I've always been attracted to the colourful performances and psychedelic atmosphere of a festival; a field of people enjoying some of their favourite music, their heads lazily propped up and their jaws knocking in sync, a pulsation of bass and a haze of fluorescent smog spilling over the barricade. It's truly a wonderful feeling, but can alternatively be ridiculously stressful if not approached right. As someone who's been enjoying the punter life since 15, I thought it might be helpful to pass some of what I've learned on to those making their way into the festival-going hobby.
First and Foremost: No one cares whether you're lit or not
If you're not a fan of the drugs and alcohol scene and feel like an outsider at a festival for being a sober partier, theres really nothing to worry about. You're one person in a sea of young people and good portion of them are also sober. Being high on life is a real thing, I spent FOMO Festival completely sober and still had a blast.
Keep the set times as your phone's lock screen
This is such an underrated move!! Sure, saving it to your photo gallery saves data, but making the set times your lock screen saves you that little bit more time and battery, and you can look at it as much as you want without repeatedly opening up your phone.
Take a lighter with you. Even if you don't smoke
This might seem like a bit of a pointless objective if you're a non-smoker like myself, but it's actually a really great way to get on a punters good side. Lending a single $2.99 lighter to a random in the crowd is the modern-day equivalent of Jesus giving a couple loaves of bread and some fish. You'll have gained respect from an entire crowd. Not to mention, you can also pay respect to the tradition of lighters in the air rather than iphones for that sentimental song in a setlist; an old-school move.
Get the money and tickets onto your phone BEFORE you leave home
I've personally found that at both the RNA showgrounds and the North Byron Parklands that the reception can be very temperamental, especially if you're not rich enough for Telstra. Service can cut out at one spot and be perfect at another, but best not to risk it because nothing is more painful than needing something on your phone instantly and not being able to access it. Also make sure your data is topped up before you leave home as to not run out of data during the day. Losing friends at a festival and not having your texts go through is something I've experienced, and it can really put a damper on your day.
Arrange a meeting point
About 3 quarters of well-known Australian festivals come with apps now!! Technology isn't so bad after all!! These apps usually provide a map of the venue, info on each of the artists, FAQs of the event, and a schedule planner. The schedule planner lets you pick the artists you actually want to see, and then chronologically organises them. The app will then alert you about 20 minutes before a set starts, so you can think less about set times and more about getting smashed.
The following festivals have their own apps:
- Bluesfest
- Download Festival
- Falls Festival
- Festival X
- Good Things
- Splendour in the Grass
- St Jerome's Laneway
Arrange a meeting point
Have you ever really been to a festival if you haven't lost half, if not more, of your friend group numerous times during the day? One person is always speeding from set clash to set clash, another needs to pee every 3 seconds, one can't control their liquor. You might be right next to your friends and still somehow lose them. Like mentioned above, reception can sometimes make matters worse, so the best last resort is a universal meeting place. If you're one of those sneaky friends that somehow disappears for the whole night, take solace in knowing your friends will always be waiting for you at the end of the night.
Get the AppAbout 3 quarters of well-known Australian festivals come with apps now!! Technology isn't so bad after all!! These apps usually provide a map of the venue, info on each of the artists, FAQs of the event, and a schedule planner. The schedule planner lets you pick the artists you actually want to see, and then chronologically organises them. The app will then alert you about 20 minutes before a set starts, so you can think less about set times and more about getting smashed.
The following festivals have their own apps:
- Bluesfest
- Download Festival
- Falls Festival
- Festival X
- Good Things
- Splendour in the Grass
- St Jerome's Laneway
Don't go too hard at pres
Lucky for me I've never been guilty of the following, but I can recall numerous times when my mates have gone too hard too fast, and in all instances they've ended up either puking or in the medical tent. As a result I've evolved into the perfect mum friend from such experience, but my friends have looked back on it rather roughly. Get tipsy, not drunk. You want to remember at least some of the festival, alright? A good stopping point is when everything starts becoming funny. (This also applies for drugs).
Don't take all of your goodies at once before getting in
I understand the logic behind this if you don't want to sneak stuff in, but this is still the dumbest idea I've ever heard. If you take it all at the beginning of the festival you're gonna start hitting rock bottom before you leave. It's the quickest way to end up in the medical tent. Before taking anything mind-altering, you should at least 1: get familiar with your location including the first aid tents and the free water pumps 2: eat, and 3: have your friends phone numbers before you begin. If I'm being completely honest here, it reeeeally isn't that hard to sneak stuff in. Most of the time drug and alcohol searches are more effective as a scare tactic.
NSW Festivals: Know your rights
New South Wales is slowly gaining a new reputation as a "nanny state" due to its harsh new legislation on live music, lock-out laws and an updated music festival bill in 2019. Festivals such as Falls and Splendour now come advertised with sniffer dogs, bag checks, and random strip searches (yay! totally humane!). Usually festivals come with a "know your rights" email or website page to help you safely approach this scenario if it were to happen. Not to scare you, but a 16 year old girl was strip-searched at Splendour last year which is highly illegal, so it's worth a read. Links on security procedure can be found below. As someone who went to both festivals within the last year, I didn't find getting in to the festival that stressful, so don't fret too much - you'll get through in no time.
https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/splendour-want-you-to-know-your-rights-if-youre-stopped-by-sniffer-dogs/#/slide/1
https://fallsfestival.com/lorne/plan/police-and-security/
https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/know-your-legal-rights-tips-for-music-festival-attendees/
Lucky for me I've never been guilty of the following, but I can recall numerous times when my mates have gone too hard too fast, and in all instances they've ended up either puking or in the medical tent. As a result I've evolved into the perfect mum friend from such experience, but my friends have looked back on it rather roughly. Get tipsy, not drunk. You want to remember at least some of the festival, alright? A good stopping point is when everything starts becoming funny. (This also applies for drugs).
Don't take all of your goodies at once before getting in
I understand the logic behind this if you don't want to sneak stuff in, but this is still the dumbest idea I've ever heard. If you take it all at the beginning of the festival you're gonna start hitting rock bottom before you leave. It's the quickest way to end up in the medical tent. Before taking anything mind-altering, you should at least 1: get familiar with your location including the first aid tents and the free water pumps 2: eat, and 3: have your friends phone numbers before you begin. If I'm being completely honest here, it reeeeally isn't that hard to sneak stuff in. Most of the time drug and alcohol searches are more effective as a scare tactic.
NSW Festivals: Know your rights
New South Wales is slowly gaining a new reputation as a "nanny state" due to its harsh new legislation on live music, lock-out laws and an updated music festival bill in 2019. Festivals such as Falls and Splendour now come advertised with sniffer dogs, bag checks, and random strip searches (yay! totally humane!). Usually festivals come with a "know your rights" email or website page to help you safely approach this scenario if it were to happen. Not to scare you, but a 16 year old girl was strip-searched at Splendour last year which is highly illegal, so it's worth a read. Links on security procedure can be found below. As someone who went to both festivals within the last year, I didn't find getting in to the festival that stressful, so don't fret too much - you'll get through in no time.
https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/splendour-want-you-to-know-your-rights-if-youre-stopped-by-sniffer-dogs/#/slide/1
https://fallsfestival.com/lorne/plan/police-and-security/
https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/know-your-legal-rights-tips-for-music-festival-attendees/