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Bonnaroo Links Lana Sumpter, Lks_1128@yahoo.com Back to my home page http://www.gate.net/~lsumpter/ |
Most of these tips are for campers,
not RVers or hotel dwellers. Count yourself among
the fortunate if you are able to stay in relatively comfortable conditions. 1) Remember this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that you’re seeing some of the greatest musicians alive. It’s an experience you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren about, should you live through it. 2) Don’t go without a good friend or someone who cares about where you are and whether you are OK. You need someone who, when push comes to shove, cares more about you than an acid trip or a really great band. If there is no one like that who can go with you, save your money and wait until the next year. Since the event is fairly expensive, when you add everything up, plan early and find that friend or significant other early. 3) Cover your whole body with sunscreen, starting when you leave your originating city. Be diligent and thorough – even put sunscreen on the top of your feet, back of your neck and your hair part. Use lip balm (Chapstick) with sunscreen. Use high SPF products, not SPF8 or 4. Go SPF 30 or higher. Make sure it’s waterproof. There are some nice spray-on sunscreens available that go on clear. 4) Bring three or more pairs of very comfortable shoes. Break in all the shoes before you go – don’t wear new shoes! You will be walking several miles (five is a reasonable amount) every day. Include a pair of tennis shoes/trainers and several pairs of socks in your selections! On days when it rains, the whole place turns into a gigantic puddle of mud. Your flipflops or shoes will stick in it. Take them off, carry them, and wade through the ankle-deep muck barefoot – that way you won’t get literally stuck. 5) Bring three gallons of water for each day (so, about 15 gallons). Use about two per day to “shower.” Use the rest for drinking, to fill an overheated radiator, etc. Drink plenty of water or Gatorade or similar product. Plan on drinking six bottles of water or other hydration a day. 6) Bring a poncho. Find a small one and carry it with you to the concert stage on days it’s supposed to rain. You won’t stay totally dry, but it will help. 7) Bring $20 or more for each day (at least $100, and probably more like $200). Bags of ice are about $5 each. Dinner is about $8. For an extremely frugal person, $400 will cover the entire cost, from your ticket to the food you pack to your camping supplies to your daily expenses. For a not-so-frugal person, think more in the $500-$600 range. Don’t plan on buying a ticket once you get there – it’s nearly impossible. More people will be buying than selling. 8) Bring food for two or even three meals a day so you don’t go broke or have to walk to the vending sites from your campsite just for food. Bring different kinds of food, so you don’t get sick of eating whatever you bring. Bring food, like apples, beef jerky, crackers, nuts, etc., that doesn’t have to be refrigerated. 9) If you are going to be camping in a tent, bring a cot, so that when it rains, your sleeping bag will not get wet. If it rains, your tent floor will get wet, even if it’s supposed to be waterproof. Related, bring a few collapsible camp tables and chairs, so that you’ll have somewhere to put your stuff on, so that when it rains, your stuff won’t get wet. 10) Bring ultra-comfortable, ultra-cool clothes: bathing suits, cotton shorts, t-shirts, flowing skirts that don’t touch much below the knee. Make sure you have pockets or a small backpack or bag. 11) Don’t expect any romance. It’s nasty out there. You will feel like a dirty, sunburned bum. Your fingernails and toenails will be black with dirt, and even when you get home to a real shower, getting clean will be a chore. 12) Be nice to everyone, from your camping neighbors, to the people standing next to you at concerts, to the vendors, to the security staff. Keep your smile handy and use it often. Leave your temper and impatience at home. Generally, almost universally, the people there are very, very nice. You won’t need to be ugly. 13) Be intellectually and emotionally prepared to be extremely uncomfortable physically, and know that you will enjoy the music and people anyway. The lines can be very, very long, especially arriving and departing. A three- to six-hour wait should be expected for arriving and departing. Keep on smiling anyway. 14) Don’t bring your pets. You might miss them while you are gone, but they will be much, much happier, safer and healthier at home. Numerous pets get lost every year and end up at the shelter or going home with someone other than their owners. 15) Bring a cell phone to keep in touch with home or walkie-talkie/radio system to keep in touch with your friends at the festival. Bring your car cell phone charger. If you lose track of your friends, having a phone or radio will help you meet up. Don’t bring anything (other than your cell) that you cannot afford to lose. Wear an inexpensive waterproof watch. Remember, rain is likely over the course of the entire festival. You could be two miles from your campsite, when the rain starts. 16) Bring a battery-operated lantern and a flashlight. Late at night, you want to be able to find your things. Bring a small battery-operated fan. It will get super hot, even early in the morning. The fan will help you rest up for another day of concerts and walking. Bring extra batteries. 17) Bring a first-aid kit with burn cream, antibiotic cream, Bandaids, aspirin, stomach remedies, and the like. 18) Wear waterproof bug repellant. 19) Bring a printed schedule of the acts you want to see, in case they are out of the schedules they hand out when you walk in. 20) Prepare to see drugs of every make and model. Be smart about your own drinking and drug use. You don’t want to miss the concerts just because you zoned out. If you’re looking for a job, a few hours under the influence isn’t worth missing a year of income. More than anything, you don’t want to be one of the people who die or end up in the hospital, and people do die. |
