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7 Tips To Stay Healthy During Festival Season
July 20, 2022
Festival season is no joke: it’s a time when exciting lineups of artists go from “TBA” to “released,” and an opportunity to see and be seen is curated to the soundtrack of your favorite artists.
Whether you’re heading to Coachella, a local fest, or an international festival outside the U.S., it’s always a priority to feel as good as you look at festivals. These seven tips will have you hydrated, healthy, and heat-proof as you venture into multi-day lineups filled with live music, killer food, and memorable experiences.
#1: Stay Hydrated
We put this as number one because hydration is essential when attending a festival. You might be excited about the headliner, the outfits you’ve curated, or who you might meet in the crowd of your favorite musician, but it’s really all about hydration.
The most common cause of people fainting at music festivals is lack of hydration. It doesn’t matter how great Post Malone or Swedish House Mafia might be if you pass out before their set.
Drinking a significant amount of water is important, as is prioritizing drinks with electrolytes and nutrients to replenish crucial nutrients that your body might be losing as you dance, sweat, and sun your weekend away. It can be difficult to recognize that you aren’t getting enough water, but the signs of dehydration are clear; dry mouth, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and even fainting.
To avoid dehydration, be sure to have water or other beverages with electrolytes on-hand throughout the day. If you do find yourself dehydrated, prioritize getting the necessary nutrients and electrolytes back into your body.
#2: Keep Your Devices Charged
There’s nothing worse than not being able to get in touch with your crew at a festival. It’s frustrating and difficult if you aren’t linked with friends or didn’t discuss an agreed-upon meeting place. Be sure to keep your devices charged throughout your festival weekend, especially if you will be photographing, live-streaming, or using your devices a lot.
Not only do you want to keep those devices charged, but make sure you have adequate storage for them when they’re not in use. A dropped phone in a festival crowd might get crushed, rendering your device largely useless.
Charge those phones! Protect those screens! You’ll want them to record the memories that you’ll be making throughout the weekend.
#3: Prioritize Eating Throughout the Day
It should go without saying that regularly eating while at a music festival is essential. However, sometimes a surprise special guest is too good to break away from to get some food.
As such, if it’s allowed by the festival, bring some high-protein snacks, like nuts, jerky, or protein bars, to power you through those back-to-back sets that might be too good to part with. Seriously, a perfectly-timed snack might just be what gives you the strength to last until Mitski or Tame Impala performs your favorite song.
Just like hydration, food offers you important vitamins, nutrients, and protein to keep you powered throughout the weekend. You don’t want to be depleted by the final day, so make sure you’re eating and hydrating regularly. Especially since so many festivals involve a decent amount of walking, you’ll be getting exercise, and your body will be craving nourishment with all that trekking.
Not only that, but dancing burns a lot of calories, and sweat is an easy way to get dehydrated. Whether you’re a full-out dancer or just like to sway to the music, you will be moving while you are at a music festival. Replenish your system with much-needed electrolytes and nutrients, food, and water to stay as healthy as possible during the festival season.
#4: Camping? Plan Ahead.
Camping is a big part of some festivals, especially those in more rural areas. Whether you plan on making a weekend of a music festival, are headed to Burning Man, or are glamping for a night, you must plan ahead.
Will there be food available to purchase? Are you bringing your own supplies? Primitive camping is obviously very different than glamping and will have different offerings for your stay during your weekend at the music festival.
Plan out your days, and if you’re going with a group of people, consider who might bring what in contribution to the group. Look through the music festival maps for food and beverage offerings, and align that availability with your budget. Plan accordingly!
#5: Dress Accordingly and Always Plan for Rain!
There’s nothing worse than getting glowed up only to be drenched in water. Take it from festival-goers on the first day of III Points in Miami last year; torrential downpours are no joke and can turn a perfectly curated festival outfit into a puddle in minutes.
Planning for rain is just one of the many weather phenomena you might consider in getting ready for festival season.
What festivals are you heading to? Lollapalooza (Chicago) has very different weather conditions than Coachella (Indio, California), which will demand different outfits, hydration needs, and lodging accommodations. Be sure to check out the weather for your festival weekend and yearly weekend averages for the days you’ll be at the festival.
Sunscreen, bug spray, a poncho, umbrella, and a backpack are all smart moves when considering your bare minimum needs for the festival. Regardless of your outfit, be sure to keep your skin protected from extended periods of sun exposure and remain hydrated.
#6: Be Mindful of Alcohol Consumption
Music festivals are known for being a party. Whether the setting calls for craft beer at a jazz and arts festival or craft cocktails at an electronic music festival, there’s likely to be alcohol present. If you do drink alcohol, it’s critical to avoid consuming only alcoholic beverages throughout your festival weekend.
There’s nothing worse than getting sick or feeling hungover when you have a whole day of festival-going ahead of you. Prioritize hydration if you are drinking alcohol, and make sure you keep track of how much alcohol you are consuming. One of the nasty side effects of alcohol is that it causes you to urinate more, which results in potential dehydration through fluid loss.
If you find yourself dehydrated at a festival or in the days following, a hangover IV treatment can help replenish your body. With anti-nausea, anti-heartburn, and anti-inflammatory medications, this Rescue treatment package from The I.V. Doc can have you feeling revived in no time.
Delivered by professionals in the comfort of your hotel room or weekend rental, this effective and simple treatment will have you healed and better than ever.
#7: Stay in Touch With Friends
Here’s the thing: music festivals are always best experienced with other people. This goes without saying for your first time, but even experienced festival-goers will swear by it. Most people decide to attend festival season with a crew of friends or family. It’s an exciting experience planning ahead for the weekend and finally experiencing the lineup together.
Make sure your devices are charged, that everyone in your group has each other’s number, a central location to meet, and a recognizable feature that will allow you to locate the group in a crowd. A lot of the beauty in festivals comes from their chaos and excitement, but a little group organization never hurts!
Bonus Tip: Be Covid-Conscious
Whether you’re heading to the Governor’s Ball in New York or Bottlerock in Napa Valley, try not to forget about the whole pandemic thing going on right now. Most festivals are now requiring vaccination to attend, so make sure to check the requirements for the fest you’re going to.
For example, Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas requires proof of vaccination or a negative test, but you won't even be required to wear a mask if you want to see The Strokes at Boston Calling. With festivals all over the country — from Los Angeles to Orlando, Queens to New Orleans — and each with specific rules, be sure to do your research.
The Bottom Line
Stay hydrated. Dress for the weather. If you’re camping, plan ahead. Communicate with your group, and moderate your alcohol intake (if you drink). There’s no better way to approach festival season than with a preparedness mindset. Prioritize hydration as much as you prioritize your weekend outfits.
This festival season, the trend is feeling as good as you look and taking care of yourself from the opening act to the final encore.
Sources:
Festivals - the surprising most common cause of collapse | First Aid for Life.
Summer Music Festival Survival Guide | Travel Channel
