Hard Summer Music Festival

In the spirit of music festivals (slowly but surely) being announced again, this week’s blog is going to be all about Hard Summer Music Festival. If there is something that I have missed over the past year… it is live music and international travel of course (duh). I have to say some of the best memories that I have made in my “young adult” life is attending music festivals. Not sure what it is about them but they make me feel young, alive, and like I truly am “living my life”, just like traveling does! If you’ve read my blog before, you would know that I did a blog on Snowglobe Music Festival where I discussed how to prepare for a 3-day music festival in the snow… well, with this blog I am going to tell you how to prepare for a 2-day music festival in the desert. As I have previously mentioned, I do not necessarily like EDM, house music, or rap; which is what this music festival consists of. However, I have been to Hard Summer three times, 1000% sober, and had a blast every time. I truly believe that enjoyment in life really just depends on who you’re surrounded by. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the “most epic” music festival of your life if the people you’re with are no bueno, that kinda ruins the vibe. Just like having a chill night at home could be the best night ever if you’re surrounded by the people you love. You see what I’m saying? My point here is that I may not listen to EDM or rap, but Hard Summer Music Festival was always a great time for me because I was surrounded by great people!

• Be Healthy and Sanitary: It’s a new world we live in-so I can only imagine how different music festivals will look once they start happening again. However, I am sure that a HUGE part of it will be all about health and sanitation. I’m not here to get political or start any sort of controversial conversation… if you’re vaccinated or not, that’s your choice, your body, not my business. With that being said, if you are going to be attending music festivals such as Hard Summer once they start happening again, make sure that you are safe, healthy, and sanitary before attending. That’s the bare minimum that we should be doing as human beings. Get Covid-tested before going, take care of your immune system, wash your hands, “social-distance”, don’t share drinks, you get what I’m saying here. The virus is still around. It still exists. There’s no cure for it. Be mindful. Take care of your health and cleanliness, not only for yourself but for other’s as well. I recently saw pictures of a “social-distant” music festival in some other country, and honestly it looks really cool to me. I would not be complaining about having space from other sweaty humans, being able to actually see the stage (I’m a shorty), and not having to worry about getting trampled in a crowd.
• Find a place to stay EARLY: Just like my Snowglobe blog this is a necessity. Granted, Hard Summer isn’t during a holiday and it is located in Fontana, California (a random town near San Bernardino), so the prices aren’t nearly as high as Tahoe for Snowglobe, however, booking a place early is still important for your wallets. If you have a large enough group, I recommend doing an Airbnb. It is way more cost effective than a hotel and you’ll have plenty of space for everybody. My first two Hard Summers, we stayed in hotels where we packed like 8 girls in a 4 person room and it was roughly more expensive than our Airbnb was our third year around. Again, book early. Places near the venue are limited.
• Figure out transportation: Another thing I discussed in the Snowglobe post. My friends got lucky having my friend and I as DD all the time. Therefore, we always knew we had a safe and sober ride home. If I remember correctly, parking was free at Hard Summer which is way more beneficial and cost-effective than trying to get an Uber or Lyft (we all know they jack-up those prices at the end of an event). If you are lucky enough to have a sober driver, offer to pay for their gas, or parking (if you have to pay for parking), or buy their breakfast in the morning… idk, do something nice. Take care of your “mom” friends who are keeping you safe just so that you can party and let-loose for the weekend.
• Dress Accordingly: It’s hot. It is hot. It’s called “Hard Summer” for a reason. This festival typically takes place in August, which is one of the hottest months in California, let alone in the desert. I fore-warn you about this because how you dress is entirely up to you, your skin, and body. For example, I sweat, I chafe, my feet blister easily, but I tan nicely (thank you Latin-genes). Minimal clothing is obviously worn since the weather is so hot and so that I personally don’t get any crazy tan lines too. Ironically, my feet do best in sandals. So the days that I wore sneakers, I’d get massive blisters, whereas, I’d be totally chillen in my sandals. Again, know your body. TMI WARNING–with chafing, I kind of just accepted the “L” almost everyday because when it’s hot, sweaty, and you have thick-thighs like me, it’s kind of inevitable. Although I do have a lifehack for chafing… put deodorant or Vaseline in the spot that you chafe and I PROMISE it’ll work wonders. One day I did wear biker shorts and let me tell you, I felt like I was unstoppable because for once there was no chafing at all haha. Also, it’s well-over 100 degrees during these festivals, you’re not covered in any shade, and you are walking around constantly… keep this in mind as well. If you are someone who sunburns really easily, wear sunscreen, and pack Band-Aids for blisters.
• Stay HYDRATED: I can’t stress this enough. Seems obvious, but I feel like I have to stress this point. Drink a lot of water before, during, and after the festival. Bring those camel-back backpacks that are made for hikes so that you can constantly stay hydrated throughout the festival. With the Covid, I highly recommend that everybody in your group has their own so that you are all drinking out of your own water… not spreading germs. The festivals do have water stations all over so that you can refill your camelbacks at anytime.
• Pack medicine and immunity boosters: What you’re doing at the festival is your business… however, all I know is that these festivals can take a lot out of you. Pack Emergen-C, other immune system boosters, lots of water, Pedialyte, and safe-medicine for potential migraines or dehydration that can very possibly occur.
• Go with the right people: As I mentioned earlier, the group of people around you can truly make or break your experience. I’ve attended a festival where the group wasn’t right, and I honestly did have a horrible time… I was watching the hours as to when I’d finally get to go home. However, 99% of the festivals that I have attended have been amazing because I was surrounded by the right people who helped make these experiences so much fun.
• Dress up: It is a music festival after all. You have the right to dress crazy, colorful, wild, unique, or even “risque” if you want too. It’s truly a weekend of freedom, fun, and self-expression. My friends and I loved looking forward to picking out our outfits and covering ourselves in sparkle. It’s fun to dress up in attire that you don’t wear everyday!
• Have Fun: Be open-minded because you will see a variety of crowds there. Don’t be judgey, just dance, and enjoy the presence of your friends… fricken enjoy the fact that music festivals are finally back!!!! I’ll never take these experiences for granted ever again.