dehydration, overall energy, and amalgamated smells of food trucks at a music festival, but for an optimal experience, make sure to pace yourself on the beer (or other booze). Getting drunk too quickly and missing the headliner because you passed out/threw up/started a fight is the worst way to tell people you missed Kendrick/Lady Gaga/Alt-J/Chance the Rapper/whatever you’re there for. That being said, aforementioned buddy can be there to make sure you get to a good place and stay in a good place for the duration of your festival, or at least through Kendrick’s first set before the encore.

Tips and tricks aside, going to music festivals is a stressful, incredible, trying, and breathtaking experience all rolled into one. Belting out lyrics right next to the girl swinging around on a guy’s shoulder or bonding with the girl from the food truck line is definitely unforgettable—just make sure to pack some sunscreen!