How to Practice Self-Care Before, During, and After Festivals

Festival season is already in full swing, so we’ve come up with a few helpful tips to prepare yourself for a successful year of memories!

When I attended my first festival, I was severely underprepared. If I didn’t have veteran festival friends there with me, it would have been a very long and hard weekend. There are a lot of odds and ends that need to be thought of to have a successful festival weekend, and your health and well-being are definitely some of the most important. So to help newcomers and returners alike, we have come up with a few tips on how to look out for yourself and practice self-care before, during, and after your festivals this year!

Whether planning to go to the pre-parties or show up later in the festivities, festivals can be a physically draining experience. Although our tips can help, you know your body best and should always listen to your intuition on your limits. One of the beautiful things about festivals is that most people are happy to help a fellow attendee! Never feel shy or ashamed to ask for help, especially from your friends, camp neighbors, and even new faces.

This guide will put you on the right track to have your body and mind prepped for your weekend of unforgettable moments with your friends and fellow attendees. So continue reading for some guidance on how to gear up for the festival, stay healthy and safe during it, and what to do once you return home!

How to Practice Self-Care Before, During, and After Festivals

Photo Credit: Tony Nungaray for Insomniac Events

It’s important to take care of your body before the festival as well as during! Here’s how to do it.

Most people don’t think about how important pre-festival care is, but it could be one of the biggest game changers if you add it into your routine. Please, and we cannot stress this enough, drink plenty of water each day leading up to your festival. On top of hydration, it’s important to fuel your body with healthy and nutrient-dense foods. Instead of grabbing your favorite fast food craving, try to implement plenty of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. One of our go-to meals before a festival is grilled salmon and veggies over some quinoa.

We understand that not everyone has the same time or dietary needs. Other great choices for your body leading up to your event are eggs, potatoes, rice, kale, and who could forget delicious fruits like pineapple and blueberries? When it comes to getting nutrition into your body with ease, we recommend making a quick homemade smoothie! Being a pescetarian, I understand the struggles of meeting your suggested protein intake, and smoothies are a game changer. Add some cacao nibs, peanut butter, maca, kale, or any holistic mushroom blends for an extra tasty, energizing, and nutritious meal. You can even substitute yogurt or regular milk for a protein plant-based milk for extra protein.

In addition to your diet, it’s important to ensure your body is warmed up for all the extra activities it’ll be involved in during the weekend. Go ahead and get in the habit of moving your body with plenty of stretching every day. Creating a little festival-inspired boot camp for yourself isn’t the worst idea either. Take plenty of walks if a gym isn’t accessible to you; anything is better than nothing! Whether you do some yoga or find some stairs to test your limits, we suggest you get your heart racing as much as you can in preparation.

Photo credit: Nathen Lane Media

Make sure you’re replenishing your body, whether at the vendors on-site or at your home base.

If you have the money to eat all your meals at vendors, that’s great! If you’re like most of us, eating more than a few vendor meals isn’t a reality. That’s why it’s great to plan camp-friendly meals to energize your body so you can save money for some merch or other memorabilia. To start your days, you can do quick breakfast options such as pre-packaged smoothies, applesauce packets, and juices to increase your energy. Lunches and dinners are great for pre-made burritos or wraps that just need a toasty campfire to reheat or enjoy chilled! Either works, and whether it’s cold or warm, they both will ensure a satisfied stomach.

Related: Check out some of our other meal-prep ideas, and brush up on what to pack with our essential items to bring!

We also recommend staying on top of your hydration and have highlighted some of the best hydration pack choices, including RaveRunner and Lunchbox packs, to make your decision easier. Drinks aren’t the only choice for hydration. Did you know pickles can help hydrate your body as well? Pack a jar in a non-glass container, and you can even drink the juice once it’s empty for an even greater boost. Not all festivals allow you to bring drinks or more oversized bags into the venue, but if they do, the most clutch thing you could do is fill up a camelback backpack with water and hydration packs to keep you and your friends on the right track.

Another great thing to remember is to give yourself the supplements your body needs. Your serotonin levels are a big factor in how you will feel during the festival, and taking supplements like 5HTP before and after the festival is a great way to keep your levels high. Another way to invite more serotonin into your system is movement. Hold your arms above your head for a few seconds, then bring them back down softly – like a standing and less aggressive jumping jack. If you do this motion several times, it will increase the production of serotonin. Massages are also another great tool to replenish serotonin and relieve your muscles from all the extra movement you’ve been accomplishing daily.

Photo Credit: Alive Coverage

Picking the perfect outfits is always fun, but plan accordingly for your festival.

