Keeping your friendships into your 20s is as important as keeping yourself groomed. With eat-what-you-catch entrepreneurship becoming the only viable career path in 2016, ambitious 20somethings are finding it impossible to balance their careers with their social lives.
Whether we’re chasing affluence or the perfect salary for happiness ($75,000), both leave almost no time for the friends that we call family. On top of that, some friends move away and others start families. There has to be a better solution than just going out to drinks on the weekends; one that satisfies our need for atmosphere, laughs and love.
It’s time to rethink how we go out.
Traveling to festivals and staying in close quarters with intimate friends is our best chance to feel the social experiences that can make our grinds worthwhile.
If you’ve been underwhelmed at the opportunities for debauchery, community and networking in your local bar scene, then book your AirBNB cause we just became festie besties.
Atmosphere
When we’re done studying, working and exercising, we like to go out and feel a new atmosphere, preferably one that charms us into relaxing, dancing and loving. Week-long festivals like Art Basel, SXSW and Miami Music Week stage events where brands work with venues to throw the hottest parties of the year.
Skip the tired bar scene and visit a festival for a powerful hit of joy.
Regardless of whether you traveled in with just your partners-in-crime or the entire squad, these trips always lead to good stories after the fact because different social circles are welcome to meet each other in a hospitable environment.
“Our idea of an amazing festival is losing myself-in the crowd, to the music, and with the vibe of the place. At ACL, we had no identity but that of Richard Simmons. We lost ourselves completely, and it was perfect.” – Christina Chapman and Grace Ortkiese
“My best friend Keely Perez and I met at EDC NY 2013 and we have been best friends ever since. She even ended up moving to my hometown and now we continue to be festie besties all over the place. Our favorite festival memory is definitely eating pizza at the Resistance Stage during UMF 2015.” – Emily Hall
If you want to meet some new people to party with, there are clutch apps like Mix’d. It’s like Tinder for music lovers, so users automatically have something in common that’s near-and-dear to their hearts. Regardless of whether you’re at Coachella, Bonnaroo or Ultra, romantic flings doesn’t count on vacation – so let loose! No one’s judging.
Where better to have unlikely-encounters-in-the-night than at a festival?
Something to Look Forward To
Career moves take months, if not years, to make. Seeing friends daily or weekly can paint a near-sighted picture of them being complacent when they’re working as hard as they can.
“This picture was taken at Summer Set 2014 just hours after I met Tyler. We quickly fell for each other and have been together ever since!” – Bridget Pintz
Many students rebel in the opposite direction and resign from social life entirely. They announce “I don’t go out” when they might as well say “I’m such a square that I’ll grow up to be a cube!”
Neither extreme is healthy for our psyches, we need a healthy balance.
Waiting months in advance for these events is an exciting ride because you know you’ll have triumphs to share with your friends. Looking forward to these week-long utopias juices you to work harder towards the milestone than you otherwise would’ve if seeing your friends more often.
Settling back into the rhythm of your grind becomes more pleasant after getting juiced by a week of atmosphere, laughs and love. It’s like seeing your station in life with new eyes.
Fraternal/Sororal Love
You may be thinking, “Is that all I have to gain?” to which I’d respond “No, you can also make new friends.” These events draw like-minded individuals from around the world to spend a week in a temporary zone of planetary civilization based on art, music and love.
The paradise theme is expressed most eloquently in “festival-season” fashion which is a bohemian blend of summer and spring styles.
With everyone so comfortable, it’s never been easier to make inspiring friends whose success drives you to step up your game. Going to these events with old friends is an upward spiral that gets me so excited I vomit rainbows.
“This is me and my festie bestie Harmony Vanscoy. We were mere acquaintances for years, but never really hung out or spoke. Rewind to last summer and Harmony sent out in the universe needing a buddy for LIB. We met up in San Francisco and hit it off right away. We made great friends with all our neighbors and they surely havent forgotten the sexy sparkly dynamic duo “Harmony and Hannah”. She will forever by so close to my heart and a certified soul sister.” – Hannah Dye
If you’re on board with this lifestyle solution then share it with your friends so they can get on board too! You can also add me on twitter @wolftempura and challah.
