Top 17 Tips for First Time Ravers to Have The Best Festival Experience

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By Maddie Walker

Raveraide Content Creator

Looking to have the best music festival experience as a first time raver?

Are you a first time raver ready to jump head first into music festivals and the EDM Community? Look no further, Festie Bestie! Navigating a music festival as a first time raver can seem a bit intimidating, but with the right knowledge and preparation, it is sure to be the best experience! Explore the top tips we have compiled to teach first time ravers how to have the best and safest festival experience possible!

Tips To Have The Best Festival Experience As A First Time Raver

1. Have A Payment Method, Your ID & Your Ticket

Before ever entering a festival, there are three VERY essential things every raver needs: money, their ID, and their ticket! Have a payment method planned out beforehand. Many festivals these days are going cashless or even offering an option to add a payment method to your festival wristband! Check what the festival you’re attending prefers and prepare to take this payment method along with you. Your ID is also super important! Many festivals check your ID while going through security and require this to get into the festival grounds. Plus if you choose to partake in alcohol during a festival, you will obviously need your ID to buy drinks as well! Last but not least, don’t forget your ticket! Every ravers worst nightmare is travelling several hours away to a festival, only to realize they left their ticket at home! Don’t make this rookie mistake! All festivals ticket differently, so be sure to check what all you need. Whether a wristband, mobile ticket, or paper make sure your ticket is on your person before you head to the fest.

2. Protect Your Phone & Other Valuables

While the EDM Community is mainly one of love and respect, there can always be few bad apples in the crowd. You can prevent yourself from being the victim of theft by protecting your phone and valuables as best you can! Never leave your bag open or where it can be easily unzipped. If you’re bringing a regular style backpack or hydropack you can use a lock to attach the pocket zippers together. If you’re planning to bring a smaller bag or fanny pack, it’s best to keep these strapped on the front of your body and place valuables deep in the inner pockets. NEVER store any items in your back pockets as this is normally the first target for pickpockets. There are also many anti-theft bag and lanyard options for purchase as well such as LunchBox packs, or Clutch Loop.

Official Camp EDC Map

3. Pre-save Maps/Set Times

Having your bearings about you at a festival is essential to having the best time! Avoid the complications of wandering around all day from stage to stage trying to find your favorite artists by pre-saving festival maps and set times! The easiest way to do this is by taking a screenshot of information provided by the festival and setting it as your phone wallpaper/lock screen! Use the set times to make a tentative plan of your day based around what artists you want to see! But don’t forget to also follow where the music takes you, because you never know what amazing times you might have!

4. Invest In A Hydration Pack

Most festival outfits do not have pockets or an easy way to carry your essential belongings or a water bottle! These are super important to surviving a day inside a festival, so investing in a hydration pack is a great option! Hydration packs not only provide pockets to store items in, but also have 2L water bladders that can be filled up at water stations and keep you and your group hydrated for hours! Pro Tip: Add a couple of packs of Raveraide directly into the water bladder of your hydration pack and shake it up! You will be sure to stay hydrated and packed with essential electrolytes all weekend!

Photo of Raveraide from @maddievwalker on Instagram

5. Stay Hydrated!

If there is one single most important thing you take away from this list as a first time raver, it is to STAY HYDRATED! Surviving a multi-day music festival as a first time raver, will be extremely difficult if you do not take care of your body! Water is great, but you also want to make sure to replenish the electrolytes and vitamins you sweat out while dancing the day away. This is where using a supplement like Raveraide can come in handy! Raveraide sticks are a powdered rave supplement that conveniently fits into your bag, and can be easily mixed into water bottles or a hydration pack! Raveraide is the ultimate pre- and post-festival cocktail! Raveraide is made with clean ingredients like electrolyte cell salts, vitamins, and added brain boosting nootropics. Its benefits include rapid rehydration and replenishment, enhanced natural energy, clarity/focus, enhanced memory and cognitive support, as well as stress relief and muscle relaxation! Raveraide is truly unmatched when it comes to keeping you healthy and hydrated as a first time raver!

6. Bring a Charger/Battery Pack

No one wants to be left lost without a phone to contact their rave fam or take pictures or videos of their favorite artist with. Ensure this never happens by bringing a charger or battery pack with you. Festivals often have lockers for rent that include a charging pack or offer a charging station for easy charging!

7. Flowtoys Are Your Friend!

Many people find joy in vibing to their favorite music through flow toys and props! There are so many different flow toy options such as hooping, poi, LED gloving, wands, slinkys, and more! Use these to your advantage to up your festival experience as a first time raver and further connect your body with the music! Everyone loves to watch a good light show or try out a new hobby! Always be sure to check your festival’s rules and guidelines to ensure that flow toys are allowed before bringing your own! Check out this super simple Flow Bracelet from Amazon that is an awesome option for first time ravers!

8. Don’t Forget The Essentials!

Days inside the festival grounds can get long, so make sure to pack some essentials in your festival bag! Items like hand sanitizers, eye drops, nutrition bars, hand wipes, money, ID, sunglasses, hats/scarves, sanitary products, and small toiletries like mini deodorant or extra hair ties can be great to keep you dancing away all day or even save you during an emergency!

9. Pick A Meet Up Spot

Festivals tend to span over a very large area with several stages and can host thousands of people! It can be super easy to lose your rave fam in the crowd, or you might want to split up and see different artists. Make sure you can always find your group again by setting a meet up spot before ever entering the festival. That way if you ever get lost or separated, you will know exactly where to go to find your fam again! Great meet up spot ideas are large landmarks such as flags, specific vendor tents, art installations, or medical tents. Try and choose areas that not many people will crowd around or congregate that way it will be easier to spot your group members!

