1. You should ALWAYS bring a jacket.
The first day and I didn’t even think about what I would do if I got cold. It couldn’t be that bad right? It was in the upper 60s at noon so I thought I could make it with a breeze here and there. Not a mistake I will make again. As soon as that sun goes down and the warmth disappears you are going to need a little something more than your adrenaline to buffer the cold. Trust me, as dumb as it is to carry around a bulky jacket it’s worth it a million times over.
2. A watch would be wise.
In today’s society we rely heavily on our phones. However, it might be nice to go a little retro and bring a watch to Voodoo. When my phone died halfway through the day I had no idea what time it was. And it was just my luck that I didn’t bring a charger. Not only did I not know the time but I had no way to get in touch with my friends. So next time I will definitely have a charged battery pack, a charger, a watch and a meeting spot with my friends.
3. Bring a water bottle and do NOT throw it away.
When you are walking around all day, back and forth from stage to stage, odds are you are going to get a little parched. And let me tell you from personal experience that at Voodoo, one single bottle of water was $3. I drank the bottle in less than a minute and immediately wished I had another. I decided to pace myself with money, and decided against another bottle. While I was walking around I noticed a Free Water sign. I immediately gravitated toward it. It turn out people were giving out free water sponsored by Mio Liquid Water Enhancer. So for future reference bring a water bottle from home or even a thermos and save a couple bucks.
4. Hand sanitizer would have been nice.
The only place that had hand sanitizer was near the bathrooms. And I was not going to walk all the way over there each time I needed some. It didn’t matter that my hands were covered in sticky coffee, I just sucked it up and went the rest of the day like that. Wet wipes or hand sanitizer would save you from an extra trip or sticky hands at Voodoo.
5. Get to the stage early.
Seriously though, we are talking hours ahead of time. Get there. Even then it might be a close call. The amount of people that were crammed toward the front to see Rise Against was insane. If you don’t mind only looking at the screen to see your favorite artist, I doubt you will have a problem. But if you are like me and you want to be close enough to see the beads of sweat form on the band members you have laughed and cried with, then get to the front and be ready to camp out.
6. Bring cash. A lot of it.
It was the first day of Voodoo and I can’t believe I forgot cash. I had my card, sure. But I needed cash for the food, the drink, and not to mention the souvenirs. There were so many booths at Voodoo selling everything from flower headbands to woven ponchos. I wanted to get one of everything but alas. It took my second day to find the ATM machines. Oh well, next time.
7. Do not, whatever you do, cut off your wristband.
When you purchase a weekend pass, do NOT cut off your wrist band. When I first got the band I thought it was adjustable and that I could take it off and on. That was my first mistake, because after I realized you couldn’t loosen it I noticed it was too tight. After the first day I was just going to cut it off because we get a new one each day right? Wrong. Good thing I kept it on. If I didn’t I was going to have to purchase a replacement. So heads up all you newbies.
8. Flats are never a good choice.
When you are at a music festival for 13 hours there is a good bit of walking to be done. Let it be known that the stages are not in any way right next to each other. When I got back into my car at the end, I apologized to my feet. Wearing flats was not a smart choice. Especially when there was a bunch of sand around the front of the stages. So girls like me that wanted to look cute for the event, boots work just as well without sacrificing comfort. Day two and I was much more comfortable and warmer with my fuzzy socks and leather boots.
9. Touch screen gloves are essential.
My hands get cold very easily. And even in the 60 degree weather my hands turned into ice cubes. Through Voodoo, I was tweeting and posting on Instagram all day. After a couple of hours I didn’t want to take my hands out of my pockets. The next day I was ready with touch screen gloves so I could record my experience and stay warm at the same time.
10. Why didn’t I bring a blanket?
I didn’t think about the time in between the concerts. There is a lot of down time and you get pretty tired standing. There were some people that brought folding chairs. As much as I would hate having to lug a chair around all day it would sure beat sitting on the ground. Even a blanket would be better than sitting in the grass and wondering if you have a grass stain on your pants when you get up.
