What to Expect at Each Fest’
This is a companion to Anxious Person’s Guide to Music Festivals. Welcome to a short music festival overview, with pro-tips I either experienced directly as a commute + daily-entry person (I don’t have festival camping tips) or got from friends in attendance.
Please note that this is in no way meant to disparage the hard work of the vendors and festival staff. The humans work tirelessly. This is just what I’ve learned, and how it fills in some bumps created by poor planning.
All Things Go | Bonnaroo | Hangout Fest | Iron Blossom | Lollapalooza | Lovin’ Life
All things go fall classic
In 2017 and 2019, All Things Go was in D.C., conveniently nearish to a Metro stop. By the time I returned in 2023, the two-day ATG festival found a home in Maryland at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, with a crowd of 20,000.
There are two stages: the main amphitheater stage and a stage off the side, in the woods. The woods stage is cute and atmospheric, but you will not be able to see unless you’re at the front. The Woods Stage lawn is not sloped; there will be trees in your way if you show up to the woods set too late.
Pros
As a permanent concert venue, there are permanent bathrooms and food stations
Upscale portapotties
Only festival I’ve seen that streams the other stage’s performance on the ‘tron while the stage in front of you is between acts
Pavilion seats are shaded (note: your GA ticket DOES NOT mean you get to sit in the pavilion just because you arrived early)
Lawn seats are still good seats — just bring a hat and blanket.
You can bring in snacks
Distance between stages is small
Plenty of well-marked parking
Hotels within walking distance
The attendees are super nice. The women’s bathroom ran out of toilet paper, and someone passed a roll down the line.
Lots of trons, even for the small stage
Festival is small. No need to download the app.
Cons
The venue is NOT near a Metro stop. You will need a car, or to be in a hotel within walking distance. You can rideshare, but so will at least 300 other people, all at the exact same time.
No wristbands. Your ticket is through ticketmaster and you pay with card for food and drink
Parking needs to be booked when you get tickets, a fact not well-publicized
Only two water stations, so it takes half an hour or more to fill up your water bottle
Woods Stage is not sloped or graded. Visibility is poor, but there are ‘trons
Upscale portapotties can and will stop flushing
Main Stage Lawn gets muddy after hour 3 of Day 1, just from foot traffic.
Only one coffee vendor as of 2023 (bless them). You will wait a full hour in line.
Celebrities don’t mingle
Tent vendors have long lines; food may run out while you wait
Pro Tips
Go for lawn tickets during presale — Pavilion sells out fast.
Book your parking when you book your ticket.
Bring a hat. The setting sun is blinding if you’re on the lawn.
Bring a plastic-backed blanket. The mud gets everywhere, including your ass if you have no blanket.
Bring your own condiments; there was a honey mustard drought in 2023.
Budget an hour and a half (yes) in the food lines if you opt for tent vendors. Expect to miss a set you wanted to see.
Stick to concessions instead of fancy food vendors in tents. See above.
Day 2 attendees should bring their own toilet paper, just in case.
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo and its many stages serve around 80,000 folks. The festival is in a dedicated fairground space with lots of water, lots of signage, and lots of parking. Bonnaroo has been doing this awhile, and works like a well-oiled machine. I don’t camp, and Bonnaroo is a festival built around camping. To that end, there are not hotel shuttles. But the commute to nearby hotels is not bad (other than the final day).
Pros
There are permanent water stations, and security hands out water constantly between sets
You can definitely bring individually packaged Lifesavers in
Cashless wristband payment system
Multiple coffee vendors
Commutes to the hotel are 30 mins or less — except on departure the last day
Locals who live near the fairground put out helpful signs to assist drivers
Cons
Dirt. Dust. But any blog about Bonnaroo will explain how to handle it. And eat less of it.
The artists who play in This Tent and That Tent might have grown in fame between when they were booked and when they go on. Tent stages do not have ‘trons. Get to tents early. Give up on other acts you wanted to see so that you can actually see the tent artists as they perform.
On the last day, it’s a mass exodus. Campers are leaving. The usual commute routes are shut down.
