Are you heading to your first music festival this year?
You may be a bright-eyed 16-year-old and this is your first trip away from home.
OR
You may be a fully-fledged adult who has finally decided to head to your first festival.
Either way, festivals are great, but as a first-timer, you may have some questions about what to expect from a music festival:
- What should I expect from this experience?
- What is there to do?
- Are the toilets really that bad?
Well, do not worry! I am here to answer some of these questions and allay some of your fears.
Except about the toilets. Yes. They are that bad.
The build up to a music festival is an exciting time: so much anticipation and unanswered questions.
Then it’s time, and before you know it, it’s over!
Your first festival will go by in a flash, and you will be left with many great memories and some great knowledge to use next time.
Because I’m certain there will be a next time!
But let’s try and make your very first festival go right!
In this blog post I will explain the basic stuff you can expect from any festival, as well as the different nuances that different festivals offer.
So, first off: what should you expect?
Surely that’s an impossible thing to explain, because there are so many festivals out there! Aren’t they all unique and individual?
Well, yes. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t also some basic things you can expect at any festival.
Now, there are exceptions to every rule, so these are not exactly written in stone, but for 90% of festivals, all of the following is pretty standard.
The Basics
Note: My YouTube channel covers a lot of these things topics, with real-world examples.
Camping
Most festivals that are longer than a day will offer camping as an option, (probably for an additional fee). If you decide to opt for this, then you will need to bring a tent and any camping supplies you need.
You can be that person who just takes a ticket and wings it, but then you probably aren’t the kind of person who will read this blog.
Be sure to take a tent, a sleeping bad, an air mattress and a chair. All of these things are requirements, they are not optional.
Alcohol
Festivals are a place with alcohol, and it’s absolutely fine to be a part of that (if you are of age and want to. Peer pressure is not cool.).
So when you go, take what you think you will need.
Don’t take what your inner bad-ass thinks you can drink. You can take 20 bottles of vodka and 10 creates of beer if you want, but that just opens the door to getting blackout drunk and having a bad time.
Plus you’ll never drink it all and you will have to take most of it back with you again when you leave.
If you wonder how much alcohol you can take to a festival, check out my blog post on that exact topic!
Drugs
People take drugs at festivals. This is a fact.
Now, I am not a huge drug fan, especially of party drugs.
If you’re hoping for some tips of how to hide your X or Crank (I don’t know what drugs people take) on this website, then you will be disappointed.
The only real advice I have here is that if you aren’t a big drug advocate, be aware, and don’t take things from strangers, particularly if they look shady.
Music
You likely bought this music festival ticket for one or two big bands you wanted to see.
But festivals have music on for days, starting really early, often before noon! There are literally hundreds of bands playing, so check them out!
I always make a point of wandering the festival and just checking out some new music.
Who knows, your new favourite band may be playing on that small stage over in the corner of the field!
The Differences
Your specific festival may be different and may offer some more unique things. So here are some extra things that some festivals offer, but not all.
- Cinema
- Fairground
- Recycling bits
- Stalls and shops
The differences are what make individual music festivals so fun to explore! You may have found the one thats perfect for you, but if you get the chance to go somewhere else: take it! You never know what experiences you’ll have.
My festival of choice, Download Festival, often has AMA wrestling, Circus of Horrors and a Fairground.
Pro-Tip
If your main question is ‘What should I expect from a music festival?’ Then my one-word answer is: the unexpected.
Music Festivals are full of the unexpected: new friends, discovering music, exploration.
However, knowing the basics of most festivals means you can be prepared for the important stuff, and then let the unexpected be a pleasant surprise!
Whatever your first festival is, I hope you have a great time!
