Music Festival Survival: How to beat the heat and save energy for the latenight.

Summertime is festival season and thus my favorite time of year. As much fun as these festivals are, it is easy to become rendered completely useless before the headliner comes on if proper action is not taken throughout the day to preserve energy. Breakfast beers, acid kickball, silent discos, and other silly shenanigans are activities that do not have to be be sacrificed to save energy. There are other ways.

Being an avid festivaleer myself, I have made mistakes in the past which I have learned from. Furthermore, as of recently I have been working as a food vender at festivals, working 50-65 hours while partying full time. Needless to say, staying cool and preserving energy is my religion.

So how does one make the most out of their festival experience?

The ice helmet might be my secret weapon. It keeps you cool while keeping your eyes and neck out of the sun. This technique is recommended for dry climates. I once tried it at a humid festival and it was not quite as enjoyable.

Start by laying a shirt out on the ground or a table. Lay the ice in a row across the top part of the shirt (2"-4" from the collar). If you don't have any ice go ask a food vender for a little. Most of us are kind people and will usually help you out. Make sure not to use too much ice because it can get too cold and cause a lot of water to drip down your face. Next, roll the shirt starting from the collar and making sure to keep the ice tightly wound to keep the cubes from falling out. Roll the shirt a little less than half way down. Any further and the bottom of the shirt will not cover your neck from the sun. Next, grab the shirt by the sleeves and wrap around your head, using the sleeves to tie an overhand knot around your head. Voila, you have yourself an ice helmet.

This technique really helps keep you from overheating in the sun even while getting your wiggle on. My favorite part is rolling the ice down so it covers your eyes. It can be quite psychedelic to lay down in the shade with your eyes closed during some face melting jams. It is almost as if the pressure and coldness of the ice against your eyes tickles the inside of your brain. Strongly recommended and very refreshing!!!!!

Another way to stay refreshed throughout the day is with the help of minty products such as Dr. Bronner's Magic Peppermint Soap. Now it is important to get the peppermint kind because that is the one that will cool your body and make it tingle with minty freshness. A shower with this stuff will have you skipping back to your tent. Seriously just try it and see. Plus it is bio-degradable so momma nature will be happy too. REI is a great place to pick this up.

If you are lucky Dr. Bronner's will have an attraction at the festival called the All One Arc, which I prefer to call "Dr. Bronner's Magic Shower". If you are so lucky, you can pay $5 for one admission or $10 for unlimited amissions to go into what looks like an enormous bathtub, put on some goggles, and hose down a bunch of naked hippies with magic foam. All the while a dj is spinning some sweet tunes on the dance floor just outside the tub. I really hope this becomes a staple at all music festivals in the future. Dr. Bronner's is slowly taking the word dirty out of the phrase "dirty hippy sex". It is a fun, refreshing way to stay clean. Check out the video on their website www.alloneark.com

Sometimes you don't really want to take a shower but still want to freshen up. This is where Gold Bond Triple Action Relief Powder comes into play. This stuff is like chewing gum... for your junk. Designed as a mentholated foot powder, this stuff is a very refreshing answer to what we in the industry like to call "swamp ass". It absorbs moisture, prevents chaffing, and makes your crotch feel like it has been sitting on a block of ice all day. Just make sure you get the blue bottle. The other kind does not have any menthol. WARNING: Make sure not to apply too much or it will feel like your balls are on fire. Ease into it.

While both the Dr. Bronner's and Gold Bond don't really seem like they will do to much for your sustained energy, give them a chance. They actually work quite well as a "pick me up" when you are feeling sluggish and slimey. At the very worst, they are very refreshing.

There is nothing worse than waking up at 8 am in the sweltering heat after partying your ass off until 5 in the morning. The sun will rise and you will hate it. This is why I make sure to camp near some sort of solid shade structure. In a pinch an EZ- Up will get the job done, but I prefer to sleep in the open air under an RV, U-haul truck, a big tree, or next to a building. I either sleep on an inflateable mattress or in my hammock under some solid shade. Often times I am awoken to my friends griping about how stuffy their tent is, but I am always able to get back to my beauty sleep. Furthermore, you should also try and stay out of the sun as much as possible during the day if you want to have energy for the night.

Well, sometimes it is not too obvious for all of us. Back at Reggae on the River 05' I forgot to hydrate and I will never make that mistake again. I spent all my time floating in the river drinking beer. Since I was cooled down by the river water and was always drinking beer, I never felt like I needed to drink water. Well, the next day I had to get an IV after throwing up for 9 hours. Miserable experience that was for me. At least the hospital bed I was in overlooked the stage :)

What I like to do is make sure to play some sort of drinking game a few times a day with some friends. But instead of drinking booze, make sure to play with water. A hydration game will definitely help you to stay energized.