With under 100 days to go until Firefly, the theme of today’s blog post is a checklist of 99 items to consider bringing and some general festival advice.
The Most Important Stuff:
99. Festival Wristband – And remember, don’t put it on right away when you get it, because you cannot take it off. Also, don’t put it on too tight!
98. Camping pass
97. Photo ID
96. Cash/Credit Cards – Many of the vendors used Square last year
Other Necessities:
95. Sunscreen – in lotion form, aerosol/spray is not allowed
94. Sunglasses
93. Phone charger – (Note: I definitely recommend a portable phone charger, especially if you are camping. They are relatively in expensive and fit in your pocket or bag. Will save a lot of time and keep you from waiting at the charging stations)
92. Water bottle or camelback
91. Bandana – I’ve never used one before, but they are an absolute necessity for festivals. Cover your face if there is dust, great for keeping hair/sweat off your face, the list goes on
90. Better yet! Buy a Green Pass from Firefly Festival and you can get your very own Firefly Festival Bandana and Refillable Water Bottle when you arrive at the festival.
89. A small blanket of some kind to sit on at the festival.
Camping Supplies:
When it comes to camping supplies, the biggest thing to remember is to bring everything you need and to figure out how you will set your campsite up within the dimensions of your Firefly Festival camping spot 10’ X 30’ for a basic general campsite. One of the best ideas I have seen is people who do a test run of the setup in a measured off area within their own backyards. This will help you make sure you have everything but also help you figure out how and if your plan will fit.
88. Tent – make sure you have all the parts before you leave
87. Sleeping bags and air mattresses
86. Pillows and extra blankets
85. Tarps – These can provide extra shade if you don’t have a shade tent, but can also be used underneath or around your tent to keep water out.
84. Shade awning, shade tent, or tapestries
83. Head lamps/lanterns
82. Hammer, pocket knife, and other camping tools
81. Chairs
80. Tent locks
79. Cleaning supplies
78. Garbage bags
77. Flashlights and Batteries
76. Consider a portable phone charger or remember to bring a car charger that fits the car that will be parked on your campsite
75. Remember, each campsite is only allowed to have one car – so if you have friends driving separately, they will need to purchase an overnight parking pass – and be prepared to transport their stuff to the campground by hand.
Food/Cooking Supplies:
74. Camping stove, or other small propane cooking devices – don’t forget extra fuel
73. Lots of bottled water or refillable water containers
72. Cooking supplies – pots, pans, pot holders, spatulas, cooking spray, tin foil, etc.
71. Plates, cups, silverware
70. Condiments for all the delicious food you will be making
69. Coolers for storage
68. Ice – Available for purchase on site, or consider trying dry ice – but remember to be careful
67. Paper Products – Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, and napkins
66. Dish soap, rags or other supplies to clean your cooking and eating supplies
65. And most importantly, Food!
Toiletries and Other Supplies:
64. Towels
63. Face wipes/baby wipes
62. Hand Sanitizer
61. Shower supplies
60. Shower shoes (ewww public showers)
59. While on the subject of showers remember to check out the information about cost and location on Firefly’s webpage
58. OR consider a solar shower or make your own system
57. First Aid Kit
56. Advil, Tylenol, Pepto, Emergen- C, vitamins, etc.
Clothing:
Instead of providing a complete clothing packing list, I am just going to provide a few suggestions in this section. Only you know what you want to wear or need for the festival – but there are some good clothing packing lists available online.
55. Good walking shoes – The first year, I wore flip flops. This is fine, and you will see lots of people in them – but you will also see lots of people with blisters and hurt feet. There could be mud, rocks, and other hazards – so I recommend trying the flip flops or other shoes out on a shorter day, and wearing sneakers or something more substantial for the full festival days – maybe it won’t match your outfit but comfortable feet are key
54. Rain coat or poncho
53. Bring more socks than you think you will need – the same probably goes for other undergarments as well.
52. Bring something long sleeved or consider pants – yes it is June, but it could still be a little chilly at night, especially if it is raining.
51. Fun costumes or clothing – this is the time to break out that cape you have always wanted to wear, the fun t-shirts or even to coordinate themes with friends.
50. A hat or a bandana (mentioned above) – at some point you are going to want to cover your head. It gets hotter and sweatier than you expect.
