If you are thinking of attending your very first music festival, you might be feeling a mix of anxiety, nervousness, and excitement.
What do I wear? What do I bring? Who do I see?
These are all common questions you might ask yourself as your first music festival approaches. With a fresh batch of electronic dance music festivals drawing closer, here is some valuable advice if you are planning to attend your very first EDM festival.
Check Out the Festival’s Website
Once you have decided which festival you would like to devote a wonderful weekend to, go to the website!
Most of them will post a list of items or services that will be provided or prohibited, which can help you figure out what to pack/bring in with you and what to leave at home. For instance, some festivals offer charging stations for your electronic devices, so your portable battery pack is one less thing you have to carry. Also, some festivals are beginning to go “cashless,” meaning you can load money onto a provided wristband, and would not have to carry cash/cards around.
Look Through the Lineup
While you don’t necessarily have to make a concrete schedule to stick to, it’s always a good idea to communicate with your friends about who everyone wants to see. That way, if you get somehow separated, you will at least have an idea of what stage to start looking for them.
Know Your Group
If you have the opportunity to attend your first festival with someone that has festival experience, it can be a great lifeline; especially at some of the bigger and more elaborate events. Other than that, make sure that you’re spending such an incredible weekend with people you mesh and get along with. After all, it’s all about those good vibes!
Be Smart
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
These events can take a lot out of you, so it’s very important to take care of yourself and make sure that you pay attention to your body and its needs. If you need a breather, take one! No one will judge you for that, and there is no need to feel embarrassed.
There will be plenty of people sitting down off to the side or back behind the crowd that you can join while you regain your energy. Sometimes sitting back and listening through a set is just what the doctor ordered.
Fanny Packs are Your Friend
It is your own personal rave fairy.
Everything you need in a little pouch clipped to your side. Shoes give you blisters? Bandaids in the fanny pack. Lips chapped? Blistex in the fanny pack. No pockets for your phone? Fanny pack. Throwing any and all travel size items in a fanny pack can save you from a hair disaster with a hair tie pack, or a trip to the medical tent for a bandaid.
If you really want to think ahead, write your friend’s numbers down and throw them in there too, just in case your phone dies.
Pace Yourself
A festival is a marathon, not a sprint. One way to keep yourself on the move, is keep a hydration pack with you. This will cut down on trips to the water fountain allowing you to stay in that perfect spot you found for your favorite set. Don’t go so hard out of the gate that you miss the rest of it!
Have a Meeting Place
Have everyone in your group pick a single spot where you can all meet, either periodically throughout the day or at the end, so you can keep track of each other. Make sure it’s a specific enough spot that won’t be confused with somewhere else!
Creating a totem is also a great way to help spot your rave family in large crowds. Check out this article for more tips on how to make your own music festival totem!
Wear What You Want
Whether you’re walking, jumping, or dancing all day, you are definitely going to be moving around a lot. Wear something comfortable! Your clothing is also one of the best ways to express yourself, so have fun with it. That cat shirt that has been sitting in your drawer? Those leggings covered in glitter? Wear ‘em.
Don’t be afraid to show who you are or even where you’re from! Bringing a little piece of yourself with you, like a flag from your state, school, or even team, is a great way to meet people and have fun.
Still not convinced? Here are 10 reasons you should dress up at your next EDM event.
Talk to Strangers
That’s right, the exact opposite of what our parents told us. Whether they are camping next to you, in line for food behind you, or shoulder to shoulder with you in the crowd, strike up a conversation! See someone wearing a shirt that says where you’re from? Someone singing a song you love? Need a hand with something? Don’t hesitate to speak up.
The people you meet at festivals can end up being friends for life, meeting up with you for events in the future, and adding even more great adventures to look forward to.
Use Your Phone
Cell phone service will not be great, but that’s okay!
Put your phone on airplane mode for certain stretches of the day to save battery. Take all the pictures and videos your little heart desires! You will love having those moments to look back on after the event comes to a close. Doing so can also eliminate the need to tote around your camera, but don’t spend the whole weekend watching it through your phone lens!
Dance Your Butt Off
Can’t dance? Doesn’t matter. Let yourself feel the music and groove to it however you see fit. Don’t be afraid to get up and whip out a move that no one has ever seen before. Need some ideas?
Check out our article with some awesomely essential dance moves to master the dance floor.
Explore
Don’t limit yourself! There are so many things to see at a festival, and so many small details that make it as magical as it is. Pick a DJ you’ve never heard of and go see their set, go see the art displayed, ride the rides, shop! Absorb every aspect of it.
Bring a Smile!
This is most important. You’ll never have an experience quite like your first EDM festival. Enjoy every moment of it. You have the opportunity to become one with countless people that have traveled from far and wide to be together and enjoy an escape from everyday life.
Take it all in and cherish the moments. They will be among the greatest memories you will ever look back on.
photo credit: Drew “Rukes” Ressler via photopin cc
photo credit: Mixtribe Photo via photopin cc
photo credit: Mixtribe Photo via photopin cc
photo credit: Mixtribe Photo via photopin cc
photo credit: Mixtribe Photo via photopin cc
Awesome advice :).
Thanks Darel 😀
Love this article!