As the sun climbs high and the beats drop, music festival season ignites a sense of wanderlust and eagerness for unforgettable experiences. However, in the midst of the excitement and amidst the sweltering crowds, it’s easy to underestimate a silent adversary: the heat. Back in the summer of ’19, an energizing day almost turned to disaster. I had been partying with friends the day prior and continued the act the next day as we walked to the front gates of the festival. I hadn’t drunk any water that morning and had little food in my stomach to fuel the long day ahead. I noticed that I wasn’t feeling 100%, but I thought I’d feel better once I got inside the festival. Looking back now, that was a fatal mistake I will always carry with me.

The line to enter the festival looked about a half mile or 800 meters long. While waiting in the seemingly endless queue to enter the festival, I slowly began to feel sluggish. Inching closer to security, I kept asking the people around me for water, but everyone would say their bottles were empty. Finally reaching the checkpoint, I felt my vision blur and my legs wobble—the next thing I knew, paramedics were fanning me back to consciousness. I had passed out from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

I spent the next hour in the medical tent, with my friends sitting next to me concerned. A feeling of guilt washed over me because this occurrence forced us all to miss an artist we were excited to see. I was told to drink two bottles of water and get food from a vendor immediately before I was allowed to go back out into the venue. It was an eye-opening moment that many festival-goers, apart from myself, also unfortunately experience. Let me walk you through the underside of such summer extravaganzas, common oversights, and most importantly, the strategies to ensure your festival story doesn’t take a similar turn.

In the festive labyrinth of lights and sound, overheating and heatstroke are more common than you might think. According to Northwestern Medicine, extreme heat at music festivals contributes to hundreds of deaths every year in the United States (NM, 2023). Most people don’t realize how quickly the body can go from “I’m totally fine” to “I need medical assistance” when dancing under the sun. When dehydration sets in, heatstroke is not far behind, and that’s when things get dangerous.

Your body sends clear signals: dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, headache, and excessive sweating are some of the warning signs. Sadly, these can be misinterpreted as just side effects of the festival ‘experience.’ But make no mistake, ignoring these symptoms can have grim consequences.

I love the Lunchbox brand because they make quality backpacks offering functionality as well as awesome cover designs to complete your festival look. My top three reusable water bottles are from brands Owala, Takeya, and Hydro Flask. Owala is great because the handle latches down over the spout for extra sealing. You can unlatch it and clip it to your backpack, and refill it as needed. Takeya and Hydro Flask also have handles you can clip to your backpack or belongings, but additionally, Takeya has a soft bottom that is scratch-resistant and includes a mouth spout like Owala. Both Takeya and Hydro Flask bottles are screw tops and in my opinion, are great options to keep insulated beverages without leakage. All three brands make many different colors for you to choose from. Lastly, for my girls who love cool designs, Rave Wonderland offers so many cute hydropack designs that would go perfectly with your festival outfit lineup.