Summer is here and that means festival season is also upon us! This year we are heading to a few festivals, and the first one up is Gov Ball 2024! We honestly cannot wait to be in New York City soaking up the sun, good music, and incredible vibes.
With festival season upon us, we figured we’d take this time to give out some tips and tricks that we’ve picked up as we’ve gone to festivals over the years. Whether that’s what to pack, what shoes to wear, or how to make the most of your day, THP is here for you! Now let’s get into these festival tips and tricks!
Wear Earplugs
First on the list is honestly the most important thing you should do at a festival or any show that you attend. Wear your earplugs!! Protecting your hearing is the single most important thing you can do. Take it from someone who went a decade without purchasing earplugs to wear at shows, you will regret it as you get older if you don’t protect your ears now.
Wear Comfortable Shoes
I think this goes without saying, but your cute outfit will still be cute with comfortable shoes. Wear the cute shoes at your hotel and take photos beforehand for IG and then wear your comfy shoes at the festival. Your feet will thank us later when you don’t leave the venue after walking around for 12 hours and have blisters.
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Pack Light
A good rule of thumb for any festival is to pack as light as you can. Not only does this allow you to get into the festival quicker, but it also helps keep your bag from being heavy or you losing/getting things stolen. If you are going to a multi-day festival and are bringing individual-sized items, split it up into those three days and only take what you think you’ll need each day!
Wear Sunscreen
Protect your beautiful skin and make sure you wear sunscreen! You don’t want to get back to your hotel or accommodations after the first day with a massive sunburn. And don’t forget, you can bring a travel-sized sunscreen lotion into the venue. Leave the aerosol one in your hotel room!
Take Water Breaks
Music festivals will normally have you standing around in the heat for around 10-12 hours, so you need to make sure you are hydrated. We don’t want to faint or feel sick at the end of the night when the headliner is on or you are on your way to your accommodation. Most, if not all, festivals now have water stations where you can fill up your reusable water bottles. Our advice: in between sets, make sure you run to a water station to fill your bottle and drink from it throughout the set. And if you are going to camp out at a barricade, fill your water bottle beforehand and keep on sipping!
Bring A Portable Fan
Portable fans are the best invention! No matter where your festival is located, that sun will make things pretty warm. So having a portable fan that you can recharge each night will help keep you cool. Getting a cooling towel and putting that on the back of your neck and using the fan for your face is honestly the best feeling on a hot day!
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Put The Set Times or Map As Your Phone Wallpaper
Something that we like to do is add each day’s set times as our phone background. This way we can quickly look at our lock screen to see who is playing on each stage at any time throughout the day! Each night we’ll change it to the next day’s whenever we get back to our hotel and it helps to make sure you don’t miss an artist that you’ve been wanting to see live. If you don’t have a list of must-sees, you can also put the festival map on your lock screen.
Set Alarms For Must-See Artists
Another tip is setting alarms for the top artists that you want to see. You can name them with the artist and the stage they’ll be at and make the alarm for 15-30 minutes before they start, so you can go get a good spot to sit down or dance!
Bring a Poncho
You honestly never know when it’ll start to downpour and there isn’t a spot for you to hide under. Disposable ponchos are cheap and pack very small! And if it doesn’t rain, you can always use it to sit on, so you don’t get dirt on your outfit!
Make Time To See Vendors/Art Installations
We all know the music is what we are there for, but most festivals have incredible art installations and vendors. Make sure you take some time throughout the weekend to see what the festival has to offer. We went to Lollapalooza last year and they had a vendor selling frozen hot chocolate and you know we went back multiple times.
Hopefully, these tips help get you ready for festival season! We are so excited about the many festivals that we’ll be attending and will be using these tips and tricks to make our experience that much better. Be on the lookout for our coverage of Gov Ball NYC and Newport Folk Festival coming very soon!
Do you have any tips and tricks that we missed? Let us know in the comments below or chat with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.
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