The Ultimate Guide of Festival Essentials

So you want to go to a music festival huh? Interesting. I didn’t think you had it in you. Do you really think you’re ready? In your heart of hearts, in the deepest recesses of your being, do you truly believe that you are prepared for this? That’s what I thought. It’s okay, I like your moxy kid, so I’ll help you out. Let me tell you a little about me; I am a seasoned festival-goer. I’ve been in hundreds of pits, I’ve bought dozens of stickers that by the end of the day got folded up in my bags and pockets to the point that they became unusable, I’ve taken countless CDs that I didn’t have a player for, inhaled enough dirt that I have an oak tree growing in my lungs, gotten sunburned every single time without fail, and even drank the Riot Fest hard seltzer that I’m convinced they made by siphoning the liquid out of the bottom of the garbage bags placed around the grounds and left in the heat for 3 days. I’ve seen some stuff, man. There are a ton of Reddit posts and FAQs on festival websites that tell you what you should and aren’t allowed to bring. While those are useful with the basics, once you’re in, if you’ve only followed those suggestions you realize how woefully unprepared you really are. Festival season is coming and you need to be prepared so here is a list of FIVE essentials you’ll need for any and every festival.

A Kristen - A great friend and a festival enthusiast who is, I would argue the most important tool in your festival box. If you have a group of friends that you go to festivals with you, may already have a Kristen. If you go by yourself, you should consider hiring one. So what’s so special about Kristen? Two things: she has a bag, and you make her hold your stuff. DO NOT BRING YOUR OWN BAG TO A FESTIVAL IF YOU WANT TO GO IN THE PIT. There should be a 3 to 1 person-to-bag ratio. There are two to three items you should keep on your person at all times, for me cargo shorts help me keep these items secure. You should always have your phone on you because getting separated is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when unless you have a partner or buddy system in place. Always have your wallet on you so you can get water in a pinch and make unwise impulse purchases without the judgment of your cohorts. The third is optional but I highly suggest it, sunglasses. Anything else you bring or pick up at the festival like water bottles, sunscreen, and T-shirts (not festival T-shirts those are tacky) go into Kristen’s bag. Will your Kristen always be happy to carry your things all day? No, almost never, but they will do it reluctantly leaving you free to move about and do whatever you want.

A Rigid Schedule - From a few days up to the day of the festival you should be familiarizing yourself with any map of the site that the festival has provided and the schedule of set times. A lot of festivals have apps or pages on their website that you can use to schedule your day down to the minute. I suggest that you do this, when I am mapping out my day I factor in travel time between stages so I can decide if I have to leave a set early or can show up a song or two late for the next set. I factor in when I am going to eat (something light you don’t want to get weighed down by a food truck meatball parm) and bathroom visits are bound to happen so you can plan for them assuming there is no emergency. I’m not much of a browser, I usually plan on walking around the tents when there is a lull in the day but you could schedule that too if you would like. Every minute of your day should be mapped out to some extent so you can maximize your experience and get everything that you want to get done. On the day of the festival, have your schedule on your charged phone, bring a portable charger if you have one, your Kristen will hold it but make sure they don’t use it too much.

A Willingness To Abandon The Schedule Almost Immediately - “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” -John Lennon. The human attention span is a curious thing. Educators, marketing executives, and all forms of creators have worked to capture it for as long as possible to fill their specific needs. It is as powerful and unpredictable as the mighty sea and like the waves, you must embrace where it takes you. You may be walking past a band you’ve never heard of and really dig their sound, stay a while. You may see something at a tent or a gathering of people doing some activity, take a look. You may meet someone who you’ll never see again but for this one day, in this one place, for this one moment that you wish would last a lifetime, you are in love. And they want to go see Taking Back Sunday so I guess that’s what you’re doing now. If there is a Ferris wheel, (which incidentally was invented for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois as a response to the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower at The Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris, France) go on it early or not at all. If you plan to do anything like that you have to do it before 10:30 am or it’s gonna be an hour and a half on line.

Water - I’m dead serious about this one, hold onto your water bottles and the caps and make sure you get to the hydration station a few times because you’ll be sweating and it is often very hot in the summer in a sea of people. You’ll know how important water is if you’ve ever been standing in a crowd pushing your lips as high as they can go into the sky to dry to get a lung-full of fresh air. I’ve personally had to remove myself from crowds and get hoisted over the barricade by security while not being able to give them any assistance lifting my 200 lbs frame because I didn’t have enough water throughout the day. Know your physical limits and don’t push it. Hydration is key.

Earplugs (Even If You’re Young) - I never used to wear earplugs, none of us did. When you’re in your late teens going to concerts and festivals you feel invincible. Yeah, your neck might be a little sore and you might have a bit of a headache the next day from headbanging if that’s your thing. Your ears would be ringing after but you went to bed and by the time morning came it was gone so it didn’t really seem like an issue. Then one day you wake up and your ears are still ringing. Shit. Now you gotta invest in some earplugs. Tinnitus is very much a thing and you don’t think about it until you’re just sitting on the couch and your ears start ringing then you think about how you wish you had started wearing earplugs earlier. Nobody is going to judge you for wearing them and if your friends poke a little fun, that’s fine. You’ll be giving yourself the chance to go to more festivals in the future. This speaks to a larger point, one that I will end with. Always take care of yourself and do your best to take care of others. If someone is sitting in the shade and isn’t looking great, offer them some water and some sunscreen. It’s probably the most common thing that is said at concerts and it is a good way to live your life as well. If someone falls, pick them up. Unless if it’s your Kristen, first check to make sure your stuff is okay, then pick them up.