For most UK students, Saturdays in October usually involve cheering on our football team or picking the race winner at Keeneland. But as the football team makes their way to Louisiana to take on the Tigers, and we anxiously wait for opening day of Keeneland, there is a different buzz going around for Saturday, October 1, as the DayGlow™ tour makes its way to Lexington. DayGlow™ is the self proclaimed “World’s Largest Paint Party;” a night filled with live house music by DJ David Solano & Acapulco Devil, thousands of college kids dancing and neon paint being blasted through the air. It’s definitely going to be a party to remember as DayGlow™ invades Lexington.
While DayGlow™ is full of excitement and energy, there are a few precautions you should take before you get to Heritage Hall for a night to remember, so we’ve compiled a list of tips to get the best experience out of DayGlow™.
- Wear WHITE– Typically at a concert featuring techno music, girls and guys alike are outfitted in bright colors but DayGlow™ is an exception to this rule. The entire venue will be lit up by blacklight, strobe lights, and fog, while paint will be coming at you from all directions. Let the paint color your outfit for you. Pick up a cheap white shirt, cut it up to make a trendy tee, or keep it as simple as you bought it. You want to have a large majority of your attire in white (even the tickets tell you to wear white!)
- Flip Flops are NOT a Good Idea– Actually flip flops are never ideal for any concert, yet many girls make this faux pas, ending up with a lost sandal and cuts up to her ankles from the big guy next to her stepping on her toes. Aside from flip flop’s tendency to fall off, the floors are covered with heavy duty plastic to protect the venue from the paint. Add paint and plastic, and we’re talking about one colorful slip and slide. Inevitably everyone will slip at one point, but wearing an old pair of converse will look cute and give you the traction you need to not bust your butt every time you bust a move.
- Go old school, ditch the digital camera and grab a disposable– When you’re with your college friends and covered in neon paint, pictures are a must! But flying paint and tons of people don’t exactly mix when it comes to technology. Leave your digital camera at home because it will get ruined. Head over to the drug store and pick up a disposable camera. They’re cheap enough to buy a few, yet sturdy enough to hold through some paint, and at the end of the night you have memories in pictures. Not to mention, it will make for some great laughs when you get those pictures back (think the final scene in ‘The Hangover’).
- Here’s Your Excuse to Wear Shades In the Dark– Let your inner Kanye break out with those colorful shutter shades. Paint will be airborne, and there’s nothing stopping it from getting in your eye. Which, trust me, is an unpleasant feeling. Spring a few bucks for a pair of shutter shades or cheap plastic wayfarers. Cute, appropriate, and functional for this event.
- Bags are Not Practical– Strap your apartment key to a hair tie and wear it around your wrist, leave your cell phone at home (or put it in a Ziploc bag and safely secure it on your body), tuck your disposable camera into your pocket or the elastic band of your Nike shorts, and have your money and ticket find its home for the night in your bra (believe me it will stay safe there).
- Hot & Sweaty– This is a sold out general admission event. There are no seats and you will be standing and dancing for a long time. You will be uncomfortably close to sweaty strangers and it will be a bit stuffy at times. Make friends with the sweaty guy who has the awesome moves, and just take in the whole atmosphere.
- Arrive Early, But Be Patient– The earlier you arrive in the line to get into the venue, the closer you will be to the stage and paint, and the messier you will be at the end of the night. The line to get in will be pretty long, unless you sprung for those VIP tickets. Once you arrive in the venue, have patience for the paint. The paint does not start right away! After about an hour’s worth of dropping beats and getting the crowd hyped up, the countdown will reach zero, and the neon colors will start to fly. Don’t worry, the anticipation makes the paint THAT much more fun.
- Embrace the Paint – There will be paint in your hair, your ears, under your fingernails, and everywhere else it can find its way. Embrace the paint. Don’t worry that you have some neon blue in your long curls, it will wash out. Enjoy every second of it.
DayGlow™ is a blast. The music is amazing and the energy is electrifying; and when else is it perfectly acceptable to have tons of neon colored paint covering your body from head to toe? Just remember that less is more at this event. Keep the heels and jewelry at home, show your creativity with a pair of scissors and a white tee. Come prepared to party and have an incredible night.