One of our favorite things about festivals is seeing everyone’s creative side shine with their self-expression! Just keep in mind that you should plan accordingly for the location, weather, and overall climate of the festival you’re attending. If it’s hot and a lot of your skin is exposed, wear a hat, lather on the sunscreen, or create a cute umbrella to match your killer outfit. No matter what you decide, ensure you’re looking out for your future self and protecting that beautiful skin. A lot of festivals can be hot during the day and chilly at night. So even if the high is 90 degrees, still pack some layers for when the sun goes down because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Some choose glam fits while others choose oversized merch, but no matter what fit you decide to rock, make sure your feet have the support they deserve. Comfortability is key. You can wear your extravagant platforms, but make sure you have something more comfortable to switch to once your feet get fatigued. If you’ve just purchased some new kicks, especially Doc Martins, be sure to wear them for a few hours a day, every day until the festival – your feet will thank you for it! No one wants to suffer through a festival with unwanted blisters.

As we were talking about earlier, pay attention to the weather forecast for the weekend of your event. If you see rain predicted, you can buy see-through ponchos in the camping aisle of Walmart so people can still see some of your adorable outfits. Close-toed boots are also a great idea for any wet days you might encounter. It’s ok to over-pack socks because wet or soggy socks are a good way to ruin anyone’s day, and if a friend is in need, you’ll be their hero.

Photo Credit: Demian Becerra for Insomniac Events

You’ll also want to protect your ears, nose, eyes, and other body parts.

If you’re attending a festival, you’re more than likely bursting at the seems to dance. From shuffling, headbanging, or just letting your body move to the music, you need the right tools to save yourself from aches and pains. Bringing your own ibuprofen is a game changer, and it is always great to have extra to help those in need. Straining any muscle from seeing your favorite artist live could cause the rest of the fest to be miserable, so bring a foam roller if you have the space to help work out any soreness from the night before. Another great tip is to have your own tiger balm or icy hot for a quick fix for discomfort.

While protecting your dancing body is important, be sure to protect your hearing as well. We are very adamant about how important ear protection is and believe everyone should have their own pair. You can get damage to your ears within moments of being in front of a sound system, and it can be irreversible. If you don’t already have a pair and are unsure of where even to begin, check out our post on earplugs rated on comfort, sound quality, and price.

Hot, dusty climates can be super harsh on your eyes and lungs. Bringing sunglasses and a type of face covering is highly suggested. Whether it be a bandana, pashmina, or any other type of barrier, keep your mouth covered in super dusty climates. Inhaling dust into your lungs for a long period of time can be harmful and detrimental to your sinuses. Save yourself weeks of recovering and cove that beautiful face when needed, bring Benadryl, and invest in a quality nose spray like Vicks Vaposticks, because no one wants to experience a music festival with congestion.

Photo Credit: Alive Coverage

Not everyone partakes in substances, but it’s always important to be smart and cautious if you do.

Sadly, we are still living in a world where fentanyl is making its appearance and taking loved ones away from us more than we would like. If you do choose to partake in anything, please make sure to test it. Many festivals have on-site booths like DanceSafe or End Overdose to help, but we suggest keeping Narcan at camp and on at least one of your group members once you enter the fest. Though test kits can be expensive, they can and have saved lives, ask some friends to throw in some money for a group test kit and make sure to purchase from a reliable source like DanceSafe or Things That Glow. Don’t forget that if one of your friends is overdosing, you cannot get in trouble for reporting it. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help; we all want everyone to be safe and alive.

Photo Credit: Tristen Leto

Taking care of yourself doesn’t stop with the festival’s last day, so here are some useful tips for aftercare!

Post-festival care should be on your mind once you’ve left your wonderful weekend. It is just as important as the care you gave yourself before and during the fest. If you’re able to request off work, we suggest getting the day after the fest off so you can have plenty of time to rest and decompress. If you can’t ask off, never fear; you can still make sure you’re replenishing your body with the right foods. Circle back up to our before care if you need more ideas on protein and nutrient-dense foods, and don’t forget to take supplements like 5HTP for serotonin recovery!

Another pro-tip is to run a nice warm bath with Epsom salts and soak your aching feet and body to relieve them and help you integrate back into your daily routines again. You can never stretch enough, and post-festival is a crucial time to do so. You can do wonders of healing for your muscles with yoga or even just feeling into the parts of your body that hurt the most and asking someone to use their hands or massage gun if you need assistance.

Self-care is important in all aspects of life, and festivals are an important time to practice it.

Festivals are a chance to make connections, grow your community, and make memories with your loved ones, so don’t let yourself miss out on all of the wonderful experiences that come with music festivals because you didn’t properly set yourself up for success. Take care of yourself and share your wisdom with others so we all can have a successful festival season!