Buzz survival guide to summer music fests

With the schedules for Pitchfork and Lollapalooza pretty much set, it’s time to start planning for the long weekends outside in the the sweaty crowds and blistering heat. While actually buying tickets before the prices obscenely rise may be enough forward thinking for you as it is, there’s a lot more to consider when attending these outdoor festivals. Here’s our checklist:
1. Unless you enjoy sporting the lobster look, sun block is always a good idea. Smelling like a coconut is a small price to pay to avoid spending 3 days peeling the skin off your shoulders.
2. Dancing, moshing, skanking or whatever you want to call it takes a lot out of your body. Keep your energy up by drinking plenty of water, or even better: sports drinks that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes. They replenish your body with sodium and other important nutrients lost through sweat, according to Your Total Health’s Web site (http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/water-vs-sports-drinks.html?pageNum=3).
3. Just because meals and snacks at summer festivals can get pricy, does not mean you should try out anorexia for a few days. It’s important to eat throughout the day. Candy bars and chips are better than nothing, and it will keep you jamming all day long. To save yourself some dough, bring snacks like carrots, nuts or fresh or dried fruit with you from home, or pick them up from a grocery store on your way.
4. With all the bands and stages throughout the grounds, it’s easy to miss some of your favorite bands if you’re not paying attention. Keep a map of the grounds and a watch with you all the time so you don’t miss out on Britney or Justin, or any other acts you simply can not live without. It is also a good idea to plan out your day the night before, so you know in advance where you need to be and when.
5. No one likes looking like an idiot as they fail to sing the right lyrics to bands they aren’t quite accustomed to. Since there will be down time between your favorite acts, take some time before you go to hit up iTunes for the bands to don’t know as well. Not only will you not look ridiculous, but you’ll also know which bands you definitely do NOT want to waste an hour cramped by sweaty dudes listening to.
6. Although drinking until you pass out might sound like a great plan on any other evening, you should keep in mind the few hundred dollars you probably dropped on your ticket and consider saving that horrible pick up line on an unattractive, overweight drunk girl for another, less expensive night. So if you are 21 and the event permits drinking, keep it under control with intentions of actually remembering at least most of the performances you paid so much to see.
7. Flip flops probably sounded like a better idea before you got trampled in the mosh pit and got uncountable beers poor on your already muddy toes. Because you’ll be standing up all day with people whose hygiene habits remain unfamiliar to you, tennis shoes is always a good choice for foot attire. You might be a little warm, but it is a small price to pay to maintain your dignity.
8. I hate to break it to you, but you do not need an iPod at a music festival. I know you’ve grown utterly attached to each other, but iPods, portable DVD players and other needless valuables should be left at home. Although there might be some security, they are not responsible for your stupidity when you left your car unlocked.
9. That hot dude with the killer KISS t-shirt and shorts so big that he has to hold them up in front might seem cool with his useless knowledge about hedgehog weight, but please do not ditch your friends to go to his tent so he can show you them. Staying with the group is not only important to remain free of total creep sauces, but it’s also good to be sure that you stick with the people you came with, if for no other reason than making sure you have a ride back home.
10. More often than not, these weekend getaways cost more than you expect them to. I’m not saying to stash a few grand in your wallet, but keeping a few extra twenties with you in your front pocket is a safe bet. If you don’t need it, you can always take it home, but just incase dehydration kicks in and you spent your last $10 on that Avril t-shirt, you can afford to grab a bottle of water.

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