Pro Tips
Bring a bandana. Or two. One to keep the dust out of your mucus membranes and one to wet for the back of your neck.
Bandanas are also useful to jam bathroom stall doors closed. By Day 2 in 2023, all the stall locks had sheared off. People were holding doors closed for each other.
If your group isn’t big enough to merit a totem, make sure everyone has distinct light-up hats to find each other in the crowds at night.
Bring your own washcloth and towels to the hotels, just in case you come back all sweaty and dusty to see housekeeping forgot to replace the ones they took.
Liquid IV will help you keep from passing out at the tent stages.
Do something to make your car look unique, so you can find it in the dark
Take pictures of where you parked. Lines of cars in grass start to look alike at midnight.
As the last set of the last day lets out from Main Stage, find a place to pee. Your usual commute home will double. There will be traffic as you leave.
Catch a show at the Toyota Music Den — you’ll get very good seats for rising stars.
You’ll make friends with the folks around you between sets. If you care about staying in touch after, bring business cards with your social media handle on them. The wifi will go down frequently, which puts your Instagram actions at risk of timing out.
Hangout Fest
I attended Hangout Fest in 2022, among a crowd of 40,000 on at Gulf Shores, Alabama. There are shuttles to multiple hotels and one campground, and a handful of Airbnb condos within walking distance. Be sure to book your ride back to the airport through a local taxi service. The airport is an hour away, in Pensacola. Everyone will be trying to leave the barrier island at once. Do not rely on rideshares to get you to your flight home in time.
Hangout Fest takes place at a public beach that gets closed down to host the festival. As such, there are parts of the boardwalk open to festival-goers who need sunscreen or shirts or something last minute. Their awnings come in handy during the inevitable rainstorms.
Pros
Shuttles to many hotels
Hotels sell bug spray and sunscreen
Plenty of food vendors with manageable lines
You can hide in condo parking garages during rain evacuations
Sunliner diner is on festival grounds
Not a lot of dirt = not a lot of dust to inhale
At least two water refill stations
The Gulf of Mexico keeps the air cool
The app and festival organizers handle weather emergencies well
Celebrities mingle in the crowd
Non-festival staff (waitresses, taxi drivers) are all pleasant and helpful
Cons
Weather off the Gulf of Mexico can lead to multiple evacuations per day
After each weather evacuation, you will have to re-enter security
Rains can get pretty heavy
Walking over sand can hurt your back the next day
Shuttle lines and rides to go home are long, especially after a full day in the sun. Other people and their fluids might get gross.
Security is militant — literally. The Marines provide security for Hangout Fest, and they will throw out everything unless it is factory-sealed.
Pro Tips
If you’re flying in, make sure you buy sunscreen and bug spray (in approved sizes; check the festival FAQ) when you land.
Book your return taxi — NOT RIDESHARE— to the Pensacola airport months in advance. The airport is an hour away, and everyone is trying to leave the barrier island at once. Rideshares can and did shut down (without alerting users) and leave you stranded.
Get the festival app. It’s worth its weight for the weather alerts alone.
Know what the artists you want to see look like. Weather can lead to last-minute lineup changes, and you could be at the wrong stage even if the schedule says you’re at the right one.
Get three little tubes of sunscreen (one for each day of the festival), or a sunscreen stick. Liquids that are not factory-sealed will be thrown out in front of you while you pout.
Bring a carabiner to clip your sandals to your backpack. If you stick to the two main stages, you will be on sand the entire time.
Bring quarters so you can do laundry. It’s a cashless festival; people will not be dropping change.
ATMs on festival grounds have a withdrawal limit of $200
Iron Blossom
Iron Blossom debuted for around 10,000 attendees in Richmond, Virginia in 2023. My friend Bethany has shared the following tips.
Pros
Bag checks not as invasive as Hangout Fest
You can take city buses to the venue
Cons
Only three water stations; People passed out
Outdoor festival in August, in the deep south
Venue shifted around a bit between ticket sales and actual date, which can mess with your trip planning a little
Pro Tips
Bring a see-through bag, no backpacks allowed
Bring small snacks, but be prepared to have them taken away
Lollapalooza
A massive Grant Park, Chicago festival for 400,000+ folks, I need to work up to Lollapalooza. But my friend’s got your back. Literally.
