LOLLA WEEKEND! It's the best time of the year for a Chicago music lover. Lollapalooza has attracted millions of people from all over the world to visit the best city ever to jam out and make new friends that have the same music interests as you. Here are my tips for the newcomers and festival veterans that might forget about these things.
1. Sunscreen
This is super essential unless you want to be in pain the rest of the days at Lolla or end up with second-degree burns from the scorching sun. Slather it on every visible body part before going to the festival. Make sure you hit up the medical centers once or twice during the festival to re-apply — better safe than sorry!
2. Portable Phone Charger
Unless you plan on barley using your phone and know that Snapchat won't drain your battery, then I would invest in a $5 portable charger so that you have a backup, just in case. Imagine having your phone dead at the end of the night trying to find your friends or vice versa!?
3. ID
You never know if you’ll need it or not that day, but it's better to have some identification in case an emergency happens.
4. Wristbands
The amount of times I’ve seen people forget their wristband or thought they had it on but it wasn’t there is insane. Check not once, but twice before leaving the door, because the worst thing ever would be seeing your friends go in and you having to stay out for a simple reason.
5. Napkins
This one is for you, ladies. Sounds weird, but just shove a napkin in your back pocket or stuff it in your bra because chances are those porta-potties won’t have toilet paper and that really, really sucks.
6. Water
As long as your water bottle is sealed shut before entering Lolla, then you are good to go! It gets super hot and when you are in a crowd of hundreds of people, it's not fun to feel like your about to pass out or puke everywhere because you're so dehydrated.
7. ICE Numbers
In case of an emergency, it's good to have "in case of emergency" (ICE) numbers in your phone so higher authority could contact those people. I have an iPhone, so there is feature on the lock screen that can take you to your ICE numbers, and you can even input your personal information on there. These things might sound excessive to have but you really never know what can happen and, once again, better safe than sorry.
One of the best experiences I’ve had with Lolla is being able to enjoy the music and scenery that they artist bring to the festival. On that note, I would be careful with the amount of alcohol one consumes because that combined with dehydration is a big no-no. Have fun, and remember that doing those "dumb" things won’t truly make you that proud of yourself when you’re older.
