What Should I Bring To a Rave?

What do I need to camp at a Music Festival or Rave?

Those who only plan to get a day pass for the festival might not be worried too much about sleeping arrangements. However, if you are considering attending the festival throughout its entire duration, you might want to keep in mind what kind of accommodations will be most convenient for you.

Instead of leaving the festival at the end of every night to go to sleep in a nearby hotel room, you can choose to sleep right on the festival grounds and be the first one in the midst of the action every morning.

Some rave festivals will allow camping on the grounds, where the ravers can pitch their tents and stay submerged in the experience even while they sleep. There is no better way to be a part of all of the fun than to camp at the rave site.

In this section, we will be going over the additional items that you will need to bring with you, should you decide to camp at the festival. The equipment in the list below should be added to the first essential rave packing list that was mentioned earlier on.

By following the guidelines of both of these lists in combination, you will be in for a flawless rave experience without forgetting anything that you might need while you are out on the dance floor.

Additional Items For Rave Camping:

• Tent (like this one from Coleman on Amazon.  Also, make sure to get a tarp!)
• Canopy
• Chairs and tables (we highly recommend a lightweight camping chair like this one from Boundary Life off of Amazon)
• Organization (shoe rack, portable plastic containers, etc.)
• Garbage bags
• Food, beverage, and cooking/eating utensils

While you are packing for a rave camping trip, the most obvious thing that you will need is the tent that you are sleeping in. The tent should be equipped with a tarp to smooth the surface, as well as everything you will need to set it up, including ropes, stakes, and a durable mallet.

Aside from just having your tent assembled, it is helpful to have an additional canopy on the side somewhere throughout the campsite. This can serve as a place to relax and set up a chair, or to eat under during meal times.

Chairs and tables go hand in hand with the canopy, and can be set up right underneath it for a shaded dining area.

During any camping trip, it is important to keep all of your things organized to avoid losing them or just leaving a messy campsite overall. When everything is out in the open, it would be easy for someone to swipe something without you even noticing that it is gone.

The best way to organize your belongings is to use some kind of structured container such as a hanging shoe rack or portable plastic drawers. Ideally, you will be able to place all different categories of items in their own designated sections for easy access and use.

Garbage bags are another essential element for a rave camping trip. You should bring multiple of these, as they will serve different purposes. These bags can be used for garbage and food waste, while being kept far away from the tents. They can also be used for holding all of your dirty clothes when you are done with them.

You should also be prepared to eat meals when you camp at a rave. These supplies will include all of your food, ingredients, and beverages, along with the cooking equipment that you will need. You might find it useful to bring a cooler for your cold items, as well as a portable hot plate for boiling water.

The best types of food to bring are the instant ones, such as Mac and cheese, cups of noodles, or dry oatmeal. Reusable dishes and utensils are easy to clean and use, while being friendly to the environment as well.

Depending on what types of foods you are planning to eat, you will need cooking utensils like mixing bowls, skillets, and spatulas. Contrarily, if you are not much of a chef and are planning to get most of your meals from food vendors, you don’t have to worry too much about this step, and can just account for some extra spending money.

To go along with the essential packing list for rave camping, there are a few more helpful tips that will assist you in creating the best experience. Take a look at the list down below for some sound advice on the topic.

Tips For Rave Camping:

• Get a larger tent than you need for added space
• Upgrade to car camping when you can

The first rave camping tip to consider is purchasing a larger tent than what you actually need. For instance, if you will be traveling with 3 people including yourself, you might choose a tent with a 4-6 maximum capacity.

This way, you will all be able to have more than enough room to move around. You could even set up another seating area in the middle of the tent, hanging tapestries or tarps to create privacy between the sleeping areas.

The next helpful tip for the best rave camping experience is to upgrade to car camping when you can. Contrary to what you might think of when you hear the term car camping, this does not mean that you will be sleeping in your car.

Instead, car camping refers to being able to park your car directly next to your tent in the campsite. For the normal camping spaces on the rave grounds, you will to be able to park your car anywhere. There are only designated plots for this purpose, and you will have to pay a premium price to do so.

