Firefly Music Festival... Four whole days of camping out with your best friends, listening to your favorite artists, and dancing like a goon at a silent disco--could you ask for a better way to spark the summer vibes? Firefly Music Festival was a fleeting weekend filled with good tunes and good times. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the festival (Coachella burned me out too early in the festival season), but luckily, my good friends Meghan McDonald and Jake Groskoph jammed out; camped out; and survived to tell the story. In other words, they filled me in on the highlights, tears streaking their faces as they yearned to return to Dover, Delaware for one last song. After just a few minutes of hearing their reminiscent ranting, I not only became extremely envious, but also realized that everyone that went to the festival is in a serious state of mourning, bereft of the brief 96 hours of music they just experienced. Here are 11 things people who went to Firefly already miss about the festival.
1. Being a flower child
Return to the hours of adorning your freshly sun-kissed golden locks in a floral wreath, and just chillin' in the dirt. At Firefly, you could literally roll around in the dirt without judgment.
2.The festival fashion
You can technically sport your festival garb any day...but there's something about your favorite band performing on a stage erected in a cleared-out field that makes you want to show off your true fashion sense. Everyone for sure yearns to revert to donning themselves in their crocheted tank tops and hippie pants for Cage the Elephants' killer setlist.
3. The Pathway
The Pathway was an awe-inducing art display during the day--treetops lined with white umbrellas--that transformed into an unparalleled light display at night, acting as the perfect art display to compliment the tunes that wafted through the forest trees. No music festival is complete without a splash of visual art, and anyone who went to Firefly definitely misses the other-worldly feeling of looking up into a star-streaked sky to see floating umbrellas illuminated against it.
4. The great vibes
Sing-alongs, polaroids, hanging out, and just having a good time--what wouldn't you miss?
5. Everyone's smiles
People weren't just smiling because they were taking dozens of Instagrams to document their memorable weekend, they were smiling because they were genuinely happy--feeling the jubilant drops of sunshine bubbling inside of themselves as Matt and Kim's "It's Alright" drifted through their ears.
6. Accidentally stumbling across your new favorite band
One of the best parts of any festival is walking across the field and--just by chance of perfect timing--you hear a catchy tune from an artist you've never heard of. At Coachella, I came across Saint Motel (before they blew up and their song was #1 on Alt Nation). At Firefly, maybe you came across one of the smaller acts, like Prinze George or Jack Novak, and your heart clung to their harmonious beats.
7. The unparalleled adrenaline at the start of each performance
The drum starts; your heart starts pounding. The bass vibrates through the audience; you get the chills. The singer's voice echoes across the entire crowd; you can't help but smile ecstatically and scream the lyrics to your favorite song.
8. The Music. The never ending live music.
"There's nothing better than live music. It's raw energy and raw energy feeds the soul."
--Dhani Jones, former NFL linebacker
9. The Thicket
The Thicket was a silent disco. If you don't miss dancing to your own beat with a pair of headphones and your sickest (dorkiest) moves, you did something wrong at Firefly.
10. Camping
It might seem odd that you'd miss camping out--no clean clothes, bugs, and sweaty sleeping arrangements. But the truth is, there is no better bonding experience than camping out with your best friends in a little tent as you plan out the rest of the weekend before dozing off, getting hype for the next day's lineup.
11. Paul McCartney
Did "Hey Jude" make you cry? Yeah, I thought so. I bet you're missing those tears and that legendary, dreamlike musician right about now.
It's okay, though. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened, right? Camping out in your backyard and blasting a Spotify playlist of the lineup is kind of the same, right? Okay, maybe not, but just savor the memories. The summer has just begun and Firefly was definitely the perfect way to kick of the season, setting you up for a whole three months filled with good vibes, good jams, and good friends.
