Before the fest:

Learn whether the fest you’re attending is one where you’ll be camping or if it’s in the city where you’ll be booking a hotel or Airbnb. If it’s the latter, I highly recommend booking as far in advance as possible. Hotel rates increase when there’s an event happening and prices go up the longer you wait.

Airbnb’s also get booked up quickly!

If you’ve never used Airbnb before, you can use my link for $40 off here.

If you like to travel solo, festivals are amazing because people are generally happy and welcoming for you to join their crew. If you’re trying to find a squad to join, try creating an account on the app Radiate. It’s a huge music festival forum where people write tons of useful info on whichever event you’re attending, resell tickets/wristbands, and give insight on the security + vibe at the fest. It’s honestly a super useful resource for any festival goer.

Plan your outfits! This is my favorite part. Shop any and everywhere! There are many dedicated rave/festie websites such as iheartraves, Rave with Mi Gente and Little Black Diamond.

Don’t forget a hydration bag!!!! Almost every festival allows you to carry one, even when they have size restrictions on bags. (Always double check through the festival Q&A on their website. You do not want to have to throw away your stuff or worse, wait in the entrance line all over again.)

My fav hydration bags are Vibedration!

Use code “KRIS” to receive a discount on their huge selection of hydration bags, backpacks and fannypacks!

Wear comfortable shoes. I repeat. Wear comfy shoes!!!!

You may see me wear heel booties more often than not, but I have a particular pair that I bought a half size big just to wear to festivals. They are broken in and super comfortable at this point. I prefer wearing booties cause I’m barely 5’2″! Lol.

If you’re not comfortable in a heel I would suggest sneakers (Chucks are perfect) or combat boots that are worn in. Definitely something closed toed as you will be shoulder to shoulder with drunk people at some point or another, and you don’t want your toes stepped on.

Day of the Fest:

Pull out cash!!! Sometimes vendors don’t accept cards and you may need to have money on hand. A lot of festivals allow you to pre-load money on your wristband, which is a convenient option as well.

Spray yourself with sunblock and don’t forget to pack sunglasses, hat, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes! You will thank yourself. Trust me.

Download the app for the music festival if they have one. Most have one. It will have the schedule and the map of the grounds, which you will find extremely useful when trying to navigate. Some festivals are huge and it’s easy to get confused. Use the schedule to plan out the sets you want to see in advance. Nothing is worse than missing out on a set you were dying to see.

Pro tip: one person save the map as their screensaver & another person save the schedule as theirs. It will save you battery! It wouldn’t hurt to pack a small portable charger as well.

Another useful app for your group to download is Fire Chat. This app doesn’t need signal to send messages, it works off Bluetooth. I wouldn’t count on having service during the event due to network congestion, and if someone gets lost it could be your only way to communicate!

At the Fest:

Fill up your hydration pack first and make a point to remember where the water filling stations are. Future you will be eternally grateful.

Be friendly!!!! Talk to the people next to you in the crowd. I’ve made so many friends at music festivals, and it’s so easy to. Music truly brings people together. Even if you’re the most introverted person on the planet, festivals have a way of bringing out the most radiant humans. It won’t take long to realize this for yourself.

Last but not least.

Be happy. Have fun. Let loose.