How to Survive a Music Festival

Those experienced with music festival gatherings can tell you that it’s not only incredibly mind blowing and enjoyable but also extremely stressful on the mind and body. Yes, you get all the music, entertainment and social interactions you want during the festival but you’re still roughing it and that’s the hardest part.

Hell, I remember running out of food within the first day of a festival and left to trade beers for supplies by the second. In all, you have a kick ass time but every time you come back, you always want to make sure the next time is a little easier for ya.

This is my collection of the twenty helpful tips to survive a music festival.

Tip 1: Start Small

Above all else, be smart about what you’re doing before, during and after the music festival. Obviously, there are situations that are going to be illegal so be smart about that, be aware that there are undercover people at the larger events, be aware that sometimes they put up roadblocks and even that there are shady people that come to the events. All-in-all, use your noggin’.

Tip 2: Bring Extra, Extra Clothing

Look at how much clothes you are bringing and then add about twice as much. Festivals are dirty and you’ll find that you run out of clothing pretty quick when you start to get really sweaty or the random rip occurs on your shirt. You can keep going but it’s always nice to have an actual change of clothes especially when you’re partying on farm land where you’re going to be stepping in shit.

Tip 3: Get Plenty of Money

Festivals are expensive. Yes, hippies show up and get by no problem but they’re hippies – you’re more likely going to need extra money for the little things that you’ve forgot, food when you run out or to buy the essentials once you’re there. It’s always good to have a bit of money in the event you need it.

Enjoy it best, with friends

Try to go with your friends. Not only will you have a good time being around the people you like but it will create a good community to be around especially when things get a little out of control. I’ve been to a festival by myself and it can be troubling when things are sketchy; it’s always good to have a friend or two there to ground ya.

Tip 5: Expect the Unexpected

Take all the thoughts you have about a particular festival and throw them out the door. If you haven’t been to a festival than you really can’t understand the amount of things going on once you’re there. The best piece of advice I can give you is to just be ready to have everything you know blown out the door. You’re going to see weird and cool people, watch mind blowing acts and be temporarily out of any type of civilized society for a little while so just throw out the expectations and roll with it.

Tip 6: Stay Cool at All Times

Don’t become an ass at the festival just because you don’t know people. Don’t push people around and freak out when something is uncomfortable; take everything with a grain of salt and keep things cool. People are there to have fun – don’t be the dick that ruins it for everyone.

Tip 7: Don’t Go Overboard

Don’t take it too far. You’re going to have the opportunity to do a lot of things at the festival – some legal, some illegal – but always keep your head straight if you partake. There’s nothing worse than someone losing their cool and freaking out – keep things within your control if you can; if things start to slip, seek out your friends.

Tip 8: Bring More than One Cooler

One cooler isn’t enough to last you through the festival especially when you get into a giving mood and hand out all your beer to the cool people around you. Bring an extra cooler with supplies so you can barter with people and be generous; you’ll be happy you have extra when you run out of the supplies.

Try to find your tent now

Don’t skimp out on your tent, please. I’ve been to festivals with cheap, $30 tents and believe me, they suck. Pony up the money and buy something worthwhile, something that can survive some extreme conditions because the weather changes all the time and nothings worse than being soaking wet, freezing cold and dirty as hell in a cheap ass tent.

Tip 10: Be Careful

Be safe about what you’re doing. I don’t need to remind you about this but use your common sense. Don’t be climbing up trees when you’re drunk or starting fights. Don’t walk away from the festival with injuries; not only are you going to ruin it for your friends but it’s going to kill your good time.

Tip 11: Don’t be Stupid

Also, don’t be stupid. Don’t pick fights with people because they did something silly. Don’t steal from people. Don’t crash their buzz or call out people. In short, don’t be an asshole. Everyone is there to have a good time but there are always a few people that try to ruin it. There’s nothing worse than feeling on top of the world than someone to come up and rip into you for no apparent reason. Accept everyone and don’t be some jackass.

Tip 12: Bring the Little Things

Don’t forget to bring the little things like batteries for flash lights or extra tampons for the ladies. You’ll find some basics at a festival and you may be able to run to a store but some festivals lock you in once you make your way inside. You could always barter if you need something so bring those little things that most people will forget.

Tip 13: Don’t Do Everything

Don’t try to do everything if the festival is massive. Pick an artist you really enjoy and make the sacrifice to see them even though there may be another favorite artist playing in a different area. You won’t be able to see everything and do everything at a festival so it’s best to just maximize what you are doing and enjoy it – rather than bouncing all over the place and never really getting into the moment.

Special, special peoples

Break out of your little social barrier and start interacting with people. Walk up, kick up conversations, sit down at a tent, give people a cig, share a beer with someone – do social things! The people you meet at festivals aren’t your normal run-of-the-mill bunch, you probably won’t see them again but you’ll have some amazing conversations when you can.

Tip 15: Be One with Nature

Embrace the dirtiness that is nature. Don’t be afraid to get messy and dirty as hell. People aren’t at a festival to look good – they’re there to have a good time and sometimes that means not exactly taking care of everyday habits like showering and using the bathroom in proper places. Respect nature, don’t litter but blend in – don’t fight what you can’t control.

Tip 16: Bring Backup Tickets

If possible, get a couple copies of your tickets or confirmation for when you’re going. Nothing’s worse than buying a ticket at the last minute and the organizers scramble to find your name (it’s happened before after driving to a festival nearly 8 hours away). Print out the tickets or the receipt of the festival if you buy the tickets online – don’t expect to get tickets at the gate if it’s a big one.

Tip 17: Don’t “Just Deal With It”

If something bad happens such as an overdose or a major injury, don’t just “deal with it” and keep going because you have to realize that people are in real danger – it could be your friend or it could be a complete stranger. People are going to be so out of their minds that people skip over the basic care for themselves and others; don’t risk serious injury and trauma just to “stick it out” – be smart.

Tip 18: Set a Meeting Point

Try to always let your group know where a general “meeting point” may be in the event that you get lost because you’re too far out of your mind. Sure, the tent is a good place to meet up but sometimes that can be extremely difficult when there are thousands of similar looking tents around you. Set something like “the main stage on the left by the giant squid statue” or something like that – this way you know where to go if you need help or if you want to meet back up.

Tip 19: Stay Hydrated

You’re going to have a lot to drink during the festival and not much of that is going to be water. You can’t survive on beer at the rate you’re going at festivals if you’re constantly dancing and running around because you’ll dehydrate. Every once-in-a-while, drink a bit of water just to balance out everything else you’ve put into your body.

Tip 20: Don’t Plan

Ha! The last one on the list basically negates a good majority of this post. Festivals are completely unique each year so there’s no real reason to do some extensive planning for them like you would a family vacation. Use your common sense when you’re going, bring essentials and just go – nothing is going to work out the way you plan it so don’t worry about it!

Final Thoughts

I’ve gone to my share of music festival and can honestly say that they are some of the most enjoyable moments of my life. There are times when things were amazing and others where I felt doomed; in all, they all had their own unique feel and were totally worth it in the end.

I know, from going, that I try to be prepared but it rarely happens. There’s not much you can do once you’re in the gate so try to be smart about what you bring in and how you’re going to survive for the duration of the festival. If things go up or down, take em in stride and enjoy the ride.

If interested, you could always read this cool book on Music Festivals; gives a nice look at the music culture we all love.