Being Prepared for Your Festival
May 5th, 2005I’m primarily writing this for my own benefit next year, but also for folks who might stumble onto this page from Google via a search for "Coachella". Last year I wrote about survival tips for a desert concert. This year, I’d like to write about the preferred equipment for attending a festival like Coachella or Lollapalooza. Especially since I forgot a few things.
Dress Like a Pack Mule
First thing: you want to dress so you can carry a few things. Typically when you enter a festival, you can’t leave and come back. So you want to be sure you’re packing everything you might need for the day. That means cargo shorts, and the more pockets the better. If you can swing it, wear a t-shirt that has a pocket as well.
A Raisin in the Sun
You’re likely to be in the sun for quite a bit of the day, so get some serious sunblock, and some form of baseball cap. If you wilt in direct sunlight, it might be a good idea to tie a very lightweight shirt around your waist. If all the direct sunlight is starting to affect you, you can always put on the shirt to minimize your exposure. You may also want to consider a case for your glasses/sunglasses. With all the walking around, sitting, and whatever, you’re likely to do some damage to your fragile frames (like I did).
Basic First Aid Gear
It’s not a bad idea to carry a tiny tube of Neosporin and a few Band-Aids. I scratched up my leg pretty good on an exposed spike holding down a tent. Also, if you have allergies, bring some allergy meds and a travel packet of Kleenex. It will make your day a lot more comfortable. Another thing that will make certain sets more bearable is a pair of earplugs. You can buy a whole box of them for cheap, so you don’t have a good reason not to wear them.
Bring a Tiny Camera
A concert festival like Coachella is a pretty full day, and you’re not going to remember every detail. So bring a camera to document your adventure, and the smaller the camera the better. A Sony DSC-T1 or a Canon SD300 would be perfect, but there’s a good chance of doing some damage to a nice piece of gear in the desert. I took a Logitech Pocket Digital 130 I bought for $40 on eBay. Or if you prefer to go analog, a Lomo camera can be a lot of fun also (except paying for deveoping the film). If you don’t have a camera you trust in the desert, a cameraphone will work in a pinch also.
Snacks and Drinks
Food at festivals tends to be underwhelming, and a wee on the pricey side as well. And you’ll want to be well-hydrated before and after the show, otherwise you’ll feel like crap the next day (like I did). Buy a small styrofoam cooler at a local grocery store and fill it up with Gatorades and waters. Buy a few boxes of granola bars and a few bags of chips too. After a long day, you’ll be plenty hungry and thirsty.