Laura’s 2014 Music Festival Survival Guide

Tis’ the season. Music festivals of all shapes and sizes are just around the corner. We wanted to give you some practical survival tips so you can enjoy your festival experience.

We asked No Joy’s Laura Lloyd to instill some words of wisdom.

Take notes kids:

What do you always pack with you when you go to an outdoor show?

I always make sure to pack sunscreen, a blanket to sit on and either an empty water bottle, or spare water bottle lid. A lot of the times festivals will either remove the cap from the water bottle you bring in in order to encourage you to drink it fast and buy more. I always bring a blanket because you’re usually at a festival all day and you don’t want to be standing that whole time, especially when none of the bands you want to watch are playing, so its nice to have a sit-down break. Sunscreen cause I once had a really bad burn around my sunglasses and I looked ridiculous.

What do you always forget and wish you hadn’t?

Hats and Advil. You probably won’t need the advil if you bring a hat though, cause my headaches usually come about mid-afternoon from the sun beaming down on my sensitive scalp.

What are your picks for outdoor summer music festivals for 2014?

Primavera in Barcelona is by far the best curated music festival in the world, and it’s right on the Mediterranean sea. It is always my #1. Austin Psych Fest is great too. They’ve really expanded over the years and have a real eye for detail. The festival is booked by the band the Black Angels who have impeccable taste, and they really go all out with the vibe. You can also camp on-site. Other than that Pitchfork festival in Chicago is great because there are a lot of off-events at night.

Biggest bummer ever at a music festival. Tell us your story.

I was at Pitchfork Music Festival in 2012 and there was a torrential downpour during Atlas Sound which resulted in muddy ground the whole weekend.

—> Prepare for festival season with one of our fave No Joy tracks. <—

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