It’s not uncommon to find jerks at music festivals. They’re everywhere – pushing you while making their way to get closer to the stage, or blocking your view with their humongous tablets raised up to record a performance. You definitely don’t want to be that person. Follow The Sherp’s guide to essential festival etiquettes to ensure you don’t stick out like a sore thumb.
1. Don’t be a chatterbox
If you see that your buddy/girlfriend is really into the gig, don’t spoil it for them by whispering into their ears, or worse, shouting over the music to say something. No one wants to know that you met the drummer at your aunt’s birthday party last week.
2. Big and tall? Don’t block others’ view
Nature has rewarded you amply. So why not be a kind person and return the favour by allowing less-blessed people to enjoy the concert by staying at the back?
3. Don’t be a litterbug
We believe that people that dirty a festival venue must be meted out with the strictest form of punishment. Even though you can’t find a bin nearby, just hold on to the stuff you want to dispose of till you come across one.
4. Get your kids only if you know they will enjoy
(Image courtesy: Bacardi NH7 Weekender Facebook)
Although the prospect of making the festival experience a family picnic seems kind of cute, we aren’t sure if kids, especially toddlers, really enjoy high-decibel music and big crowds. So ask your kid first, and if he or she is too young, think thoroughly yourself before making a plan.
5. Leave your iPads at home
Wouldn’t the world be a nicer place if people started watching concerts with their real eyes rather than through the camera lens of their unwieldy tablets and iPads? Oh, how we wish they confiscated these gadgets at the entry.
6. Don’t push around
(Image courtesy: Bacardi NH7 Weekender Facebook)
The band might be playing your favourite song at the moment, but that gives you no right to elbow everyone around you to get closer to the stage. If you must have that coveted place, secure it before the gig. Or just be a nice person and move smoothly through the crowd.
7. Know your artistes
Ignorance is not bliss at music festivals. To be able to shuttle from one stage to another to catch the acts, know your artistes first. If you are clueless about some of them, look them up on the Internet and listen to their music. Asking a fellow festival-attendee what kind of music Pangea performs just before the band’s performance is sure to get you some awful looks.