Baby’s first music festival
Night show at sick new World (Alexa Rios, The Puma Prensa)
By Alexa Rios, staff writer
Music festival season is here and they are bigger, louder, and better than before with their usual outdoor and featured activities allowing more creativity in set design for the music acts. As summer approaches, everyone is getting ready for Outside Lands or Bottlerock. For many, this might be your first festival ever. As someone who just came back from a festival in Las Vegas, there are some common mistakes people make along with the downsides of music festivals.
The festival I went to, called Sick New World, which was a single-day festival. However, other festivals such as Country Summer are held three days in a row. As a festival goer, I usually only go one day, because of the cost and how tiring concerts can be.
The first thing to know before going to a festival, or even before entering the venue, is to have a plan, such as an airplane ticket, comfy clothes, and a charging port. For example, for Las Vegas, my family and I had to get a flight and hotel close to the festival location.
The schedule for the bands and their timeslots should be released as the date for the events approaches. If there's a band you are dying to see, make room to get there early to get a good spot. Another thing is to pack essentials. I recommend bringing a hydration pack, since venues usually have a water-filling station where you can fill up reusable bottles. Along with that, Liquid I.V. is a great electrolyte drink mix to bring, helping you have high energy levels throughout the events. Sunscreen is a must, you do not want to get sunburn, along with chapstick because your lips will get chapped. Lastly, you will need a power bank with a charging cord, so your phone doesn’t die before your favorite band performs; make sure to eat filling and healthy foods to avoid feeling sluggish.
The first time I went to Sick New World, my brother and I woke up early and were about 15th in line since we made sure to arrive at the venue early. It saves time allowing it to be a breeze to find a good spot at the top stages. Speaking of stages, they are usually split up, having the headliners at the biggest stages, and then underground bands at smaller stages.
A downside to festivals is the prices whether it be the merchandise or the food. I spent $42 on two burgers which is insane, but is the harsh reality. While food is a top priority, buying merchandise is not. Last year my brother bought a Deftones shirt only to find it at Hot Topic 6 months later for less than the price he bought it at. Unless you want this shirt more than anything, I suggest not buying any merch to save money as well as time waiting in long lines. If anything take this article almost like a how-to guide, you may think it might be easy to plan everything last minute but don’t. You’ll regret it, and won’t be able to enjoy the music without being stressed. While music festivals are a great way to find friends and listen to awesome music, they are not for the weak and planning would be in your best interest to extract the most fun out of the experience before jumping right into it.