The Ultimate Guide to an Awesome Firefly Music Festival 2017!

We are only a few days away from the start of this year’s Firefly Music Festival. Fans will descend upon The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway as early as Wednesday evening and make themselves at home until Monday morning. An amazing weekend is right around the corner, but as any festival veteran knows, preparation is no joke. Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered with this list of essentials to keep in mind while prepping for Firefly!

We all know the importance of staying hydrated, wearing sunblock etc. So let’s just get to the important stuff…

1.)    BYOH – Bring your own hammock! If you ask me, hammocks are a Firefly staple. The Nook (formerly known as the Hammock Hangout) is a magical place where weary festival-goers head for a shady, mid-afternoon nap.  It’s cool, calm, breezy and usually too crowded. We suggest bringing your own hammock with tree straps, just in case you can’t score a coveted spot at The Nook. There are plenty of trees scattered throughout The Woodlands, hence the name. What better way to doze off between shows? Plenty of audience members even opt to watch performances from the comfort of their own hammocks.

2.)    Know the Terrain– Topography varies at Firefly and appropriate footwear is a must to ensure comfortable walking and standing. The campgrounds are mostly grass with dirt paths for walkways. If it rains, mud is pretty much guaranteed. While it is going to be hot and flip-flops are ideal for the temperature, you are going to want closed shoes and a pair of rain boots on hand.

The walk from the campground to the festival entrance includes a trek through the raceway parking lot and the need to cross over a bridge and parkway (both are closed to traffic for the weekend). The hike is of moderate distance and is almost exclusively concrete and pavement. Avoid shoes that may cause blisters. There is nothing worse than cutting up your feet on day one and having to limp back and forth over that bridge for the rest of weekend.

3.)    The Bandana is Your Best Friend – Let’s take a moment to appreciate all of the wonderful uses of a bandana. You can protect yourself from the sun, keep the sweat off of your face or create a makeshift bandage. Wet your bandana with cold water and wrap it around your head to cool off. This seemingly insignificant piece of cloth will really come in handy if the dust kicks up. Cover up your mouth and nose when necessary if you want to avoid a throat full of dry dirt.

4.)    Firefly has Gone Cashless – For the first time ever, the festival has ditched cash. Vendors will be accepting the following forms of payment:  Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, Unionpay, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Wallet. If you don’t want to carry a credit card or rely on an app, you can always grab a prepaid card at a convenience store and load it up ahead of time.

5.) And Finally…Wander! – Once the daily line-ups drop, fans can’t help but start mapping out their travels from stage to stage. There are so many bands to see, one after another after another. We suggest planning a little less. One of my favorite parts of any festival is wandering around and stopping when I hear something I like. I always leave a festival with a list of new artist discoveries. Firefly has some fantastic smaller stages that you must not overlook! The Coffeehouse Stage is such a chill spot to grab an iced coffee, listen to some great live tunes and recharge in the middle of the afternoon. The Treehouse Stage sits in a somewhat secluded spot beneath a canopy of trees. Don’t miss the coveted shade, dreamy setting and intimate performances that you can find at this stage.

There’s plenty to see and do at Firefly so take a quick break from the music every once and awhile and experience the silent disco (a.k.a. The Thicket), the Dogfish Head Brewery, beach volleyball, the wine lounge, yard games and so much more. You have all weekend!

Get ready for a kick ass time, Firefly Festival goers. We will see you there!

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