A FULL YEAR OF FESTIVALS: WHAT I LEARNED

I recently returned from EDC Las Vegas, the festival I chose to bring my full year of festival going to a close with. I walked into the summer of 2018 a festival virgin and have now attended nearly every major festival on the west coast along with several smaller events here in Southern California. I have been to techno festivals in the heart of LA and raged to RL Grime in the snow for New Years. It is fair to say I have gone from being a newbie to an experienced festival attendee and though it may seem weird to reflect on a year of festivals in the spring, I felt that in many ways EDC was the culmination of my festival year.

So, perhaps the first and most important thing I have come to realize during my year of festivals is that once you find your community, your festival experience completely changes and that in many cases it will take a bit of trial and error to figure out the best fits for you. Let me explain. The first event I ever attended was Nocturnal Wonderland. I showed up, unprepared, on my own, and utterly open to letting the experience take me wherever it wanted to go. I had a fantastic time, but as I went from festival to festival, I began to realize I was being drawn more and more to specific sounds, groups of people and styles of events. I began to realize that I preferred more freewheeling events like Desert hearts and Lightening in a bottle to those like Nocturnal Wonderland. I fell in love with the desert vibes and camping events in the middle of nowhere where I could put down my phone for days and truly enjoy the experience without worrying about the outside world. Like Goldilocks, it took me a whole year to find the type of event that fit me the best and where I felt the most comfortable. If you are considering your festival lineup for the next year, I think it is important to maybe step out of your comfort one and go for some variety. You may end up accidentally stumbling on your new favorite event.

The second most significant lesson I have learned from my year was that you have the most fun when you let yourself go with the flow. Sure it is nice to have a plan and organization is cool and all, but I have had some of the best nights of my life when I had no plan at all and just wandered around. On the final day of EDC a few weeks ago, I abandoned my perfectly calculated plan in favor of just wandering around the venue. I somehow managed to come across a ridiculous amount of my favorite artists, some of whom I had not even known were playing that day and was lucky enough to hear almost all of my favorite songs. It was also just lovely to take the time to appreciate the production of the event. The bottom line is that while it can be really great to schedule out your whole weekend, you are most likely going to miss magical moments, like the fireworks going off behind the giant Ferris wheel at EDC or maybe an amazing set from a DJ you've never even heard of.

Another thing I've learned from my experiences that I feel like it is essential to mention is that you don't need to use substances to have a fantastic time. Now I am the last person to shame anyone for using any sort of substance as long as they use it safely, but I have some of the best days at festivals when I have been stone cold sober. Yeah, it can be fun to enhance your time, but it can also be great to go into everything completely present. I have taken to trying to spend at least one day of every event I attend with a clear head, and honestly, it is one of the best practices I have ever begun.

The final lesson that I learned this year is to be open minded and kind to those around you. Nothing can ruin an evening or a set like being shoved out of the way or having someone be nasty. We need to take care of one another, but we also need to treat one another the way we would like to be treated. If you see someone who looks lost or sick, don't just shrug and walk away, check in and make sure they are alright. If you overhear someone trying to figure out what stage or set you are at, turn around and tell them. I have never had anyone be anything but happy to have been helped out when they were lost or confused. Even since I began raving a short time ago, I have seen events get bigger and more and more people to take an interest in the community that I love. If you take one thing away from this, I hope that it is to be kind and helpful towards your fellow ravers.