Doing a free music festival like #GlobalCitizen with your kids.
This past weekend we attended our first music festival together and it will be something we never forget! Thank you Global Citizen Festival for the memories.
I love music and now my son is becoming a huge music fan so I couldn’t wait to do this experience with him. I had reservations about it since I wasn’t getting hooked up by a friend or brand and to be honest I should have stayed home.
But there was no way I was going to back out of a chance of doing something for the 1st time with my son. Here are a few things to keep in mind before doing a music festival with your kids.
You get what you pay for
We got lucky and scored 3 free tickets to the Global Citizen Festival or so we thought. The musical content was off the hook but pair general admission seating along with 1000’s of teens and that experience gets craaaaazy.
Since it was free, we stood on a line that was a few miles long in Central Park for almost 3 whole hours. Yup, you read that right, 3 whole hours with an 11-year-old and thousands of Shawn Mendes loving teen girls bumping into you every second they get.
The heat sucked as much as the long line and so did the line skippers, I will never ever do a free festival again. I rather pay for a seat or hopefully get lucky with a hookup. Also, most festivals are live streamed online, way better seats and view.
When things are free, expected the unexpected, it can kill the whole experience real quick.
Arrive super early
Flickr User: @quintanomedia Circa 2014
We made the rookie mistake of arriving 15 minutes before the gates were supposed to open to our festival. Bad bad bad move! Remember how I said it was free?
Everybody and their mommas were there and they were probably there hours before us. They knew what was up, we didn’t and dropped the ball. That forced us to stand in line for 3 hours and it guaranteed that we would be watching the concert on a big screen instead of watching the stage.
My 11-year-old wasn’t feeling that and neither was I. We grabbed a seat on the grass and sat there as we waited for Cardi B to come through and kill her set. Our plan was to watch her and then bounce, we were exhausted but wasn’t going to quit just yet.
For better seats and shorter lines get there like 3-4 hours early. That still might not get you the best experience but it will be better than those who arrive on time lol.
Know the rules before you get there
All festivals have rules that are set in place to make your experience more enjoyable. Find them and actually listen to them.
While standing on line, a security guard advised people that bags, book bags, and even cameras were not allowed. Only thing allowed was your cell phone and an empty bottle to fill up with water once inside.
I can’t tell you how many people didn’t listen and had their book bags thrown out. Some people even hid them under tree branches or whatever they could find for later on. There were hundreds of bags, vape pens and E-cigarettes laying around.
My son and I joked around that if we saw an expensive bookbag like a spray ground bag or high-end bookbag we would get off the line and take them. We didn’t get that lucky! Know the rules of engagement before you arrive!
Turning lemons into lemonade
Our 1st music festival together wasn’t the most ideal experience. My son was tired from a night at #FrightFest and the hot weather zapped our energy while standing in line for hours.
However; we still found ways to have fun especially since the music was great. We found ways to enjoy ourselves since we knew we wouldn’t forget this day until Cardi B came out. That’s when my 11-year-old forgot about all the long lines and lack of good seats.
Even though we watched her perform on the big screen, the energy was there, we turned up together and that’s all that mattered.
It was hot, muggy, full of crazy teens, and the experience wasn’t ideal, but it was an experience we will never forget! We were there for the music and good vibes, all the other craziness couldn’t stop that!
It wasn’t perfect but it was our time together and now we will be ready for the next one. 1st order of business, buy tickets!
Ever did a music festival with your kids? How did it go? Hit me up and remember
