Tips For Going To Your First Music Festival

If you're reading this post, this means you have chosen to attend your first music festival. The lineup is giving all the vibes. Take a moment to relax and get ready for the time of your life. I distinctly recall preparing for my first music festival, feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty about what my first music festival experience will be. Will my outfit make me feel out of place? What if the music isn't my vibe? What's the festival atmosphere like, and who makes up the crowd? I'm certain these questions have been on your mind, and I'm here to give you some of my best tips on tackling your first music festival.

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In my travel posts, I talked about my first time at Coachella. I also planning on writing about my experiences at One Music Fest in Atlanta and Broccoli City Festival in Washington, D.C. Once those posts are live, I'll link them in this post.

Tips for going to your First Music Festival

Leading up to the Music Festival

You got your tickets to the music festival, now it's time to plan out the logistics. Where to stay, how you're getting around, what to bring, how the music festival works, etc.

getting to the festival

If you're local to the music festival, you need to need to plan out if you're planning to drive to the festival. If you're planning to drive, here's some things to consider/plan ahead.

• Who's driving? If you're going with friends, determine your driving shifts and if someone will be the DD.
• Who's car are you taking? If you're taking your car, be sure to take your car in the shop for a check up to make sure everything is working properly. The last thing you want is to have car trouble while you're out trying to have a good time. If you're planning to rent a car, go ahead and reserve your rental ASAP! Music festivals draw crowds from everywhere, if you want until the last minute to reserve a car, they maybe gone.
• Shuttles. Check your festival's website to see if they are providing shuttle services to the festival. This is also something you want to secure early because shuttle passes sell out quickly.
• Onsite parking. Check your festival's website to see if there is parking available near the festival grounds. If not, you'd want to budget for Uber or Lyft. 
• If you're flying to the festival location, get your plane tickets ASAP! The longer you wait, the higher the prices are or you might risk flight selling out. Look for flights that arrive a day before the festival just in case there is a delay, there will be a small chance of you missing the festival. My rule of thumb is to buy my plane tickets at least three months early. Set a travel alert for the flight you're interested in. I use Google Flights to set alerts for the exact itinerary I like and a flexible one.

where to stay

If you're aren't local to the festival or don't have any family or friends you can stay with, then you'll definitely need a place to stay. Check your festival's website to see what hotels they are partnering with. I personally like to stay at either a Marriott or Hilton brand hotel because I can use my travel points to secure free or discounted rooms. Check out my blog post on how to secure travel miles and points here. Rooms go fast and prices increase the closer you are to the festival date, so you want to reserve your hotel room early. Some hotels will allow you to book and pay when you arrive.

Download your festival's app

If your music festival has an app, go ahead and download it. There will be important information on the app like the map, food, set times, merch, FAQs, etc. This app will come in handy when you're at the music festival. I like to go ahead and create my schedule by favoriting the artists I want to see. This helps me plan every day of the festival. I know what time I need to arrive, when to eat and use the bathroom so I don't miss my favorite artist.

Other tips

• HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE! Hydrating days before the festival is super important. I've been to festivals where people were passing out due to heat exhaustion. Even if the temperatures aren't that hot, when the body heat from the large crowds, it will be hot.
• Boost your immune system. I love taking vitamins or doing IV therapy before heading to a music festival. With some many people around, you'd want to avoid getting sick.
• Get plenty of rest. Music festivals are an all day thing with a lot of standing on your feet. 
• Read the FAQs. This has a lot of important information. Especially what you can and cannot bring. Make sure you read that before packing!

What to Wear

There's no right or wrong answer here, except heels. Ladies, DO NOT WEAR HEELS! You will be doing a lot of walking and a lot of standing. You will not last in heels. Wear comfortable shoes and some that you don't mind getting dirty. All white forces would not be the move.

If you have no clue what you want to wear, Pinterest is a good source of inspiration. Below are some looks I wore to festivals.

What to Bring

As stated above, make sure you check your festival's website for things you can and can't bring. For the most part, the list is the same, but some festivals' list are different. Here's a list of things I always bring to a music festival.

• Sunglasses
• Chapstick
• Small purse
• I wouldn't bring cash, every festival I been to has been cashless

At The Festival

It's festival time! The day you've been waiting for. Here's some tips for navigating your first day.

security

Security can be either super detailed when going through your bags or relaxed. So use caution if you plan on bringing anything that's on the not allowed list. I've seen people with bottles of wine inside, but I've also seen security throw away a lot of stuff too. Use day one ad a guide on what to do.

Cell service

Cell service is not the best at music festivals. If you're with friends, always have a meeting place in case you get separated or someone's phone is dead.

Stay hydrated

Please make sure you stay hydrated. As mentioned above, hydration is key to have a medical free festival experience. There should be a hydration station for you to fill up your empty water bottle you brought. Use the festival map to find out where the stations are located.

Lineup

At a music festival, realistically, you won't be able to see every artist you like. If there's multiple stages, multiple artists will be performing at the same time. Plus the stages aren't always super close. I say make the best of it and determine which artists are your must see and which artists you can pass on. If you're with a group, don't be afraid to go to a set by yourself!

safety

Please keep your important stuff way at the bottom of your bag, keep it in front of you, and keep it safe. Thieves are everywhere. Be ware of your surroundings. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

other tips

• It can get really crowded at music festivals, especially the closer you are to the stage. It will feel like you're all packed like a can of sardines. If you aren't being super close to people, you will have a better experience in the back near the sitting areas.
• Musical festival do have food vendors available. If you're planning to eat at the festival, be prepared for long lines and food costs averages about $20-$30.
• If you plan to use a rideshare to the festival, my recommendation is to schedule your rideshare for leaving the festival or leave the festival a little early. If you wait until everyone is leaving the festival, wait times for rideshare will be higher than usual.

Try not to overthink things. It's your first music festival and everything isn't going to happen the way you want, but you will still have a great time. Be sure to connect with me on Instagram here. I hope you find these tips helpful. Feel free to drop me a comment below.

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