Clarke had one shining piece of advice about Lollapalooza: Invest in a Lunchbox hydration pack. Pickpocketing might be a problem at a festival this size, and this backpack/water bladder made Clarke feel better about that.
Lovin' Life Music Fest
Lovin’ Life Music Fest sprung up in 2024, in Charlotte, NC’s First Ward Park. For a festival that had to function like a carnival (supporting large crowds in temporary spaces not built for large crowds) it did mostly okay, especially for its very first year. Lovin’ Life Music Fest fit 25,000 people.
Pros
Staff kept the toilet paper and handwash stations well stocked
Food was reasonably priced
Cashless wristband payment system
You could bring in factory-sealed snacks (meat sticks, fruit snacks)
You can have gum, candy, and Liquid IV
The portapotties (of which there are plenty) all have sanitizer dispensers inside them, and travel sinks outside them
Festival grounds are right off a LYNX Blue Line light rail stop, meaning you don’t need a hotel within walking distance ($$$). You can lodge anywhere in the city as long as you can park at a light rail station.
The Light Rail ran a discounted ticket deal on festival weekend
Responsive paramedics
Swift security checks
There was a drone show before the headliner on Day 2, and that was cool
Bathroom lines are fairly short
There are vegan-friendly food vendors
Cons
Limited water stations (2) are nowhere near either stage. This led to medical emergencies
Water from vendors costs $5 or more
Sun is unrelenting and there is no place to hide
Neon Day makes it hard to tell who to ask for assistance (not everyone in safety yellow is festival staff)
You need to bring your I.D. all three days.
Wristband is light blue and will get dingy quickly
Food off the Bojangles’ truck is expensive
There were food vendors listed on the app and festival Instagram that did not show up.
Don’t rely on a coffee vendor. We did see a coffee station, but not in an established spot, like at Bonnaroo or All Things Go
Pro Tips
Both free water stations are in the same place (the food vendor circle), and that place is nowhere near the stages. Plan to get water the second you get through security — even if it means missing some songs by an artist you want to see.
You are not allowed to bring Camelbaks, so dont’ try to. Research the festival FAQ to see if the rules change.
I am 90% sure there is not a shuttle. Expect to park somewhere and walk.
Many festivals check your I.D. on Day One and you’re done. Lovin’ Life Music Fest (LLMF) gives you a new 21+ wristband each day — if you bring your I.D. each day, that is.
Get your group photo right when you come in. There are statues and signs to pose with. Your group may split up for food, sets, or standing guard over spots, so snap a pic before everyone splinters off.
Bring a bandana. Like Bonnaroo, LLMF is on hard-packed clay dirt. If it doesn’t rain, you’ll need a bandana to prevent dust inhalation. Both Lovin’ Life stages are in the beating sun, so the bandana can also keep your neck cool or block the worst of the rays.
Get in the dinner line at 3 or 4 p.m. Everyone wants dinner around 5 or 6 p.m., and you will wait an hour for food, potentially missing a set. If you go at 3 p.m., you’re the only one in line.
Camp out for the headliners. LLMF has one large stage and one secondary stage. There is a small rise between Main Stage ADA and the gravel GA pit. If you can claim a spot on that rise, you will have the best view GA can offer. But you have to hold onto it. This means someone from your group will always be standing guard over your spot.
Bring a plastic poncho. Bring two — one to sit on and one to wear. Rain is your friend at Lovin’ Life Music Fest. There are not many places to hide from the sun at Lovin’ Life. You will pray for rain, and you will want your poncho.
Wear shoes that can get muddy. Charlotte dirt is clay. Clay does not absorb water. By Day 2, festival grounds are one large mud pit — if you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky, it’s three straight days of sunshine and heatstroke.
Don’t try to leave during a main stage set any time after 4 p.m. Most of the festival begins to gather at the main stage, and the density of people begins to block the roads