7 Underrated People That Help Make Your Festival Experience

When you reflect back on your own festival experiences, what do you think of? You think of how fun it was, how safe it was, how smoothly things went, how incredible the lineup and production was, etc.

But before you sprint through those gates with adrenaline, pre-festival jitters and excitement rushing running through your veins, take a moment to stop and think about the bigger picture.

What made this all possible? WHO made this all possible? Which incredible human out there in the world created this incredible sanctuary of good vibes and music? Who helped put this together? Well, that's where all the people who helped make this experience possible go unnoticed.

So on that note, I think it's time we shined some light on these underrated people; we've decided to put together a little post, kind of as a "thank you" to these people, for the hard work, effort and dedication they put in to make our festival experiences the best ones of our entire lives:

1) Security

One thing we all love and cherish about festivals is the fact that we can frolic around the festival grounds while listening to our favorite tunes, not having a single care in the world. However, it's all about happily frolicking and prancing in a safe environment. The security hold down the fort for you while you go and have a good time, and that's something that often isn't appreciated.

Also, the security know how to get down; I can't begin to tell you the amount of times I've seen security grooving and dancing during someone's set, and the best part is when fellow festival-goers join in with them and it all becomes one big dance party with the security. Always be respectful and patient with security, especially at the festival gates, they're only there to protect you.

2) The Water Station Volunteers

The water station volunteers are low-key the most lit out of everyone at the festival. The volunteers are fellow ravers themselves who help things run smoothly and efficiently to ensure that everyone stays hydrated and gets their free water refills.

I'm pretty sure you hear angels singing when you walk up to the water station after feeling like you've been trucking through a desert, and you see the smiling face of the water volunteer ready to hand you some water.

It's like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and you almost wanna reach behind the counter and hug them. Be patient in the water lines, give the volunteers a high five or trade some kandi with them to show your thanks and appreciation for them. Same goes for the food vendor volunteers.

3) Stage, Production & Clean-Up Crew

It's hard to believe that festival grounds aren't always the festival grounds that you see- before and after those three days of fun and bliss, they're just barren, empty landscapes.

It's weird to wrap your head around that, but that just goes to show how incredible the crew that sets up festivals really is. They create a dreamland out of something that was once completely empty. 

These guys do some major heavy lifting and work long, countless hours to bring you these beautiful stages and LED productions that leave a beautiful, long-lasting image in your mind. The crew aids in visually enhancing this experience for us, making it a truly unforgettable one.

This also includes videographers and photographers, who carry around a ton of equipment to capture incredible festival moments that you all can look back on.

And once everything is over, we obviously can't forget about the clean-up crew that helps restore the grounds back to what they once were after a long, slightly messy weekend.

4) Event Curators

As you sit on the grass at *insert name of festival here* and take in the beauty around you, you may think, who made this possible? Your beautiful sanctuary wouldn't be exactly that if it weren't for the event curators and companies that put them together.

How crazy is it to think that things like EDC Las Vegas and Ultra were created and fabricated from one person's mind? From just an idea? We owe these guys a HUGE thank you, because none of this would be possible if it weren't for them. Companies like Insomniac, the people who put on Ultra, React Presents and HARD Presents exceed our expectations every year and give us the best experience of our lives.

5) Performers

The dancers on the stage and the girls that dress up in flashy and fun outfits help in adding life and silliness to your festival experience. At EDC, there is no way you can miss the interactive performers that prance around the festival grounds, engaging with festival-goers and hyping everyone up, dressed as clowns, monkeys- you name it.

The dancers on stage also add an extra little spice to any DJ set; I mean, the girls that dance on the Ultra stage always slay the dance moves as they groove to the tunes being blasted from the stage.

6) Medical Tent

Sometimes, your festival experience doesn't go as planned; people get dehydrated, have a little too much to drink, get extremely exhausted from dancing for three whole days, or they just have a medical emergency of some sort. The medical tent is probably the most essential and helpful part of the festival, and often gets overlooked as you walk past it a festival because you might not need it at the moment.

Medical emergencies happen to everyone, including myself when I fainted two years ago at Electric Zoo because of dehydration and heat. The medical tent quickly and efficiently nursed me back to health, asked about my medical history and genuinely cared about making sure I was okay. Once I was, they sent me back on my way to continue to boogie at the Zoo.

7) Each Other

If it weren't for each other, our festival experiences wouldn't be what they were. One of the most beautiful things about a festival is meeting like-minded people that love to get down to the same music as you, and meeting people that are willing to help you if something goes wrong.

Even when you go through a crowd and people high-five you on your way out, it's little things like that that make you smile and make this experience what it is.

When someone drops something in a crowd, as an unofficial rave rule, at least 5-6 people around them, including myself, stop what they're doing and help that person look for what they lost. The people that do this- you guys are incredible and keep it up.

We should always continue to look out for one another and help each other, even though we're all total strangers. We should always continue to strive to bring friendly and caring vibes to our festivals.