Festivals Your Festival Survival Guide

So, you’re going to a festival in Telluride. This is an experience that you won’t soon forget! Whether you are a festival newbie or a well-seasoned vet, there are certain things that can make or break your experience. Instead of stressing out about what you should and shouldn’t bring, or what you might have forgotten, we bring you this handy Festival Survival Guide to ensure that you have nothing but an excellent time.

Don’t forget to pack…

• Your tickets! No, seriously. This seems obvious, but there’s nothing worse than making everyone late for their favorite act or event because you left your ticket sitting on the bedside table.
• Not to sound like your mom, but don’t forget the basics like your wallet, insurance cards (just in case), debit card, cash, phone, and keys.
• No matter what you do, BRING WATER. This can’t be stressed enough. Standing in the hot sun and drinking beer at altitude is a recipe for disaster unless you stay well hydrated.
• A solar charger. Most of the buildings in Telluride are older and don’t have a lot of charging ports for sad, dead cell phones. One thing there’s no shortage of — whether permitting, of course — is lots of sunshine. Pack a solar charger so you can Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and tweet to your heart’s content without running out of juice.
• A comfortable pair of shoes or rain boots depending on the forecast. One perk of being in a small town is that you can walk anywhere, and you should! Just be sure to wear shoes that won’t make you miserable after a couple of hours.
• Blankets to sit on. Standing all day sounds like it should be a lot easier than it actually is. Bring along a blanket you can spread out over the grass in case you want take a load off or maybe even take a nap. We won’t judge.
• Hand sanitizer and baby wipes. Trust us. There is not enough hand sanitizer in the world after you step out of a festival port-a-potty.

Know before you go…

• Colorado is an unpredictable beast. One second the sun is shining and the skies are blue, and the next nature might decided to unleash a flood of biblical proportions. A poncho or rain jacket are must brings to any Colorado festival. If you are toting along fancy technology like a camera, make sure to pack a waterproof plastic bag to keep it safe from drizzle.
• Festivals are notoriously bad when it comes to cell phone coverage, especially when you are squeezing hundreds of people into an already overloaded coverage area. Make sure you have everyone’s phone number written down in case you need to borrow someone else’s phone to make a call. If you are coming from a rental home, write down your address! Especially if you overindulge and need a ride home.

When you get there…

• Write down where you parked. Yes, Telluride is a small town, and eventually you will be able to find your car, but do you really want to waste your time looking for it? Make it easy on yourself and write down signposts i.e. “down Willow Avenue, on the left hand side of the road, next to the blue Victorian” to guide you back quickly and effectively.
• Once you are inside the festival, designate a meeting spot in case any one gets lost. This goes back to the whole unreliable phone situation. Having a designated meeting point is so much easier than wandering around for hours looking for each other.
• In the event that your phone does get service, and the festival you are attending does, in fact, have an app, use it! This is the best place for up-to-date information and resources like maps, updated events, set lists, and locations.
• Protect yourself from the sun. The sunshine at altitude can be brutal. The atmosphere is thinner and you are most likely thousands of feet closer to the sun than where you call home. Slather up in SPF, sport a hat the protects your gorgeous skin, and wear those sunglasses like the rockstar you are!

Now all that’s left is to just be aware of your surroundings, be courteous to your neighbor, and have a great time! But you didn’t need us to tell you that, did you? You are already well on your way to becoming a pro at this.