It’s Getting Hot in Here – Dealing with heat at music festivals
You’ve started to compile your packing list for what may be the greatest festival of your life, when someone mentions “Did you hear about the 100º heat wave that is hitting Oregon this summer? Apparently it’s record-breaking hot!” Your eyes grow wide with fear, and you think to yourself that maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
Don’t be ridiculous! With every festival you attend, you will come across certain things are just simply out of your control – such as 110º weather! Just come prepared to survive those peak hours, and the rest of the day will be easy sailing.
Here’s how to prepare for hot weather at the music festival.
Ways to Beat the Heat
Shade
Shelters, pop-up tents and tarps are a must when it comes to beating the heat. You need to set up your little camp area with as much sun-protection as possible. When the sun hits your tent in the morning, and it turns out you just went to bed a few hours ago – you need to be able to crawl out of the tent and land directly onto the blanket under the shade you so graciously laid out for yourself when you set up camp. BONUS: These items are great to have in case it rains too! <
Water
Holy crap, this is amazingly overlooked by so many people. I cannot stress enough to you how important it is to have plenty of water at your campsite. Yes, there may be water throughout the festival (if the festival has it dialed in). But one 24-ounce Nalgene bottle at your campsite is simply not enough to keep you hydrated in extreme heat – especially if you have been drinking and partaking in party favors. Bring a couple of gallons per person, along with your reusable water bottle. I prefer the type that can just sit on your table and has a handy easy pour spout.
Spray Fans / Misters
If you have the capabilities of setting up a water mister at your campsite, DO IT! You will be the coolest person at the festival (no pun intended) as complete strangers will suddenly become your new best friend. Misting yourself in anyway possible is a fabulous way to get your body temperature to drop, so definitely bring spray fans to carry up to the stage during the day as well. Bring extras to give away, make an effort to spray your neighbors and put smiles on everyone’s face.
Electrolytes
Yes – drink water. Lots of water.But sometimes, no matter how much you drink your body just can’t absorb it fast enough.Get some Electrolyte Tablets (such as Nuun) to drop in your water bottle. You’ll have energy to make it through the night, and your mornings will feel a little less hung over.
Ice
Pack ice? Well, pack enough in your coolers to last at least 24 hours. You may find that the line to get into the festival is over a mile long, and it may take hours before you are even set up to go get ice. You may also discover that the festival isn’t quite prepared to be selling ice on the first day when everyone is just getting in and setting up camp. Ice isn’t just for keeping your brewskis cold. At the first sign of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, grab a plastic bag, fill it with ice and cool off those pits (arm pits and crotch pit too). That’s the fastest way to cool down your core, and could save you from having to miss out on any of the music you paid good money to see.
