You can’t treat outdoor music festivals like your average concert. It’s not enough to change into a fun outfit, charge up your smartphone and double-check if your ticket is in your pocket. You need to be prepared. Take note of all the small things you need to survive that upcoming music fest.
Earplugs
It’s important to wear earplugs at concerts because the high volumes from the live music and the crowds can permanently damage your hearing. You don’t want to end your experience with a mild case of tinnitus. The closer you are to the loudspeakers, the harder it will be on your ears. According to Lifewire, some of the best concert earplugs that you can get your hands on are Vibes High Fidelity Ear Plugs, EarPeace HD Concert Ear Plugs and Alpine PartyPlugs.
If you’re camping on the festival grounds, a pair of cheap foam earplugs from a pharmacy will be fine for blocking out background noise. It won’t mute the outside world, but it will make the noise levels tolerable enough to get some sleep.
Smartphone Accessories
Of course, you’re going to bring your smartphone with you. That’s a given. You’ll use it to check the time, message friends when you lose them in the crowd and take incredible photos. To make sure your phone is useful for the entire experience, you should get some accessories ahead of time.
At some point, you’re going to be surrounded by people jumping, dancing and moving around. If you drop your expensive phone, you can kiss it goodbye. You should give your phone some grip with the world’s grippiest phone case so that you can keep it firmly in your hand. The material guarantees that your device stays glued to your fingers, instead of smashed on the ground beneath thousands of feet.
After you’ve got the protection covered, you’re going to want to think about battery life. You’re probably not going to encounter an outlet that will let you charge your smartphone for an hour.
Instead, you need to bring a power bank like the Anker PowerCore 20100 as a convenient backup plan for when the battery starts to move close to 0%. It’s incredibly fast, and it can charge your phone several times over. If the price is too high or it’s too heavy to carry around, you should look at the other top portable chargers available online.
Sun Protection
Nothing will ruin the fun of a music festival like a blistering sunburn. That’s why you want to bring a full bottle of sunscreen with you. Experts recommend that you choose a sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher that’s also water-resistant and sweat-resistant to get you through any outdoor activities. Cover every exposed part of your skin, including your hands, feet and the tops of your ears. Reapply every two hours.
Other than bad sunburns and awkward tan-lines, you need to worry about getting sick with heat stroke or dehydration during the festival. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and breezy clothing to stay cool and drink lots of water.
Emergency Toiletries
On the one hand, you’re not going to be in a spot with luxury bathrooms and change rooms. On the other hand, you don’t want to spend the entire festival reeking of BO and feeling disgusting. You’re going to be standing and dancing in huge crowds during the hottest time of year. It’s going to get sweaty.
Put together a small toiletries kit full of items that will make you feel refreshed:
- Deodorant/antiperspirant
- Dry shampoo
- Baby wipes
- Makeup remover wipes
- Toothbrush
- Miniature toothpaste
- Mouthwash strips
- Toilet paper
It may sound weird at first, but toilet paper is an essential because no matter how prepared the venue happens to be, the Porta-potties at music festivals will always run out of rolls and leave attendees disappointed. A bottle of hand sanitizer will also be useful for when they run out of soap. It’s better to be safe than sorry in this case.
You’re still going to want to pack light. Lugging around a heavy backpack stuffed with half the contents of your bedroom closet and bathroom cabinet won’t be fun. Try to trim down your list and focus on essentials like earplugs, smartphone accessories, sun protection and emergency toiletries. Luckily, they won’t be a burden to carry, and you’ll be thankful that you have them once you get there.
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