Festival veterans all have one thing in common, they all have been to enough festivals where they know exactly what to take and what to do. Here are some essential tips you should read before your next event.

1. GUM -This is easy and simple. You will need gum at a festival for multiple reasons.Bring A LOT! You will be running around all day having fun at any fest you go to, eating snacks, talking, etc. You will need a nice fresh piece of gum throughout your day. Also, gum is a simple and easy way to meet new people and make friends! 

2.  A hand fan – A fold up, hand held fan is such a great thing to bring with you to a festival. Between dancing and raging and being in a hot, sweaty crowd, a fan can save the day. Just whip it out and start fanning yourself off. It is nice to have and others will appreciate the provided breeze they get from it as well.

3.  Essential oils – Why essential oils? Well, there are many uses for essential oils. You can use them, to dab on yourself and clothing to make yourself smell good and to make others smell good because let’s be real, you start getting smelly when you are at festivals. Having essential oils can be a life saver. I use eucalyptus if i feel stuffy from all the dust at a festival. I always have peppermint oil with me in case I or anyone else gets a headache. And I use citronella oil to keep the bugs away! Also, a trick i love is putting some essential oils on a hand fan and fanning people (or yourself) off when it’s hot. It diffuses a fresh scent into the air and is also another great way to meet people. 

4. Pashmina -Often times, you see people walking around festivals with these cool looking scarves. These scarves are called Pashminas, and they are a common festival trend. People wear pashminas as an accessory. I like to call them my little security blanket because I almost feel naked without my pashmina. It’s just comforting to me, as a lot of people feel the same. It is not only an accessory but can be useful in many ways. I use my pashmina as a blanket to sit on when my legs get tired and I want to sit down. I also use it as a jacket when I get chilly at night. I just wrap it around myself and it is perfect. I also love to put essential oils on it, as mentioned above, to stay smelling fresh and to have something good to smell throughout the day/night.

5. Chapstick -this is pretty self explanatory. But let me tell you, your lips will get so chapped at festivals if you don’t bring chapstick with you everywhere you go. From talking, and yelling, and being in the dusty, dry air. Your lips can feel like they are going to fall off if you don’t keep that chapstick on you. 

6. Nasal inhalers -What the heck is a nasal inhaler you ask? A nasal inhaler, by definition, is a nasal inhaler containing decongestant drugs to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. These babies are life savers! Breathing in so much dust and dry air can be a real strain on your nasal cavities and sinuses. I use a nasal inhaler all the time at festivals. They help you breathe a little better and also smell super good. They even make special nasal inhalers meant for festivals! Some have essential oils in them that give you energy, or calm you down. I have even made my own homemade inhalers with essential oils and refillable inhalers off of amazon. 

7. Water – Of course you will need water to stay hydrated while you are raging at a festival. We are fortunate that most festivals are very good at providing free water bottles and/or water fill up stations. But in certain situations, that’s not always the case. And even if they do provide water, one water bottle is a pain in the butt to keep refilling and carrying around. Also, using plastic water bottles creates a lot of littering and trash around the venues and campsites. (PLEASE REMEMBER TO THROW THINGS IN THE TRASH CAN AND RECYCLE WHEN YOU CAN. DO NOT LITER!) Camelbacks/Hydration packs are a useful and earth friendly way to go! Some can hold a lot of water perfect for sharing with others. These hydration packs often come with pockets as well, which is great to put your extra stuff in, instead of carrying (REMEMBER TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR FRIENDS HYDRATED AT ALL TIMES.) I personally like to use a reusable, collapsible water bottle for personal use. But, sometimes we don’t want to carry a water bottle with us. So, another thing i like to keep handy is a camelbak/hydration pack. 

8. Kandi -Kandi, by definition, is the small bracelets made of pony beads or stones that people trade at different music festivals and events. Trading Kandi is a great way to meet other people and also looks super cute to wear. Kandi is fun to make before the festival/shows with your rave family. There is a cool way of trading kandi with someone, almost like a secret handshake of some sort. When trading kandi with someone, you first make a peace sign with your hand, while the other person does the same and you put your peace signs together with fingertips touching. This stands for peace. Then you will create a half-heart with your hand, while the other person does the same, and create a heart together. This stands for love. Then you put your hands together, like a high five.  This stands for unity. And finally, you will keep your hands together, then clasp each other’s fingers, like a hand hold. This stands for respect. You will then proceed to swap kandi bracelets, keep your hands clasped together, so you can easily slide the bracelets off your wrist and onto the other person’s wrist. By doing this “Kandi trade” handshake, you have represented the word PLUR. Which is an acronym for peace, love, unity and respect. This word is what represents our beautiful EDM community. 

9. Earplugs -I know bringing earplugs to a music festival might make you feel like a wimp, but trust me, you will thank yourself later. The earplugs aren’t meant to block out sound, they are meant to block out the ear damaging bass. And they specifically make earplugs for this purpose! These earplugs will help protect your ear drums. Lots of people make the mistake of not caring about ear protection, causing life long effects, including tinnitus.Tinnitus is defined as, a ringing or buzzing in the ears. Sometimes festivals will even provide you with earplugs, such as Lost Lands! 

10. Fanny pack/utility belt – How are you supposed to carry all of your necessities with you around the festival? My go to is a fanny pack or utility belt. Both super fashionable and very useful and functionable. There are so many styles of fanny packs and Utility belts, some with multiple pockets, adjustable straps and even hidden pockets! I personally prefer a utility belt, only because it’s easier for me to do my flow arts like contact staff and levitation wand. But i also love a good fanny pack. 

Last but not least, don’t forget to Rave Healthy with essential vitamins and minerals. Of course, we recommend Rave Doctor before and after every event as well as HydroRX to stay hydrated and healthy during the event!

Kennedy Emmert

I am a lover and supporter of all things EDM. I go to as many fests as i can a year with my beautiful rave family. I work as a cosmetologist which i love because i can express myself just as i can in the EDM community. I sponser several small buisnesses on my Instagram flow page (zenn_kenn_) including @huqdesigns flowtoys, @mandamoon.crochet a crochet clothing business and @kevinpsychedelics a clothing brand for end fests. I love supporting, encouraging and talking edm with anyone and everyone. I stand for PLUR as much as i possibly can throughout my everyday life. I would love this opportunity to endorse our community for what it truly stands for.