Your First Music Festival?

So you are going off to your first festival? First off, let me congratulate you on making one of the best decisions you have ever made. To begin with, you have joined a unique race of individuals from all walks of life, one which chooses to endure the elements in order to participate in worship of their true love: Music.

You must be aware of two main routes that may be taken when going to a festival. One is the easy route, renting an RV and paying the extra parking fees, or even getting VIP tickets for all the nice perks now available. Or you can do it the way that it was truly meant to be done, with a tent, a grill, a cooler full of beer, and your friends by your side. This is usually general admission at a festy, and can be tons of fun regardless. Just be prepared, and your weekend should roll by with no problem.

So what would you need for a music festival?

Not a lot, festivals usually do a pretty good job at finding a way to provide you with what you need; besides, a first timer will probably be running amok, trying to figure out what is going on in the madness around them. Some essentials are needed:

Sun-block, no reason to also fry your skin during the weekend, if you know your skin is sensitive, use some. Also, even if you don’t usually get sun burnt, prolonged exposure to that giant atomic ball of fire above us may affect you. For those of you who don’t usually go out in the Florida sun for a while, wear a hat. I have seen many blisters on top of hatless heads, not happy times.

Bring a bag or satchel for your stuff. You may want to keep things like your disposable camera, snacks, bug spray, extra flashlight, baby wipes (sounds weird? You will thank me!), emergency glow sticks, sun-block, and re-usable water bottle.

All of these are very important. Your water bottle specially. A sensible festival will have water hook ups for you to acquire water; after all, as a necessity of life it should be free.

When you finally are done running around and dancing, you are going to want to go back to your camp. Choosing a good spot is very important. Your location to other campers may make or break your experience. If you like to hang out late hours, and have a crazy good time, you won’t want to be next to the family section. It’s just sensible to seek out others who share in your current human experience. Others your age, with or without children, after all birds of a feather flock for a reason.

At camp you will need the following: A comfortable camping chair, a weather proven tent with stakes, a camping mattress, a sleeping bag, pillows, batteries, flash lights, cooler, water, beer (if of age or drinker), food, a way to cook/warm up your food, First Aid kit. Don’t forget to pack for different weather, keeping your eye on the forecast for the area you are visiting might help you a whole lot. For example, if it’s been raining a lot, some rain gear and boots may be in order. Or perhaps if it’s been really hot, pack an extra pair of shorts and some spray bottle fans.

This should suffice, and keep you well during your adventures. Always remember to keep your things safe, and to lock away valuables. Don’t leave out anything you wouldn’t want stolen. It’s not about distrust, but just being smart. After your first experience you will notice what you missed, or what else you may need for yourself. This is a growing experience, so take it as such. Best of travels! Oh, and don’t forget your ticket!