10. Read The Festival Rules!

Festivals are a very safe and enjoyable experience if you follow the rules! While they may not always seem the most fun, festivals set forward necessary rules and guidelines to create the best festival environment for all its attendees. Be sure to read through all rules and “allowed” and “not allowed” items inside the festival grounds before you enter. This will make the security line move significantly quicker and smoother. Not following festival rules can also get you expelled from the festival and not let back in, and you definitely can’t have the best festival experience if you aren’t actually in the festival!

11. Use Kindness in Crowds

Kindness is SO important when being in a large crowd of people. No one likes to get shoved or stepped on while trying to have fun! If you’re attempting to move through a crowd, be sure to say “excuse me” and “thank you” to each person you pass. You don’t want to interrupt anyone having a good time, so feel free to dance to the music with them as you pass by or even throw out a compliment about their outfit or vibe! So many people today forget to use kindness in crowds, but moving along while being nice to those around you can not only make your experience that much more enjoyable, but can also get you to your destination quicker!

12. Bring Comfortable Shoes

I know, I know- you want pictures in those awesome new platforms or Nikes, BUT odds are after a whole day trekking across festival grounds, your feet are going to hurt! This is where extra shoes come in! If you can, pack an extra pair of easy slip ons in your bag to change into later. You might think you’ll be fine, but trust me on this one! No idea what to bring? Check out this easy foldable, packable shoe option on Amazon!

13. Protect Your Ears!

While we all love to hear the loud vibrations and bass of the music, wearing ear protection should truly be a non-negotiable these days! You want to be able to enjoy your favorite artists for years to come, so ear protection is of the utmost importance at a festival! Loud music can quickly damage your hearing, and unfortunately once the damage is done, it can’t be fixed! BUT it can easily be prevented! Prepare your ears with ear plugs to bring down the decibel of the sound. There are great earplugs, like Eargasm, that are made especially for concerts and festivals that do not muffle or take away the clarity of the music. If you’re in a pinch or don’t want to spend much, then simple foam earplugs you can find at a convenience store will do the trick too!

14. Always Spread P.L.U.R

Never heard of PLUR? PLUR stands for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect/Responsibility! PLUR is a set of principles that is often associated with rave culture. Many ravers choose to live by the guidelines of PLUR to encourage happy and fun festival environments. PLUR is also often associated with the rainbow and a sense of inclusivity, because ravers are a community of unique personalities and energies coming together in one spectrum. PLUR creates a beautiful judgment free zone where everyone can be their true selves. Here are some ways to practice PLUR as a first time raver: say “please” and “thank you”, fan someone in the crowd, share a stick of Raveraide, or make a new friend for the night!

15. Prepare For The Weather

Festival weather can often be tricky to predict depending on the time of year you are attending, therefore it’s best to be prepared for it all! Essentials to have on hand for the heat are hand fans (also a great fashion statement!), battery operated fans (check out this awesome Neck Fan), hats, and sunscreen to protect your skin! Some hot weather festivals can easily get cold during the night time; pashminas and extra sweatshirts/jackets are great for this! Other cold weather items to pack are gloves, beanies, long socks, and hot hand packs! Of course, we can’t forget the rain! Rain showers and storms can strike at any time, so be prepared with ponchos, rain jackets and water resistant boots!

16. Practice Time Management!

Getting in and out of a festival can sometimes be a sticky situation, especially with a large group. Remember that thousands of other people are also trying to enter and exit the festival at the same time. You can easily try to avoid the traffic by entering the festival at non-peak times! To find peak times for your specific festival, be sure to check the festival’s social media pages, as peak times are often posted. During the festival, time management can also be super important! Make a plan before entering the festival each day of what sets you want to see, and don’t forget to note the times of your favorite brands’ or creators’ meet ups as well! When it’s time to head home after a fun day of dancing, think about potentially leaving your last set of the night a few minutes early. This will give you more time to easily head toward the exit and meet up with all members of your group before leaving! Don’t want to miss a single second of the last headliner but still don’t want to get stuck in the traffic rush out of the festival? A great first timer tip is to wait 10-15 minutes after the last set of the night before trying to exit. This gives the largest of the crowd ample time to move out of the festival grounds!

17. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help!

All festivals are equipped with teams that are hired solely to help ravers in need! Whether you need directions to a certain stage, lost an item, or in need of medical assistance; don’t be afraid to ask for help! These teams are trained to help in times of crisis. When arriving at a festival as a first time raver, get familiar with where the medical tents are located. Medical tents are commonly labeled red or have red flags near its entrance. For example, Insomniac festivals have a dedicated harm reduction team known as Ground Control . The Ground Control team wears labeled purple shirts and have personnel spread about throughout the festival grounds to help with anything a raver might need. REMEMBER, there is never any shame in asking for help! Festivals want you to have a great time and being willing to ask for help when needed will ensure that you have the best time possible as a first time raver!

Photo Ground Control at EDC

So there you have it! 17 Tips for First Time Ravers to Have the Best Festival Experience! Music festivals can be a life changing experience for first ravers if you prepare yourself and make sure to stay healthy and hydrated all weekend long! Still worried you don’t know all the right etiquette for raving? Check out our Official Guide to the Do’s and Dont’s of Raving! Interested in even more tips for festival first timers? Read our blog on Insanely Helpful Music Festival Tips for First Timers!

Check out some of our other favorite secrets for bouncing back faster after music festivals. (you can thank us later)

This post was all about tips for first time ravers to have the best festival experience!

Maddie Walker

Social media/advertising manager by day, headbanger by night, Maddie began attending music festivals in 2017. She quickly became immersed in the EDM community and now uses her career skills to promote the festivals and rave brands she loves! Her favorite EDM artists include Sullivan King, Svdden Death, BTSM, and SIDEPIECE. Follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @maddievwalker.