Necessary Festival Essentials

I have definitely come a long way and learned a lot since I first started attending festivals three years ago. I feel like I learn something new or an easier way to do things after every festival I attend. After attending the Electric Daisy Carnival for my first time this year I learned how helpful and beneficial it is to bring a hydration backpack. Prior to EDC I had never considered using a hydration pack and would always just buy waters inside. Although, since EDC lasts three days and goes well into the early morning, I realized it probably wouldn’t be smart for my health -or my wallet- to consistently buy water inside. Buying a hydration pack was one of the smartest and most convenient choices that I made and now I cannot attend a festival without bringing it. I bring a lot of stuff into festivals (a fan, sunglasses, my polaroid camera and much more) so I personally like the hydration packs that are an actual backpack with a separate pocket inside for the water bladder. This way I can fit all of my stuff inside my backpack and still have the benefit of the hydration pack!

Another crucial thing I learned as a girl attending a festival or rave, is that the bathrooms tend to run out of toilet paper towards the end of the night. While this doesn’t always happen I realized I should probably plan ahead just in case it did, and save myself the inconvenience. Recently when attending festivals my friends and I have been bringing a handful of sanitary wipes in. You can get a box of individually wrapped wipes at the store and they are truly a lifesaver that has come in handy on more than one occasion. The individual packets are small and thin and take up very little space, so I highly recommend bringing a couple in with you. Even if you don’t end up needing them they are definitely better to have just in case and are a major relief when you actually do need them.

The most recent trick I learned was actually recently at HARD Summer. If you’re like me and you absolutely love all things glitter and sparkly, you know how difficult it can be to have everything stick. Now for glitter, I have always used hair gel to get it to stick well and stay put and have never had a problem with it. I suggest trying to find a less greasy, quick-drying hair gel so you don’t feel sticky or slimy. Although my struggle for this particular festival was my beloved face jewels. While I usually don’t have a problem with them staying on my face for the entire festival, HARD Sumer is a different story. The festival is during the day and early night (you hit peak temperatures while you’re there) and the temperatures for the weekend were predicted to be in the mid to high nineties. This was a slight problem for me as I have pretty oily t-zone and was concerned that my lovely gems wouldn’t last more than an hour in the heat. To solve this dilemma I used the trick I had previously heard about where you apply eyelash glue underneath the face jewels before putting them on. To be honest I was pretty skeptical about this because I really didn’t think it would work that well but it definitely proved me wrong! I was so pleasantly surprised at how well it worked and how secure all my face jewels felt. I had no problem with my gems lasting through the night for both days of the festival and highly recommend this if you think you’re going to need a little extra help getting them to stick.

Lastly, I want to mention a few little things I think could also be beneficial. If you’re going to a festival that you know is going to be very dusty or windy, I highly recommend bringing a mask or bandana. This will save your throat and help to stop you from getting all the gross dust and dirt in your nose. Additionally, I think chapstick and tissues are also good things to have on hand because there’s been more than one occasion where water just isn’t enough and I needed chapstick to prevent my lips from cracking. As I mentioned earlier I like to bring a fan with me as well. It can get pretty hot when you’re near the stages and packed into a large group of people and a fan has always been a lifesaver for me. It helps to give you a little bit of refreshment and move the stale air around you. My final suggestion is to bring gum! I think this comes in handy for many reasons but mainly because sometimes you just start to feel kind of gross and need a little refresher. It also gives you something to occupy yourself and prevent you from clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth.

I hope you have enjoyed my first official blog post and have found some of the suggestions and tips that I’ve mentioned useful or helpful in any way. I love raving and festivals and love to be able to share some of the things I have learned with others. If you have any questions or any particular items you’re unsure about please feel free to reach out to me.