Other General Supplies: Otherwise known as a few things I forgot
49. Backpack, fanny pack, or Camelbak with pockets
48. Fan
47. Plastic Bins – For washing, storage or carrying things.
46. Duct Tape
45. Wagon or Dolly – If you have anyone parking separately to camp, make sure they have a way to get their camping supplies to the campground – as it may be a long walk
44. Safety pins
43. Pen or pencil
42. Tweezers
41. Lip balm
40. Bug spray
39. Extra contact lenses and contact solution
38. A mirror
37. Grocery Bags – Think about it, they don’t weigh anything, take up very little space and can serve a million purposes once you get there – wet or dirty clothes, trash, carrying toiletries, packing up snacks etc.
36. Zip lock bags – Can serve some of the same purposes above and provide a tighter seal for things you want to keep fresh or dry.
35. Ear plugs – for either the festival noise or ability to sleep at night
Fun:
34. Glow sticks, glow necklaces, glow bracelets…glow everything
33. Speaking of glowing – el wire, can do amazing things
32. Headbands
31. Glitter
30. Totem – one of the best ways to find group members inside the festival is by having a totem. For festival newbies, this is a giant sign, inflatable, or something else attached to the end of a pole that you can hold up above your head. Make sure to follow the Festival Rules about height and materials.
For the Ladies:
29. Makeup remover or face wipes
28. Body glide or other similar product to prevent chafing when you are walking long distances and sleeping in sweaty tents
27. Tampons, Pads, Pantyliners
26. Things that may make using a port – a – potty less disgusting – Pee EZ, toilet covers, hand sanitizer, etc. Or do lots of squats in preparation for the toilet hovering technique
25. A flashlight or phone light for using the port -a – potty when it gets dark. Nothing is scarier than a dark dirty toilet
24. Bathing suit (you never know if it will come in handy)
23. Body spray, perfume, baby wipes, etc.
Inside the Festival:
22. Hit up Island Noodles – they have amazing stir fry and delicious corn on the cob.
21. Use Thursday evening to get an idea of the festival layout while it isn’t as crowded as it will be during the rest of the weekend.
20. Try out the silent disco, even if there is a line. It is worth it and you will have a blast.
19. The Festival has first aid available – don’t be afraid to ask how to get there if you need it. They rescued me when I had a bee sting last year and desperately needed ice.
18. Take time to wander around (by yourself) and look at the shops, the food, and experience the people watching. I took a few minutes to split from my group last year and ended up watching Tove Lo’s acoustic set that no one else in my group was interested in before stopping for ice cream. It was peaceful to grab a few minutes for myself.
17. The margaritas are really good!
16. Take lots of pictures, but make sure to put the phone down and enjoy yourself.
General Festival Tips:
I decided to think about some of the things that I wish I knew before I attended and pass them along. I have been to every Firefly (and Big Barrel) and feel like there are a lot of things that I had to learn by mistake – blisters, water, and being prepared.
15. Be prepared for lots of walking. Good shoes, blister kits, and making sure to eat and drink enough will all help!
14. Drink a lot of water! I know I have talked about water a lot, but I cannot emphasize this point enough. Dehydration can ruin your festival experience. Be prepared by bringing a refillable water bottle or camelbak, or by buying a Green Pass! And make sure to fill up and drink – especially if you are drinking alcohol.
13. Be prepared for rain! One of the common festival complaints is what happens if it rains heavily or your stuff gets wet. Make sure to have some sort of waterproof container or be able to move things quickly into your car. Plenty of local people will also post online offering help in the forums so consider joining in advance just in case anything goes wrong.
12. Make sure to read the list of forbidden or prohibited items both for the campsites and for the festival itself. It is a huge bummer to have things taken away at the security gate on your way in. (Like that brand new 15 dollar bottle of aerosol sunscreen you just bought on your way to the festival).
11. Know that the rules sometimes change. For example, last year – due to the lightning risks they made people leave totems outside one night. There were also various people trying to confiscate glow sticks but no one ever really knew why. Just know these things may happen and don’t let it get you down.
10. Glass is not allowed in the campsite – so bring bottles or cans of any of your beverages.
9. Ask questions in advance
8. Understand that once you pull into your campsite, you can’t leave by car until you are ready to go home. It is a long (very long) walk to nearby shopping locations.
7. Come prepared – make a checklist, do a test run with your camping setup, and don’t wait until the last minute to pack.
6. Print out and go over the schedule in advance – so you can plan out what you want to see and when a good time might be for a nap!
5. Read the forums, FAQs or Festival Fan Page for lots of advice about how to prepare for the festival.
4. Come with a positive attitude.
3. Clean up after yourself!
2. Be nice to people
1. Most importantly, know that this will be an awesome experience that you will never forget! No matter what unexpected events occur in the process of getting there or in the course of the festival.