How to Survive Your First Music Festival

Music festivals can be hella fun, but they can also be hella dangerous. Check out this guide to find out how to survive your first music festival!

 

Plan out what time you will arrive at the venue and what time you will leave. Think about whether you’ll be finding parking, taking a shuttle, or calling an Uber. Beware of high event/demand rates.

You might want to check a map of the venue before to know where everything will be and which entrance is the closest. Also, take into account the weather before you go! Those bell bottom jeans may be extra fashionable festival wear, but you’re going to be dying in the 99 degree heat. 

 

Don’t be so determined to be front row to see Kendrick Lamar that you are willingly having a heatstroke or a panic attack in the crowd. Know your limits, and know that it is okay to step out of the chaos and enjoy the music from outside the crowd. Your personal well-being is more important.

Have an exit plan and don’t leave people behind. If you arrive with someone, make sure everyone will make it home safely.

 

 

Depending on the festival and your level of determination, you might want to consider arriving at the venue earlier than the time the gates swing open. For the Free March Madness Music Festival held at Discovery Green in Houston, I was completely determined to make the best out of it. We arrived at the venue four hours before the gates opened. My friend even mapped out the park in order to find the closest gate because that meant we had less area to take in sprint and a better chance at securing a spot on the barricade. We also arrived early because the music festival was free and once the venue reached capacity, no one else would be allowed in. This isn’t as terrible as you would think though, just maybe be prepared for the weather and have snacks packed! 

 

 

Sometimes, the time in between sets means you get to try and sit down for a while in the jungle that is human legs, but sometimes it means standing in the crowd for thirty minutes while the stage managers prepare the stage for the next artist. 

 

 

Most likely, you’ll have to wait for everyone to realize that the show is officially over and start walking away from the barricade. Being closest to the barricade usually means being far from the entrance and, depending on the crowd, can mean a waiting period before you get to comfortably walk out.

However, this isn’t always a bad thing. Take advantage of it! You get to avoid some hectic traffic, although usually not all. You can chill by the stage and take pictures and potentially pick up a setlist! If you’re in the right place at the right time, you could even score a cameo appearance on the news!

 

 

Oh the fun. As the time for the headliners to perform starts to close in, so do the people around you. It’s insane how determined some people are to get to the front when there is clearly no room. 

Pushing towards the front is how some people who get there ten minutes before the show get to the front. Now, I’ve never been one to initiate a push. Still, keep in mind that if there’s a huge gap in front of you, others will make their way in front of you and sometimes even push you back.

This is the worst thing about being on the barricade. When people from behind push, you’ll be pushed into the metal gate but you’ll also have air to breathe because no one is blocking your way.

It starts when a performer finishes and people who were there for that artist make their way out of the crowd. It’s usually the worst before the headliner goes on and settles a little once the performance has actually started. If a performer comes into the crowd, keep your head up because pushing will start again.

 

 

When attending festivals, it is important to keep hydrated. If you’re staying at a stage all day to avoid losing your spot, make sure you have what you need. Some festivals provide free filling stations for you to fill up your camelbak or water bottle. Some even hand water out to the crowd, but do not depend on this because there are so many thirsty people around you.

 

 

Music festivals usually consist of more than one day. Take some time to just relax and enjoy the music. You don’t have to be within the crowd to appreciate the experience. On the contrary, the festival feel comes from roaming from stage to stage and eating food from awesome vendors! Listen to artist you’ve never listened to because you never know what you could be missing out on!

Take some cool pictures, record your favorite song, snapchat a bit, but don’t spend the concert on your phone!

 

 

Everyday might not go according to plan, but make the most out of everything you encounter! It’s all about the experience afterall.

 

 

 

Making it onto the Houston Chronicle (twice).

 

We ended up in line behind Waterpark (a Houston based band performing at Van’s Warped Tour. P.S. I also managed to photobomb their newspaper picture!

 

 

Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy grabbed my hand during “Saturday”, PALM TO PALM