Summer festivals are great because you can see a large amount of bands in a short amount of time. However, these festivals are not always fun and games or easy-peasy. Music festivals can be the most fun time of your life if done right. While these things can differ in music, general vibe, the people, etc., the same general tips can be applied. Follow my advice if you don't want to be miserable after paying $300+ for tickets. Don't let a lack of preparation leave you unable to enjoy the full experience a music festival offers.
1. Plan Who You're Going To See
At every music festival, there are going to be a bunch of bands that you have never heard of and the few that you have. Take the time before you go to plan out what bands you want to see. Prioritize the bands that are must-sees and consider which ones would be okay to ditch. You can't see every band there, it's just not possible and do not even try. I don't mean to be a negative nelly, but I'm trying to prevent utter and total disappointment. You're welcome, sweetie.
2. Plan To Have Very Poor Reception
This is perhaps the most depressing and simultaneously frustrating part of the entire festival experience (I am not being dramatic here). Okay, picture hundreds of thousands of people in a park of some sort, all using their phones, all trying to send texts to their people. Yeah, the reception is going to majorly suck and you will spend 23 minutes trying to send one text. Don't even think about using iMessage for those with iPhones (seriously, it won't happen).
3. Hydrate Like You've Never Hydrated Before
Okay, now I'm going to sound like your mother for the next couple of tips, just let it happen. It'll all be over soon. As I was saying, DRINK LOTS OF WATER. You'll be standing out in the rays of hellish sun and you need to hydrate (no, alcohol does not count, silly). Hydrate like you have never taken a sip of water in your life, just do it. Drink in that precious H2O like a fish.
4. Wear Sunscreen
Disclaimer: I have lily-white skin that burns after being the sun for less than five minutes. Despite my obvious need for sunscreen, you need it too. I DO NOT CARE IF YOU TAN, NOT BURN. Your skin is still getting fried by the UV rays permeating out of the sun (a.k.a skin cancer, y'all). Lather up that sunscreen and thank me later.
5. Bring Hand Sanitizer
Porto-Johns. Enough said.
6. Wear Comfortable Clothing
While you should wear comfortable clothes that you would be willing to wear for 8 hours straight in horrible heat, this is also the time to step up your fashion game. Oh, you have a fringe vest? Yeah, you should totally wear it. Yes, wear those overalls with a flower crown. Literally nobody is judging here, so wear what you would probably never wear at home. I mean, these people wear fanny packs with no shame. You do you, boo. YOU. DO. YOU.
7. Stick Together Or Have A Plan
Festivals are literally filled to the brim with people so it can be overwhelming at times. If you guys don't want to see the same band at that time, then plan to meet up with them at a different stage at a certain time. Have this figured out because the reception might be acting up to where you can't contact them (see number two, I have it there for a reason). You don't want it to be a Finding Nemo type of situation where you're looking for your friend in a sea (haha, see what I did there?) of people.
8. Have Fun And Let Go
So I just threw a bunch of information smack-dab into your face, but the most important advice is to just have fun. You are at a music festival with hundreds of thousands of people who are doing the same thing as you. There is no other experience like it. Let loose, chill, relax, and all of the above.
