The Dandy DanceSafe Guide to Getting Ready, Getting There, and Getting Down
We suggest making a few extra preparations and taking a few precautions when attending outdoor summer events, and particularly when planning to take drugs at those events. We don't want you to fuck up a three-day weekend. Remember tenets of responsible drug use: set, setting, and dose.
The summer festival season means a change in setting and probably mindset. When we step out of our normal party setting we increase our risks of heat exhaustion, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and other problems due to direct exposure to the elements. A different crowd can mean different sources of recreational substances, so we also want to be careful about what we put into our mouth.
For many of us, the relaxation, family, sun, and beats under the stars is what keeps us going. It's a time to get outside the city and yourself, meet up with old friends and make new ones. It's also time to be overjoyed that your DJ friends haven't slowed down their digging over the winter and now's the time for them to introduce the new hotness. Bass lines echoing off into the distance while dancing under the stars is truly amazing to behold. **OMG THE STARS, YOU GAIS!!!**
We want to see your smiling faces out there on the dance floor, so we've compiled some tips to help you get ready, get there, and get down.
Getting Ready:
You're basically packing for a camping trip, with some extra festival-specific shit thrown in. If this is the first outdoor party of the season, you will forget something. This is okay and you will survive. Did you make a checklist from last year? Of course not. Nobody does. So here’s one. It is not complete:
- One gallon of water per person per day, plus another gallon to wash with.
- Sunscreen. Seriously, it works.
- Sunglasses
- Lip balm
- Wide-brim hat
- Rainproof poncho or jacket
- Bug repellant
- Shade for your tent
- First aid kit
- Any prescription medication
- Comfortable shoes! Remember ankle support, there will be rocks!
- Also possible thorns or cacti or burrs. Closed toe shoes are better than sandals in the dark.
- It can still get cold at night. Very cold. Think about costumes that can keep you warm AND looking awesome.
And bring these party supplies:
- Reusable Earplugs. Protect your hearing on the dancefloor, and also help you sleep during the breakcore set at 2:00 p.m. (No, really, we love breakcore. So much.)
- Lights! LEDs, glow, whatever, just don't be a darktard. Light yourself, your dog, your bike, your backpack. If you're one of those festivals with ATVs or golf carts for staff, try to avoid blinding attendees and use some theater gels on the headlights. If you wear a headlamp, angle it at your own face when talking to other people, or turn it off completely.
- Your pre- and post-loading regimen. (5HTP, anti-oxidant complex, Emergen-C, B complex, antacids, magnesium)
- Naproxen - For aches and pains. We chose Naproxen (Aleve) because it doesn't interact as badly with alcohol and isn't as toxic to your liver as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil).
And now after listing all that stuff, also keep in mind that we want to pack light so loading for the trip back isn't excruciating.
Getting there and back:
Be careful on the road. We want you to get there safe and sound and ready to party! Make sure you get plenty of sleep before you drive. If you think you might be too tired or cracked out to drive you probably are, so hand off the keys. Carpooling saves on gas, parking, and polar bears. It also helps keep the driver alert and y'all can take shifts driving. Caffeine, coke and speed don't improve reaction time, so don't rely on them to get you through. If you're driving solo, offer a ride back to a friend and ask them to drive some of the time.
Avoid problems with law enforcement. Festivals require you to drive through redneck country, where police and prosecutors take a very severe tack on drug offenders. If you want to avoid contact with these officials, obey the rules of the road, make sure your vehicle is up to standards (lights, tabs, etc.), and don’t draw attention to your vehicle. If you’re stopped, the smell of marijuana smoke is probable cause for police to search your car. Politely refuse your consent to any searches of your body or vehicle (never, ever consent!). Drug checkpoints are traps to get you to pull off the highway. The checkpoint itself is bogus, but you turning off at the next exit is probable cause! If police detain you, ask if you're free to go.
Know your rights and don't be afraid to assert them.
Getting down at the party:
Have a plan in case things are, somehow, less than awesome. What happens if someone gets lost, gets too high, freaks out, etc.? Many parties and festivals have a sanctuary or volunteers who are skilled at helping those in altered states. Does your group have a sitter-type? Are they gonna use or go to sleep or stay up with everyone all night? Discuss these possibilities with your group. Here's a nifty guide from our friends at Erowid about how to handle so-called psychedelic emergencies.
Losing your group happens. From experience we've found that spending half the night wandering in the dark asking people if they've "seen Dave, you know, dreads and a neck tattoo? Occasionally does lights? Oh, ok. Well if you see him..." isn't a ton of fun. Go dance or make new friends instead. Serendipity happens too and you will see them again.
Drink plenty of water. For every alcoholic or caffeinated beverage you drink, consume an equal quantity of water. Dehydration and overheating are the biggest dangers at big festivals. Like they say at Burning Man: PISS CLEAR! That is, remain hydrated enough that your piss isn’t the color of a lemon, or worse, maple syrup.
Shade your tent. Get under a tree, bring a 10x10 popup, get all Scout-tastic and figure something out with rope and a tarp. The sun on your tent can bake you like a delicious pie, which can make attempts to sleep, um, difficult.
Dance! But don’t ruin your eardrums. Find that sweet spot where the left channel is in your left ear, the right channel in your right, and if you step forward you hear the monitors or center channel. Take a breather every hour or so and drink a pint/bottle of water. You remembered earplugs, yeah? If not, see if someone has an extra pair.
Pace yourself. Multi-day festivals, and even weekend campouts, are more like a marathon than a sprint. We want to WIN AT FESTIVALS, and that means crossing the finish line in one piece.
SEE YOU OUT THERE!
*last update 02/14/2012, mostly minimal fixes, added a link*
