By: Sophie Allen (@ohheyitssopha on Twitter & Instagram)
★ Decide what time you’re leaving your place to go to the festival. Not the time you’ll be getting there, the time you’ll be leaving for. Make sure you calculate travel time, organize DDs, call Ubers/Lyfts/scooters/whatever ahead of time. You’ll want to have planned your rides to and from the festival before you leave so that there’s no scrambling at the end of the night either. Take it from a Rawhide regular, rideshare apps cost way more than you plan for at 2:30 a.m. every time.
★ Try going early the first day to catch undercard artists! Okay so bear with me; you’ll have the most energy on Day One, Arizona has some incredible local producers, and it gives you time to check out the layout of the festival in the daylight. This will come in handy later in the fest, too, when you’re in desperate need of french fries or a tie dye t-shirt.
★ Dress to impress — but watch the weather. I know, you’re thinking: “Arizona, right?” So, hot. But! Watch out. So it’ll be about 90 degrees during the day, and drops to 72 at night. this may sound absolutely perfect, but a 20 degree temperature drop will feel cold in your rave wear! Think ahead about bringing a small bag or backpack with a t-shirt, bringing money to buy a festival merch shirt, or wearing an extra layer (even a pashmina!) you can later use for warmth.
★ Keep the festival schedule on hand. At Lost Lands ’17, I learned a trick I’ll literally use forever. I take screenshots of the day-by-day lineups (especially if I can find pictures with times and stages) and store them in my camera roll before the festival. Then, each day before I go in, I set that day’s lineup as my lock screen! It saves time + battery looking for your next set and is a go-to hack for every festival.
★ Water, water, water. Seriously, guys. It’s Arizona. Drink water or perish. Be the friend reminding everyone to stay hydrated. It’s fun to take adventures to the water tent, but not so fun to take adventures to the medical tent.
★ Don’t be afraid to break away from your crowd – and make new friends! The Arizona rave scene is full of people you’ve probably met before. I used to be scared to break away from my friends for fear I’d never see them again… obviously, we’d already planned our ride home together! At recent shows, I’ve been wandering off, and let me tell you — you make so many friends! Maybe you’ve seen them in the crowd at Shady, or admired their outfit from afar at festivals in the past, but now’s your chance to say hello and make a friend or two!
★ Bring your personal essentials. For me, this always includes my Vibedration pack, a pashmina, a fan, a lighter, and gum. For you, it could be whatever you need most in the middle of the crowd during the festival. Look out for yourself, and others around you will be grateful if you share the love! It’s always cool to be the one with self-care items on deck.
★ Have fun with it. I know, I know, I told you to overthink it. But what I really mean is be prepared. Once you walk through those security gates: put your phone away, hug your pals, fill your Vibedration, and run off to the stage with the coolest sounding beats. Let yourself enjoy the festival. If you miss a set, you can catch that artist the next time they’re in town. Stay where you want to dance, be with who you choose to surround yourself with, and, oh yeah, eat whatever you want!!
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