A lot of the times I hear “I didn’t go to ______ because I didn’t want to go by myself” or “none of my friends are going so I’m not going” when it comes to shows and festivals. I am definitely guilty of this where I was afraid to go alone because I didn’t think it would be as fun if my friends weren’t there. Moving to Austin I had to instantly change this mindset with DJs touring here constantly and festivals like Austin City Limits and Something Wicked right by me that I couldn’t pass up. I went to a show by myself my first month in Austin, went to ACL Weekend 2 and Something Wicked basically by myself and met up/made friends there. I didn’t want to stay home and feel sorry for myself that I was too scared to put myself out there. I was scared the scene I feel in love with wouldn’t open its arms to my lonesome self and I was dead wrong.
If you feel like you can’t go to an event by yourself, here are some reasons why and some tips that helped curve every excuse I had telling myself not to go. Keep reading for how to go to an event by yourself.
1. You Are In Control of Your Experience
I love my friends, but there are sometimes I have missed out on an artist because I would be by myself or I had at help a friend out. When you go by yourself, you are in control of what you want to do and what artists you want to see. It’s kind of a freeing feeling that everyone should do. Even now if I go with a group, I venture off by myself to go see an artist and meet other people who like that artist.
2. You WILL Make Friends
Something as easy as going up to someone and saying hi can be extremely nerve-wracking. This is something I’ve dealt with internally where I introduce myself and put myself out there even though ’m screaming inside. This took me YEARS to master. I usually try and find a funny totem (if they have them), go up to that group and ask if I can hang with them. 95% of the time you’ll be met with nothing but acceptance, love and have new friends. If you’re ever met with a non-accepting group, then move on they’re the weirdos for not opening themselves up to you.
3. You’ll Have No Regrets in Going
Life is SO short. What you have in front of you can be taken in a blink of an eye. I’m not saying you’ll regret not going for the rest of your life; however, not going to an event for a reason so silly as your friends aren’t going is doing a disservice to yourself. It’s your life you should be out there experiencing it!
Now if you still aren’t convinced, here are some other tips to help:
Personal Safety
This was my biggest concern was how can I ensure my safety as a young adult woman going to these events by myself. I made sure to have a game plan for a place to stay and transportation sorted out. I let multiple family members and/or friends know about my plans of where I was going, where I was staying and all the details. I made sure to keep my phone charged all night with a backup battery source. I had fun, but was always VERY aware of my surroundings. I usually made a friend in a group that could walk me to where my car was or where my Uber/Lyft was picking me up to ensure I got back safely. There are also many apps these days that can alert the police if something were to go wrong.
Use Social Media
Use Facebook Groups, Twitter or Radiate to try and meet up with some people! I used this for ACL and Something Wicked where I may have gone by myself, but I met up with people inside the gates. The second weekend of ACL I met up with people who were also going solo and it was awesome to meet them in real life. Now I have friends in different parts of the country that I’ll be able to meet up with at different festivals. There were so many mini rave fams I joined at Something Wicked that I could groove with and I still stay in touch with them. Social media is so great in being able to network and meet fellow festival goers.
Putting yourself out there is so terrifying, believe me I have been there. It takes a lot of mental work to get over and I am still working on it. A lot of people may not believe that because I’ve been doing a “fake it til you make it” mindset. I feel pretty uncomfortable in new situations, but I’ve faked a confidence that people don’t even catch that I’m nervous. If I can do it, you can do it! Get out there and experience new things, meet new people and spread that love and kindness we need more of in this world!
I will be at Beyond Wonderland 2018, EDC 2018, and Electric Forest 2018 if you are thinking of going, but don’t want to go solo you can ALWAYS come vibe with me. Let me know if you have any more questions or need any help, I am always here!
Stay Vibey friends,
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