However, purchasing the ability to car camp will prove to be very beneficial to you in the long run, especially if you will be carrying a lot of stuff to camp with you. Instead of having to take multiple trips, you can simply back it up right beside your tent and walk a few steps before setting up your equipment.

If you have food items that you want to keep away from the heat or the small animals around the campsite that might try to eat it, you can keep them sealed in the back seat of your car.

In addition, you won’t feel pressured to have to unload everything you brought as soon as you get there. Some of your larger items that aren’t immediately necessary can be left in the car and accessed quickly when you need them.

If you ever have to step out for a few hours, you can freely take your car and just pull right back up near your tent when you return.

Rave Tips For Beginners

As a beginner, preparing for your first rave can seem like a confusing and daunting task. How can you be sure that you have planned out everything correctly and how will you know what to expect when you get there?

In this section, we will be going over some helpful rave tips for first-timers and beginners. Throughout this discussion, you will come to the realization that going to your first rave will not be as scary as it seems!

Rave Tips For Beginners:

• Try to find a group to go with if possible
• Make new friends at the rave venue
• Go all out with your outfit
• Make Kandi bracelets and take advantage of trading
• Read over the rave rules
• Start preparing a week in advance
• Don’t forget any of your essentials
• Determine a check in spot
• Experience new artists
• Conserve your phone battery
• Drink and party responsibly
• Ask for medical attention when you need it
• Stay hydrated
• Dance and enjoy yourself!
• Be open minded to get the full experience

When you are attending your first rave, you will want to try to find a group of good friends to go with you. During rave festivals, the experience is ten times better when you have people that you care about to share it with.

Whether your friends have been to a rave before or not, you will be able to help each other out when you have a problem. It is always important to use the buddy system for events where there will be large crowds of people around you for obvious reasons.

In the event that you get lost, you will always have another person with you to help you find your way back. In general, it is never a good idea to be all by yourself, but if it is not possible for you to travel with a group there is another way you can get around it.

When you go to a rave, you will notice that the people are very friendly and generally helpful. While this will not apply to every single person that you will come across, there the ultimate energy that the people you meet will want to help you.

With that being said, you should always try to make new friends during your music festival experience. There are so many things to do around the festival grounds, and you will brush shoulders with hundreds or even thousands of people along your way.

So, what better thing to do than start a conversation and make a friend or two? Who knows, you might be able to find a group of your own that you will travel with throughout the rest of the festival, and your buddy system problem will be solved.

Another thing to keep in mind for your first rave is to go completely all out with your outfit. Raves are known for the extravagant and colorful clothing ensembles, and you being a new raver doesn’t mean that you should be shy with yours.

Your rave outfit can be literally anything that you want it to be, there are no rules to what you can put together. You can choose to buy something at an online store that is already ready to wear, or you can find ways to make your own customized pieces.

Another component of your rave outfit should definitely be Kandi bracelets. If you have ever seen photos of a rave, you have probably seen a lot of these. We will go more into detail about what these are and how to make them in the next section.

Before you enter the festival grounds, you should read through all of the rules on their website. Some raves will place restrictions on bringing certain items in through the gates, so you will want to be prepared for this in advance.

When you are in the planning phases of your rave trip, you will want to make sure that you are giving yourself enough time to start preparing at least a week in advance. Instead of throwing all of your things together last minute, try to do your shopping and packing before you have to do it all in a panic.

While packing, make sure that you go through your list thoroughly and pack all essentials carefully. The last thing that you want to do is forget something important and realize it long after you have arrived.

Since rave festival grounds are usually very large and can get confusing, it is smart to come up with a meeting spot for the end of each night. If you are in a group, you will all be able to easily find each other if you split to see different artists.

Even if you are by yourself, you should still have a clear idea of how you can easily find your way back to your car or tent by mentally noting the place that you will come back to you on your own.

The beauty of rave festivals, especially the large ones, is that there are multiple stages across the whole space that host different artists at the same time.

While this can be conflicting for seasoned rave fans who wish they could be in five different places at once to view their favorite sets, you can benefit from this as a beginner.

