5 Survival Tips for Music Festivals

After spending all week glued to a computer screen, it’s finally time to let loose, trade in your keyboard for a fish taco, and drone out your boss’ voice with the sounds of your favourite bands, the only way you know how: by attending a music festival, of course. After spending the last few months planning, it would be a shame to see your experience ruined because you didn’t plan your days out carefully. Fret not, my friends, because we have put together a simple festival survival guide to make sure the only thing you’re worrying about at any show is how many days until your next festival experience.

Anticipate bad weather

Let’s face it, mother nature may not always be on our side when it comes to festival season. Even though it looks like it’s going to be sunny all day, being prepared for rain will save you a lot of trouble for when the skies open up. Ponchos are light and will keep you dry if it starts raining. Keeping your phone and any other valuable electronics in sandwich plastic bags will also keep them from getting wet in case your bag or purse get soaked in the rain.

Less is more Fanny packs may have gone out of style in the 90s, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make a comeback during festival season. They’re the perfect fit for all your essentials — cash (don’t rely on cards or ATM machines), festival tickets, your cell phone, chap-stick, and sunscreen. And if you looking for some real fashionable ones, you can find them at the thrift store or Amazon.

Stay hydrated Though you may not notice it while dancing to your favourite summer anthems all day, but being in the sun can take its toll on your body. Bring a refillable water bottle with you and locate the nearest water station as soon as you get on site. But before you do, check the music festival's website in order to ensure that your $30 metal water bottle does not get refused at the door.

Dress appropriately

Comfort trumps looking cute at any music festival. Your feet will get stepped on more times than you can count, so cheap, disposable footwear is a must at any summer music festival. Ardene on Orfus Road offers a variety of cheap canvas sneakers for the ladies, and Spring offers some for men. Finding a shady spot to relax under can be hard sometimes, so don’t forget your sunglasses, hats, and bandannas to protect yourself from the heat.

Designate a meeting spot

If you’re spending the day hanging out with your group of festival travelers, it’s almost guaranteed that someone will get lost or wander off during the day. Smoke signals may work in relocating your friends (but may also get you kicked out of the festival), so a designated meeting spot to relocate your group is a better idea. With so many people crowding one area, and because some festivals happen on islands, cell phone reception may sometimes be poor or impossible to achieve. Time stamp all your text messages to make sure the receiver knows when you sent out the message and have at least one of two numbers memorized or written down somewhere just in case you need to borrow a stranger’s phone to make a quick phone call.

Surviving a music festival isn’t that tricky. All you need is a few good friends, the sun’s shining rays and to remember our simple tips, and we guarantee you’ll have great stories to last you all summer.