Don’t Overheat at the Festival: A Guide to Staying Cool While Raving

Heat exhaustion is the last thing you want to happen to you or a friend during a festival. Stay prepared by reading this guide before you go!

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As summers seem to get hotter with each passing year, festival-goers feel the difference. There’s truly nothing that will ruin your weekend quite like overheating, and certain settings are especially ill-suited for staying cool in the summer months.

From venues with nothing but blacktop pavement to oversold events with tighter-than-ever crowds and mid-summer camping festivals in the hot, humid Southeast, ravers see it all. Heat is a genuine safety concern. It’s one of the main reasons for med tent visits at festivals nationwide.

Following basic preparation and listening to your body can make all the difference between a hot weekend and a straight-up miserable one. Keep reading for our best tips to hopefully avoid the latter this festival season.

Don’t Overheat at the Festival: A Guide to Staying Cool

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Photo credit: Yvonne G for Elements Festival

Start preparing both your body and logistical plan in the weeks leading up to your event.

You always hear to hydrate, but taking care of your body before a big event involves more than extra water intake alone. It also means being prepared on a higher level, way before the event begins. We often buy the ticket and think about work, accommodations, and travel later. But seasoned fans know unpreparedness and avoidable negligence can and will come down on their physical well-being.

Rethink that overnight drive or red-eye flight. Take that extra day off work before the event, so you aren’t up all night packing and stressing. Get a room nearby for the night before, or to split a long travel day. Always have a solid plan when you’re traveling long distances, and don’t take on long drives by yourself if you can help it. If you get pre-festival anxiety, definitely make it a priority to rest your body and mind in the days before you leave.

In addition to hydrating and staying active, incorporating a healthy diet with plenty of protein and fiber in the days leading up to your event is always a good idea before a weekend of high strain.

Liquid I.V. Booth at Bonnaroo, Photo Credit: Taylor Regulski

Know how and when to use (and not abuse) hydration aids like Liquid I.V.

Drink mixes like Liquid I.V. are a great staple to have in your festival arsenal. The trick is to not go overboard.

These supplements are designed to replace sodium and other electrolytes our bodies lose due to sweating. They’re most effective following prolonged heat exposure, heavy sweating, and long stretches of physical activity — not as a constant substitute for water. Overusing them can lead to excess sodium and sugar intake. This, in turn, creates a false sense of hydration.

A good time to use one packet would be following a particularly long, hot day spent sweating, dancing, and walking way more than your body is used to. It’s also a good idea to pair it with a solid meal, so your body has both fuel and fluids to recover and regulate temperature. Without the fuel aspect, you’re forcing your body to run on nothing but salt water and sugar.

Photo Credit: Electric Forest

Pace yourself, pack smart, and always listen to your body — even if it means making a difficult decision.

You always hear that festivals are a marathon, not a sprint. Marathon runners not only come prepared but can also change directions on the fly.

Make sure not to overexert yourself on the first day. Use sunscreen before you think you need it. Come ready with protective gear, including hats, cooling towels, and sun umbrellas, when allowed. A wagon for hauling ice at camping festivals is a game changer; some campers even make cooling tubs using kiddie pools and ice.

Handheld or “clack” fans are not recommended due to the amount of energy you exert just by using them. Opt for a battery-powered fan for your backpack that recharges via USB-C, like this one. When camping, also run a larger, rechargeable fan like this one that can clip to canopies and camp gear to create airflow inside of tents. And when you’re finally fed up and ready for a level of airflow higher than a USB-C fan could ever provide, invest in a pricier shop fan like this one from Milwaukee Tool. Just beware of any festival guidelines that may ban large batteries or power tools.

When it comes to tough choices, resting your body is sometimes more important than trekking across a field for a blistering 2pm set after a long night prior. Other times, it might make sense to ditch that one perfect piece of your outfit you’ve been planning because it’s solid fur and simply isn’t worth it in 90-degree heat.

If you have to be the voice of reason for a friend who’s overdoing it, encourage them to take care of themselves above all else. At a festival, you’re bound to feel pressure to pack as much fun as possible into one weekend. But this is only possible when we’re healthy, prepared, and taking care of ourselves and one another.

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