Take this as an opportunity to experience new artists and music styles. Instead of just sticking to the one or two artists that you know or have heard of before, try to attend the stage of an artist that you wouldn’t think to listen to at home, you might be pleasantly surprised.

During any rave, your phone battery is absolutely essential. To avoid your device dying out, bring a portable charger with you. In addition, keep your phone on low power mode and turn it off while you are not using it.

Drink and party responsibly while you are watching a performance or roaming the festival.Know what you can handle, and never let anyone pressure you to drink or take anything that you don’t want to.

Make sure that you are staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water to avoid any accidents, but ask for medical help if you start to feel faint or sick.

Lastly, just remember to dance, have fun, and enjoy yourself. Be open minded to any kind of new experience that you might come across, and don’t be afraid to discover new music that you could come to love.

The main goal that you should have while going to your first rave is to have a good time while being as safe as possible.

Rave Festival Clothing Ideas

When it comes time to put together the outfits that you will be wearing to your first rave, personality and customization is key. One of the best things about raves is that there are no limitations to what you can and can’t wear, which is all the more reason to get creative with your ensemble.

While it is true that you can purchase ready-to-wear rave pieces online or in select stores, the experience is so much better when you decide to add a personal touch to your garments.

This does not necessarily mean that you must sew your own clothes from scratch, but you can start out with a few base pieces of clothing and make alterations until they look brand new!

The list down below will outline a few tips on how to make DIY clothing pieces for your next rave. And don’t be scared when you read some of the items on the list, just keep reading throughout the rest of this section for a detailed explanation of each idea.

DIY Rave Customized Clothing Pieces:

• Make cuts into existing clothes
• Attach glow sticks to your clothing pieces
• Wear homemade Kandi bracelets
• Glue fake flowers to a headband
• Add glitter to your skin and face
• Paint a picture/design on a T-shirt

The first thing that you can do in order to create a customized rave clothing piece is to make cuts into existing clothes. This might sound like a crazy idea, but it can actually make it look like a brand new item.

An example of some cuts that you can make include the use of a regular T-shirt. Instead of wearing it like normal, you can make vertical cuts all throughout the mid section to create a tassel effect.

On the contrary, you can cut longer pants into shorts or make decorative slits in the sides of some of your existing clothing pieces. Guys can cut the sleeves off of an old T-shirt to make a tank top or muscle shirt out of it.

This is an easy and cheap alternative to some of the rave outfits you might be able to find online, especially if you already own the pieces you are altering.

The next method of DIY rave clothing will certainly make your outfit stand out against the crowd. Bright colors and neon signs are a major component of any rave, so why not include something similar on your body?

With the purchase of a few packs of glow sticks at your local craft store, you can create strips of shining lights along the linings of your clothing or even maneuver them strategically to display a specific pattern or design.

If you have some sewing skills, you can attach them with thread. Otherwise, something like a safety pin or some good strong super glue will do the trick instead.

Another essential accessory that you must wear to a rave is a full stack of Kandi bracelets. These are simple pieces of jewelry that can be created at home by stringing colorful pony beads onto a piece of elastic string.

You can customize these bracelets to look like anything you want, and they are very inexpensive to make. With just a few hours of your time, you can have two arm fulls of vibrant accessories when you head out to your first rave.

For a more elegant look, the ladies can take an old headband and glue some prettier decorations onto it such as fake flowers. These can be found at any local craft store, and can be customized in any way that you would like.

For both guys and girls, glitter can become a colorful accessory to any rave outfit. You can put it all over your body to glow with the lights beneath the stage, or even put it on your face for a sparkly look.

Pictures and designs can be added to any regular top or other clothing piece to make it more colorful and interesting. Just find some good fabric paint at your local craft store and get to work making alterations to your custom clothing pieces.

As you can see, rave music festivals can be enjoyed by everyone who is involved, as long as the proper preparations are made and safety precautions are followed. The most important thing to remember while going to a rave is to have fun and create an unforgettable experience.

By following all of the tips and tricks that were outlined in this article when it comes to first-time ravers and packing lists for each raving situation, there is no doubt that you will have a worry-free trip.