Eight days, the countdown is real. It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for next weekend to roll around and now the countdown has entered single digits. By now most of you have started getting your outfits in the mail and the excitement is reaching a climax. To help you with your Hudson prep, the folks over at MCP took the time today to get on Reddit and answer a slew of questions. Many of the topics covered helped the organizers to spread information about rules for the festival, which is in its inaugural year. I have compiled the most important topics discussed below, but you can check out the full AMA here.
1) Right off the bat they dealt with what many are calling Hudson’s predecessor, Camp Bisco. Bisco was put on by MCP (the same company that does Buku, Counterpoint, and now Hudson) for 15 years before taking this year off. The organizers responded to this saying,
“This is an entirely new festival, so the comparisons between the two events shouldn’t be made just the the same as the comparisons between Governors Ball and Hudson shouldn’t be made.
Almost everything about the festival from the grounds, the set up, the camping experience, the security and more will be different. Everything we do is based around 2 things – keeping you safe and making sure you have the time of your life. Security and police will be present at the Hudson just like any other major event you go to, but they aren’t present to get you in trouble… they are present in order to keep you safe. As you plan your travels and time at The Hudson keep this in mind. Pack smart, travel smart and be smart on site and you won’t have any issues.”
2) There will be no Silent Disco. In years past the Silent Disco has been a way to dodge the time curfews imposed in many areas by having people attending the disco listen to sets via earphones, so you can rage late into the night without upsetting the neighbors. Without trying to draw too many comparisons to Bisco, last year’s Bisco Silent Disco featured acts like Manic Focus, Passion Pit, Exmag, Russ Liquid, and Space Jesus to name a few. Unfortunately, its not happening this year, much to the dismay of many attendees.
3) The issue of not being able to park next to your car. At Electric Forest this past weekend this was huge. We were able to lock our valuables in our cars, charge our phones, and seek better shelter than the tents during the brief rain. Unfortunately, Hudson is not allowing parking next to your campsite, so although space will be aplenty, there will be a slight inconvenience included. Be sure to bring a wagon to make the trip easier, but they addressed this in the AMA by stating, “We will have lockers available onsite for you to lock your valuables in, but highly recommend leaving your valuables at home if at all possible. Check the site in the coming days for more info on the lockers and charging locations around site.” There will also be a shuttle to transport people back into town daily, and they mentioned that the walk back to your car isn’t too bad (about a 5-10 minute shuttle ride so probably no more than a mile)
4) There are no grills of any kind allowed. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to wake up in the morning and make myself some eggs, but I guess rules are rules. There will be a section for everyone to grill together so if you are really jonesing for a burger or some bacon and eggs the opportunity is still available to you, just not at your campsite.
5) There is a 2am curfew. This was not directly addressed but was mentioned a few times throughout the AMA. I have mixed feelings about this, as it could be handled in a number of ways. Every night at Electric Forest our neighbors played loud, retching dubstep until at least five in the morning. It got to the point where we mentioned it to others camping around us and they had similar complaints. If this type of music played at that volume is going to be shut down I am all for a curfew. At the same time, if someone is playing music at a comfortable level as they wind down for the night, I have no problem and would not like them to have their vibe crushed. This is something that is up in the air as of now, so we will have to wait and see. In this light, just be sure to respect your neighbors and remember the number one rule of music festivals
Given that Forest is so fresh on my mind there are a few things that I would like to share with everyone that I think could be beneficial to your weekend as well.
1) Bring a fire extinguisher. You may never need to use it, but in the event you do, you will never be more grateful to be prepared. They say that no fireworks are allowed, but anyone who went to Forest this year will tell you that wasn’t very strictly enforced.
2) Bring a lock for your tent. This is going to be huge considering that many people won’t be willing to make that walk to their cars. Luckily none of the stuff that we left out was taken, but not everyone at every festival is as kind and thoughtful as you are.
3) Vitamins. Vitamins and supplements played a big roll in us enjoying the weekend. Get your Vitamin b12, 5 HTP, Vitamin C, Calcium, and whatever else you may take on a daily basis. There is nothing worse than having cranky people at your campsite and having to interact with them for multiple days. This is a way to try to alleviate that worry.
4) Bring a cooler with some food. We spent $10 a day on ice at Forest, between 5 people thats $2 a day and $8 for the whole weekend to keep our drinks cold. This also goes for cold cuts, fruit, jelly, what have you. The stuff in the cooler was kept chilled all weekend easily. Having everyone’s stomach properly filled plays another big part in not having cranky kids to deal with. There are two things you don’t skimp on, one is food.
5) This last one is a bit of a commitment, but investing in a $20 disposable phone from Walmart makes communication much easier at festivals. The battery lasts all weekend off one charge, and for the cost its not a bad deal. My friends and I all made this move at Forest and it worked really well. We didn’t have to worry about losing or charging our iPhones so the convenience was unbeatable.
I hoped this helped in making your Hudson Project preparation a little less stressful. Plan accordingly, be smart, careful, kind, loving, and everyone is going to have a great weekend. Well be seeing you there, look for WRR shirts and feel free to come chat!
Tickets are still available here, and be sure to pick a parking pass as well!
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