GET PUMPED PEOPLE: festival season officially upon us! That being said, I decided to compile a list of the top five things to keep in mind to guarantee a phenomenal festival experience.
1. Camp!
Personally, I’ve become more of a camping festival girl. Sure, the ratio of non-camping festivals to camping festivals is too extreme to even calculate, but those that do involve camping have always provided me with the best experiences, hands down. Even if camping isn’t really your thing, being a short walk from all your favorite sets, not having to worry about a designated driver, etc might seem insignificant, but it makes all the difference. It can seem daunting at first, but, fret not, it WILL be worth it.
2. Come Prepared
Regardless of whether or not you do decide to camp, my next tip to you is this: prior preparation prevents poor performance. This can mean any number of things: adequate food supply, enough water, clothing and supplies for all kinds of weather conditions…overpacking isn’t always frowned upon!
3. Keep an Open-Mind
Next I would have to recommend keeping an open-mind. While this may seem small, it goes a long way. You’ve paid hundreds of dollars and prepared endlessly to get here. Entering the festival with an open mind not only allows you to appreciate every aspect of the festival for exactly what it is, but also gives you the opportunity to try new things and make new friends. That’s not to say you have to partake in everything. But, remember that each and every person you encounter came to this place for the same reason. Music has such a natural way of bringing people of all places, cultures, and styles of music together. You don’t have to find your new best friend forever to be able to appreciate that with a stranger; leave your ego at the gate.
4. Try New Genres
When I first started attending festivals (Life in Color circa 2014) it was those that held lineups of strictly EDM music. As the years go by, your music taste adapts and you become more widely versed in the music scene. Since switching over to festivals that hold a multi-genre lineup, my experiences have only continued to get better. Some of my best friends in the whole world don’t stray to far outside of the “boots and cats” style of music; however, this past weekend at Bonnaroo, these very same friends were pushed out of their comfort zones into seeing artists like Tash Sultana, Anderson .Paak, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, none of who disappointed newcomers even in the slightest. You don’t have to become the newest groupie to appreciate a good performance.
5. Squad Up
My last piece of advice for a summer full of the dopest festival times would be to squad up. It can be your local Girl Gang, your “Saturdays are for the boys” band of brothers, or somewhere in between; but let me tell you, the people make the place. When we landed on the farm for Bonnaroo Thursday morning, we were a group of four gal pals. By the time Monday morning came around, we were jamming out one last time while we took our tents down with all 25 of our neighbors: a “Roo Croo” who’d gone from sheer strangers to our newest festie besties for life in a matter of days.
So, there you have it, the top five ways to ensure a flawless festival experience: camp it out, prepare for anything and everything, keep an open mind, choose a lineup diverse in music style, and recruit a solid crew.
If you’re looking into some festivals for the future to meet this criteria, I can’t help but leave you with a few recomendations: Bonnaroo (duh,) Suwannee Hulaween, and Okeechobee. See you there!
