Last Wednesday morning, I started camping in the woods for a few days to go to a bunch of concerts, also known as Firefly Music Festival in the Woodlands of Dover, Delaware. It was an amazing experience and post-concert depression has hit hard. My four days were filled with little sleep, camping, porta-potties, and amazing concerts with even greater friends.
I attended the festival with five friends from home, who were all Firefly vets. Having never gone before, I just went along with what they recommended and trusted their judgment. They highly recommended going to camp a day earlier than the festival started to get a good camping spot, so Wednesday began my firefly journey. We got up early Wednesday and ended up getting a great spot-near the main entrance of the festival! I was very uneasy going into Firefly knowing I would be camping for four days since I am the least outdoorsy girl you will ever meet. But, the total vibe of Firefly brought my whole camping anxiety down and I really didn’t mind sleeping in a tent. It was actually super fun sleeping outside and hanging out in folding chairs all day. Don’t get me wrong, the porta-potties weren’t always the cleanest, not using running water for four days got gross by day four, but detoxing from my phone and civilization for a while was really refreshing. If you’re thinking about going to Firefly but not sure about the camping, totally do it. I promise, it’s not that bad and it’s all a part of the hippie experience.
The concerts at the festival were absolutely amazing. Every night had a big headliner perform, and they didn’t disappoint. Ellie Goulding, Kings of Leon, and Mumford and Sons all were so amazing and I was blown away. The best performance and my favorite of the weekend was hands down Florence and the Machine. She made me cry three times . . . three. She had a very genuine performance and experiencing that with my best friends was priceless. The crowds for the concerts are big, but it’s great to jam out with a huge crowd. Concerts start at 12 p.m. and don’t end until 2 a.m., so can you say sleep deprived? This also helps the anxiety of camping, because you’re so tired at the end of the day that you just pass out in the tent at the end of the day. The good concerts aren’t only at night, all day there are great performers and are totally worth going into the festival early for.
Even though I didn’t properly wash my hands for four days, got a little sunburned, was sleep deprived, lost my voice, and only used porta potties, I would do firefly again in a heartbeat. Listening to great music and escaping from civilization for a few days with my best friends was priceless. I would totally recommend attending this festival as well. Even if camping isn’t for you, give it a shot and try something new. If you have the right friends with you, you’ll have an amazing experience at Firefly like I did.
