If you haven’t experienced it, you have surely dreaded it. We all remember what happened at Wakarusa in 2013 and The Hudson Project in 2014: thunderstorms, winds, and mud. If you feel like it never rains at festivals in the summer, you are wrong. It happens and it’s no fun when you aren’t prepared. We have gathered up some tips to ensuring that you know exactly how to beat the rain while attending your favorite festival.
1. Be Prepared
Look at the weather before you pack for the festival. If it looks like there will be a chance of rain or storms, look at the weather daily–even when you arrive at the festival. Get an inclusive weather app, preferably one with a radar and alerts like AccuWeather or RadarNow.
2. Bring Rain Gear
Rain gear does not just include a jacket and rain boots, although those are some of the necessities. Bring your gear before hitting up the festival because if you try to hit up a store while you are at a festival, prices will go up and they might be out of stock by the time you get them. Packing essentials for rain gear include:
- Light rain jacket with a hood, NO PONCHOS–let’s face it: they barely work
- Water/mud proof rubber rain boots
- Sweat/water proof high socks
- 3 or more heavy-duty tarps
- heavy-duty trash bags (keep one in your festival bag to protect it from the rain)
- Plastic ziplock bags for your electronics
- Extra tent stakes incase of high winds
- A few sheets of newspaper to help soak up moisture in your shoes/boots
- Extra towels and clothes
- Extra babywipes, soap, shampoo
3. Camping Set Up
If you’re headed to a camping festival and you know it’s going to rain, take extra precaution to keep your campsite dry. You’ll want to make sure that:
- Your camp site is away from walkways or toward the bottom of a hill to avoid mud.
- Your tent is free of holes or tears. Buying a can of waterproof fabric spray and applying it before the festival will ensure that raindrops will roll right off your tent.
- Grab some extra tent stakes to secure your tent incase of heavy winds or thunderstorms. Trust us on this one 😉
- Put a tarp UNDER your tent. Make sure it is smaller than your tent to prevent rain water from pooling under your tent.
- Protect your tent with the rain fly.
- For added protection, rig a heavy-duty tarp over your tent to ensure no leakage.
- Make sure your overhead tarps or rain flies are tight so you don’t get pools. (Try sticking a staff or any type of pole to lift up those areas)
- Use an outdoor rug or welcome mat outside of your tent to wipe off your muddy/wet feet before entering your tent.
- If you are car camping, put your clothes and other valuables in your car. If you’re not car camping, place your clothing bag in a large trash bag to prevent clothes getting wet.
- Place your bed and bags in the middle of the tent as rain accumulates near the edges.
- If your clothes do get wet, grab some twine and clothespins to make a drying line inside of your tent.
NOTE: If you must retreat to your car during thunderstorms, do not drink any type of alcohol while your key is in the ignition. This gives cops probable cause for arresting you for “drinking and driving.” This happened at Hudson Project and we don’t want it to happen to you!
4. Inside the Festival
So your camping area is prepared and ready to go. Make sure that you are rain proofed and ready to head into the festival. To keep dry in the festival you will need to check to make sure you have all of your rain essentials including:
- A trash bag to put over your bag as a rain protector. (You could also get a fancy waterproof guard, but trash bags work just fine)
- Put all of your electronics or other items that can’t get wet in a plastic baggy or waterproof box.
- Bring a waterproof sheet or tarp to sit on such as an Eno hammock.
- Wear darker clothes to hide the mud.
- Seek shelter under a stage tent, shade tent, or other covering in case of thunderstorms.
5. Have Fun
When all else fails, have fun. Remember, you are there to see amazing artists and have fun. Don’t be too worried about your clothes or tent getting muddy. Everyone else is in the same situation. Just don’t be that girl/guy that plays in the mud all weekend. 🙂
Always remember to act safely. Listen to and follow festival-wide announcements regarding the weather. If you feel unsafe, seek shelter immediately. Most festivals have emergency plans, so follow them and you will be fine.
Photo Credit: Calder Wilson Photography, Jack Edinger, Ilaya Savenok/Getty Images, MJ Images
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