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| Spectators during the End of Summer Music Festival at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia in 2018. (Photo by Airman Tristan Biese) |
With Coachella taking place in the most recent past, music festival season has officially kicked off. For all you young wild and free college kids, this could be one of the first music festival seasons you'll experience as a young adult. The following tips will help you save money, stay safe and open up the doors for an amplified music festival season.
1. Buy Cheaper Tickets
When you're on the ramen noodle diet, expensive festival tickets hardly fit into your rather slim student budget. But if the music is your passion, you're willing to prioritize it in your finances. You can save a lot of money with just a bit of strategy. Try buying presale tickets—the prices on these are often lower than regular sale tickets, especially when it gets closer to show time. Alternatively, you could buy tickets on Craigslist or StubHub. You'd be surprised at how many people are selling their tickets at a lower price because they can't go last minute. Then there's always the option of scalping. Just be careful that the tickets are real, and try having your scalper walk to the gates with you to make sure your ticket/wristband scans.
2. Stay Safe
Always go to a festival with at least one other person if not a good group of friends. With so much going on at these events, it can get overwhelming. The buddy system will become very much a real thing. Make sure you stick together with your friends as much as possible and pick a meeting spot in case you might accidentally get separated from the pack.
3. Keep Connected
Anyone who's ever gone to a big event, be it sporting, concert or festival, knows network connection can get spotty due to the highly inundated amount of people using their phones. Luckily, providers like T-Mobile have expanded coverage so that you have a better chance of getting service, even when the crowds are big. Plus, with the carrier's unlimited data plan options, you can Snapchat and share all the one-in-a-lifetime moments all throughout the festival without worrying about going over in your data.
4. Remain Full Battery
To pair with a solid data plan and network, you also should consider bringing a portable battery pack with you. Try carrying an ultra-slim, compact one like the PNY T2200 battery pack, which costs less than $10 and gives you an extra half a day of battery life. Or you can opt for a battery pack case like the Mophie Juice Pack Air that attaches right to your phone and gives you 100% extended battery power.
5. Arrange Less Expensive Lodging
If you're attending a multi-day festival and need a place to stay, forego the expensive hotels. You and your friends likely only need a place to crash so why not go with a more affordable option like Airbnb or camping. Many festivals have campgrounds where attendees can stake out. Room share services like Airbnb can also allow for a better situation where you get to stay in an entire house and fit more people in it compared to a hotel room.
6. Don't Over Do It
Drinking, drugs, jams, and partying —it's not a secret that music festivals bring together all the fun. It's a college-partying student's dream. But this is a very important time to maintain a sense of awareness and keep a check on your decisions. You can get caught up in the moment and overdo it fairly easily at a festival. Do not take any drugs from strangers that may be roaming the festivals trying to sell them off. And make sure your alcohol intake is monitored —with a marathon day ahead of you, alcohol can be the cause of severe dehydration. After all, you don't want to be that person that ends up on a stretcher being rolled out of festival quarters, do you?
The aforementioned tips for the music festival season can help any college student save money, remain safe, and stay connected. They'll pave the way to an awesome time filled with great energy and music—for an ultimate festival high.
(*) Jennifer Thayer is a long time contributor for Education & Tech.
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