Top 10 Music Festival Tips and Tricks

With music festival season in full swing, the bloom team wants to give you our best tips when it comes to surviving outdoor living and making the most out of your festival experience! It is so important to organize your trip before hand so you can focus on having fun during the festival.

Here are our Top 10 Tips and Tricks when it comes to music festivals:

1. Find a Festival Playlist Ahead of Time

Festivals are a GREAT time to not only see your favorite artists, but also to discover NEW music! Sometimes there are SO many options, it's overwhelming. It's really easy to find free public “festival specific” playlists on Spotify. Find some of these public playlists a few months before and start listening to them on shuffle. You’ll most likely uncover some new music gems and add a new artist to your "must see" list! Check out our festival playlist here.

2. Plan Everything Ahead!

This means plan out what bands you want to see, what supplies you need to bring, and who you are going with ahead of time! As the festival date gets closer, there will be a schedule showing where and when each artist is playing during the festival. Make sure you plan which bands and artists you want to see and make sure you have a buddy that will be going to each concert with you! It is also important to know who you are going with ahead of time so you know which camping package you should purchase. Usually there is a limit on the amount of people per campsite so know how many people you are going with so you purchase the right amount of space! You should also create a list of everything you need for the campsite like food, drinks, camping equipment, and clothing.

Pro Tip: Try our Packing Pad to track all the clothes and camping equipment you need to bring along with our grocery pad to plan for all the food you will need!

3. Plan Your Outfits Ahead of Time

Festival season calls for awesome outfits! You want to look stylish, but also remember that you are wearing this outfit all day outside in the sun. We would suggest wearing something cute but also comfortable! Check out some outfit inspiration on our Pinterest page!

Here are a couple trends for this festival season:

1. Patches: Patches are an easy way to revamp a item of clothing, especially on an old pair of ripped shorts. They give off a more edgy and rocker girl look which is perfect for music festival season.
2. Crochet: Crochet and music festivals go together like peanut butter and jelly. Although crochet has been around for a long time, clothing retailers have come up with tons of new wears to wear it and interpret it into an outfit. Get creative with your crochet!
3. Sheer: Sheer is a rising trend that definitely has its benefits when being in the hot weather of a music festival. Pairing a sheer bodysuit with ripped jeans and a layering necklaces is a great way to stand out in a fashion-forward way.
4. Glitter: People are obsessed with glitter, whether it be all of their outfits or their bodies or hair! Glitter can transform a basic outfit into something spectacular. Play around with glitter patterns and layouts. There are so many to choose from and can determine the vibe for the day.
5. Hair rings: Hair rings are a great alternative to flower crowns and are a cute, simple, yet intriguing detail to your outfit. They’re cheap and easy to incorporate into any look.

4. Bring Portable Chargers

You want to remember everything about your festival experience. Phones are perfect for capturing every moment with your friends on your campsite and for taking videos of your favorite artists. With so much phone activity, (especially out in the sun) your phone is bound to die quicker than you’re used to. It is important to bring a portable charger with you because you don’t want to realize you lost your friend amidst the crowd with a dead phone, or worse, not be able to tape your favorite band!

Pro tip: To extend the battery life on your phone: close all apps, lower your brightness, even consider putting your phone on airplane mode until you need to use it to text or call someone. You’ll still be able to take pictures and videos on airplane mode!

5. Create A Community At Your Campsite

Most people attend festivals for the music, but some of the best memories are often made back at your campsite! The experience is made special by the people you surround yourself with, and lucky for you, people at music festivals are generally friendly and also come to make new friends, so take advantage of that! Make sure to meet your neighbors on either side of your campsite, you might need to borrow something small that you forgot and you might end up meeting some really cool people that could become your best friends for your stay!

Pro Tip: Plan ahead to make your campsite a special, welcoming and unique space. Bring a flag or something to bring personality to your area and also serve as a marker to easily find your site.

6. Stay Hydrated and Wear SUNSCREEN!

While festival season is all about having fun and discovering new music, it’s so important to keep your health in mind too! Festival season tends to be HOT. This means that you’ll need plenty of sunscreen and water. While there are usually water fill up stations and water bottles to buy, the fill up station can be miles long and who wants to pay $5 for a water bottle!? We suggest bringing water bottles by the bulk for the campsite to share! It is also important to put on sunscreen and reapply throughout the day! You will be outside all day in the sun and you want to take care of your skin.

7. You Don’t Have to Pay for a Shower to Stay Clean

Yes, you can pay up to $10 to take a shower at the campsite where it is muddy and the shower pressure is non-existent, but there are other ways! Portable showers are a lifesaver at festivals. One of our team members purchased one on amazon and it worked the same, if not better at the ones the campsite provides! It’s really simple to use: Just add water and have a friend stand on a chair as you wash off. This means don’t forget a bathing suit, flip flops, shampoo, and conditioner!

Pro Tip: Another way to keep your hair clean and healthy is dry shampoo! This way, you don’t have to take a cold shower everyday but your hair will look healthy and clean.

8. Have a Buddy

If you're traveling in a larger group, designate each person to have a "buddy" that is responsible for staying with the other. Festivals can be chaotic, and phone service is usually unreliable. Some people will want to eat, while some need to use the restroom, and it's very easy to get lost in such a large, bustling crowd. Don't let anyone in your group wander off alone! Use the buddy system to ensure no one gets separated from the pack!

9. Have a Group Meeting Spot

If you're traveling with a bigger group, it's inevitable that you will all have different priorities and different bands you want to see. Find certain bands you ALL want to see (usually the headliners), and set a designated meeting spot where you will all reconvene beforehand. This way, everyone gets the freedom to see smaller bands they want to see, and you get to experience the headliners as a big group!

Pro Tip: Set a phone alarm ~20 minutes before the meeting time!

10. Be Open to an Amazing Experience

This is the time to express yourself, be open to new people, new music, and have a great time with friends. Be adventurous: listen to an artist you’ve never heard of, try new food, and make new friends! Above all, go in with a positive and open mind and you’ll have an amazing time!

We hope you enjoyed these tips!

xoxo,

Ali