The festival-goer's guide

Summer has arrived! In the music world, that means it's festival time! Music festivals are the time to spend a unique moment around your favorite artists.

Since 1969 and Woodstock, festivals have been gathering music lovers from around the world to create memories.

Contrary to current popular belief, summer music festivals aren’t limited to techno-loving, party-searching millennials. Here’s just a small sampling of the dozens of international festivals to look forward to:

• The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland: two weeks of jazz with some of the biggest headliners to formerly hit the stage being B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Ella Fitzgerald in attendance.
• Sziget Festival, Budapest, Hungary: week-long festivities with more than 50 acts.
• Lollapalooza, Chicago, USA: originally an indie rock festival, this year's lineup includes Muse and Justice and The Killers.

If this is your first festival however, proper preparation is needed to make the most of it:

The need-to-know

• Most festivals last at least three days, with some running for two weeks and acts playing from sun up to sundown.
• If crowds aren’t your thing, festivals may not be for you. Some of the largest festivals draw crowds in the hundred of thousands. Summerfest, in Wisconsin, USA, draws crowds of 800,000 on up and holds the “Guinness World Record” for the largest festival.
• Often acts play simultaneously on different stages. Plan ahead and scour the program before arriving so as not to miss your “must-see” artists.

Advice and tips

• If you are camping out (as is often customary), set up sleeping arrangements far from a main passage. This will make the fleeting moments of peace that you may have more agreeable. You may even think of adding a flagpole or a marker to easily find your spot from amongst the thousands of others.
• If you are coming as part of a group make sure to designate a meeting point. While we are in the age of technology, it’s still a good idea to have a backup plan in case somebody gets lost.
• Weather may be fickle and the show must go on, so be ready come rain or shine (change of clothes, rain jacket, ….)
• You might think of bringing things like ear plugs, flashlight, tape... you never know when they may come in handy!

Health and safety

• Prepare some sunscreen, grab your hat and shades, it’s summer after all!
• Drink water, and repeat! The majority of health related issues at festivals are from exhaustion.
• While emergency tents are on hand, for the smaller boo-boos, pack a first aid kit.
• Public restrooms are be available but you may be looking at a few days ahead without a bathroom and shower. Prepare accordingly!

And... just have fun and enjoy!

Published on: 5 July 2017