A first time at a music festival is an exciting time full of possibility and fun, with so much to enjoy and so many memories to create. Strangely enough, music festivals can also be utterly horrible, a giant muddy nightmare that you can’t wake up from. The difference between these two polar opposite occasions is preparation and knowledge of what to expect. When you’re ahead of the game and you aren’t falling foul of all the rookie errors that can so easily creep in on a first outing, you protect yourself against so many of the disastrous things that can happen at a music festival. So, with that said, let’s look at 7 classic first-time mistakes to avoid when going to your first music festival.
1. Track Down The Bathrooms Early
This is a very, very important one. There is nothing quite so disorienting than wandering around a campsite in the middle of the night, desperately searching for the bathroom, feeling like you’re going to wet yourself. Your first port of call upon arriving at a festival should be locating all of the bathrooms that are close to you so you always have somewhere to go.
2. Not Deciding When You’re Going To Leave
It seems like a bit of a dampener to open a big festival weekend away with, but knowing when you’re going to leave is actually really important. “Typically, leaving at the end of a music festival is very difficult. That’s because everyone tries to leave at the end, when really people would have such an easier time if they left a bit early or hung around a bit longer”, explains Craig Holden, lifestyle blogger at EssayRoo and EliteAssignmentHelp. Choose your moment ahead of time to make a speedy and smooth exit.
3. Failing To Budget
Festivals take their toll in more than one way. In this instance, money can become a real problem if you aren’t careful. Festival tickets are already considerably expensive, especially for the most popular festivals, so you’re already set back quite a bit by attending. Don’t bankrupt yourself by not choosing exactly how and when you will spend your money whilst at the festival.
4. Being Excessive
Festivals are a wonderful chance to let loose with all of your friends, but something a lot of rookies find themselves doing, mostly by accident, is going too far. You need to pace yourself in all regards, know your limits and ensure that you are in control of yourself all the time. If in doubt, ease up a bit. How much harm can that do?
5. Not Using Sunscreen
A good percentage of music festivals happen in the middle of the summer which presents an often under-appreciated danger: sunburn. Sunburn doesn’t seem that serious, it’s something that pretty much everyone has had at least once. In reality, it’s a huge pain and can be quite dangerous. “Being in the sun too long can give you sun stroke and you can get burned if you don’t protect yourself. Having bad sunburn is horrible, most of all in a dirty festival campsite. Plus, it is linked to dehydration and can permanently damage your skin”, explains Marco Rojo, music writer at AustralianHelp and OxEssays.
6. Not Eating Enough
Festival food can be really expensive, and packing ahead takes a lot of preparation. That’s why so many first-timers find themselves not eating enough. Not eating enough may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re drinking alcohol, dancing, sweating and staying up late it could trigger a collapse. Eat up!
7. Not Picking A Meet-Up Point
You’re going to get separated from friends and drained batteries, poor signal and lost phones will cause problems. Pick a point that you can always meet and anytime you have waited over 10 minutes for a friend who hasn’t appeared yet, just go an wait in the appointed meet-up spot.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s really just a question of identifying what can go wrong and then taking simple lengths to avoid those problems. It’s not complex and yet, if it’s your first festival, you’ll be in the tiny minority if you’ve avoided all these mistakes.
Author’s bio: Ellie Coverdale works as a business writer for UK Writings and Academized. She loves sharing her insights and tips on authentic, meaningful psychological routes towards creative problem solving, and experimental ways to achieve goals. She also teaches writing and contributes articles at Boom Essays.