How to Survive Warped Tour
Happy Wednesday friends!
As many of you know by now, I went to my first Vans Warped Tour last week! Warped Tour was an amazing experience. It seriously feels like you walked into a music world and all of your problems just disappear. It's hard to describe, but you just felt like you can do whatever and not really be judged for it.
Even though the trip was super last minute, I still had a great time. Being that it was my first time going and I didn't have time to look up tips on how to prepare for Warped Tour, there were a few things I wish I would have known before going. Thankfully I had RJ with me, a seasoned Warped Tour attendee to give me some heads up, but there were still things both him and I wish we knew.
Good news for all of you is that both RJ and I are coming together today to share you our knowledge and tips on how to survive Warped Tour. Weather you are a first time go-er or seasoned veteran, I'm sure there's some tips in here that will help make your Warped Tour experience the best one yet! Now, let's get started, shall we?
Clothing:
Since Warped Tour comes around the middle of summer it's no surprise that it's going to be blazing hot. When we went it was around 90+ degrees at 11am! I know we all want to look cute, but let's be real here. You're going to be drenched in sweat and you're going to be at this concert for 8+ hours. Comfort is key people.
I recommend wearing shorts, a light breezy tank and COMFORTABLE SHOES. I cannot stress that enough. I wore my Puma running shoes and even then my feet still were a little sore at the end of the day. Think about it, you're walking around, jumping, dancing, and standing all day. The last thing you want to happen is your feet to hurt. Also, if you plan on standing in the middle of the crowd I highly recommend wearing some type of closed toe shoe. You don't want your little toes being stepped on!
I saw many people wearing VANS or Converse during Warped Tour. If those are comfortable to you then by all means go for it, but personally I find running shoes more comfortable.
I ended up wearing a jersey tank that RJ got from Warped Tour a couple years ago, some black shorts, a sports bra (because who has time to wear uncomfortable bras??), a bandana and some running shoes. I also would recommend not wearing a cotton shirt just because you're sweating SO much and the cotton shirt will just absorb your sweat and you'll just feel wet and gross all day. When picking out your outfit, try gravitating towards athletic-ey type of material that will wick away your sweat!
Here's some clothing pieces that I think would be great to wear to Warped Tour:
Key take aways: Wear light and breathable clothing. Wear comfortable closed toes shoes. Try picking out sweat wicking clothing pieces.
What to Bring:
As for what to bring and what to carry to Warped Tour, I suggest keeping things pretty minimal. You are going to want to jump around and dance in the crowds and the last thing you want to do is have your heavy bag weigh you down.
Make sure you bring some cash on you. Most of the venders there don't accept cards and if you feel generous or want to purchase some CDs that people are promoting you can! Also, make sure you bring a water bottle with you! Dehydration is no joke and you'll be sweating A LOT while you're in there. Plus, you don't want to pay $5 for a water while you're in there, right?
Speaking of saving money... You are allowed to bring one home made snack and I highly suggest you take advantage of that. We packed a peanut butter sandwich and it held us the whole time we were there. Since you can't go in and out of the park whenever you please, the price for food and drinks are pretty pricey.
Also, we didn't pack this but I wish we did! Pack a small hand towel in your bag to wipe your sweat off with. Gross I know, but it happens. Also, it rained while we were at Warped Tour and it would have been nice to have a small towel to wipe the seats with.
What to bring...
- A small backpack to carry everything
- WATER WATER WATER
- Pen + Paper to get autographs
- A small hand towel
- A home made snack
- Back up charger
- Sunscreen
- Germ x
- Cheap pair of sunglasses
- Cell Phone
- Cash
- ID
General Tips:
It's going to be really loud at the stages and chances are you're not going to hear your phone ring. If for some reason your group splits up or you decide to go crowd surfing (which btw, do NOT recommend!), and you can't find your group, have a meeting spot! We chose ours to be by the bathroom!
You probably want to use your phones to take some awesome Snapchats of your favorite bands or snap some photos while you're at Warped Tour. If you're like me and your phone blows up with 100+ nottifications from social media accounts, then save some battery and log out of them before you head into Warped Tour! I logged out of all my accounts but Snapchat and I managed to leave out of Warped Tour with 35% battery left which is SO rare for my phone!
At Warped Tour they have a schedule of all the bands that are playing and what stage they are at. What RJ and I did was got a piece of paper and wrote a time line of who we wanted to see, what time they were playing and what stage they were playing at. This made it super easy for us to quickly glance at the paper and find out who was playing next. Also, I want to add that a schedule is $2 and if they catch you taking picture of the schedule they'll make you pay. This way, if you write down who's play, you won't have to keep walking back to the schedule and pay the $2!
Lastly, HAVE FUN! That's pretty much a given, but really! Use this time to enjoy yourself, listen to great music and meet new people! It's really an experience like any other!
Key takeaways:
- Have a common meeting spot
- Log out of your social media accounts to save battery
- Write a chronological timeline of who you want to see
- Have fun!!
WHEW! That was a lot! I hope this helped you all for those of you planning / going to Warped Tour soon! Let me know if you have any tips for going to Warped Tour or any concerts similar to it in the comments down below! I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!
P.S. One last thing! Incase you didn't notice, I added a "shop" tab on my blog! There you'll be able to purchase things straight from my Instagram feed or similar items! Happy shopping friends! (:
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