Over the last few years, I've been starting to hear more and more about a music festival called Firefly. I wasn't too sure what it was at first, but then I started looking into it what it was and the artists that have performed in the previous years. I found out that it is a multi-day music festival with group camping. I also noticed that the large variety of artists appealed to my varied musical tastes, so I kept it in my mind to possibly attend the next year.
Come this past January, one of my friends posted the lineup for this year's festival, and as soon as I saw that the lineup included Deadmau5, Disclosure, Blink-182, Major Lazer, Porter Robinson, Fetty Wap and many other artists and groups that I wanted to see, I decided that I would be going this year. I looked into when tickets would first be on sale and marked my calendar.
The day finally came, and I purchased my ticket withing 15 minutes of them releasing. I talked to my friends and found out that several were also planning on going, and we started to plan out possibly camping together. So now, as that weekend gets closer, my excitement only grows more and more each day for this wonderful experience.
I'm pretty excited to be able to go to a music festival, as this will be my first one. I've been to many concerts, but have yet to go to a festival. I'm looking forward to camping out with my friends, and being free to wander the site and choose between all the artists I can see. It's going to be an interesting experience to just be able to enjoy music and friends and new people for four days straight.
This festival has gotten me interested in other music festivals as well. I have already purchased my ticket to the Moonrise Festival, which will be at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in early August this year. I'm looking into going into more festivals over the next few years, possibly ones farther and farther away, such as Imagine Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and eventually larger ones such as Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, and Coachella in California.
Seeing as I'm new to Firefly, I've been looking into ways to prepare for Firefly, including what I should bring and just general tips and information about the festival. Here's what I've found so far:
- Bring a lot of water. This festival takes place in the middle of the summer, and can be very hot and humid.
- Bring plenty of sunscreen. As mentioned in the last bullet, there will be plenty of sun exposure.
- Bring a rain jacket or poncho. My friends who have gone in the past have told me that some years it has rained pretty heavily, and this is a rain or shine event, so either bring a poncho so you see the artist you want during the rain, or bring clothing you won't mind getting wet.
- Check out all the artists beforehand. Use a music service such as Spotify, Google Play Music, or Youtube to research the artists you haven't heard. Maybe you'll find someone you like that you didn't know about, and you'll be able to go see them, instead of finding out about them afterwards, and being disappointed that you missed them.
- Be ready for the type of camping you paid for. The camping ranges from simple camping in tents with no electricity, to "Glamping" in nice air-conditioned tents and cabins with access to water and electricity. Research into how you will be camping and make sure you bring everything you need to live comfortably for 4 days.
- Be aware of the Hub and the General Store. There will be a place outside the festival gates that will provide access to anything you may need during the festival. There will be a general store that is open 24/7 providing anything you may need from camping supplies to groceries. There will also be bars and food trucks, for your drinking at eating desires.
So these are the most important things I've found so far. If you have any other tips, feel free to comment below.
See you at Firefly!
-Brendon
Firefly Music Festival
June 16-19
The Woodlands of Dover, DE