Music festivals are always full of interesting people from all walks of life. This is probably the exact reason you see an array of different totems, each with their own story and theme. If you’ve never attended a festival, you may be asking yourself, “What the heck is a totem…?” Well, let me explain it to you.

A totem is often an image or sign that is individualized (you’ll rarely see two of the same), and is attached to a long stick of some sort so that it can be seen through the masses of people. Sounds pretty cool, right? I mean just look at the beauty.

When you do attend a festival, you’ll notice hundreds of these totems and you’ll recognize the individuality that these totems represent. But you’ll also think, “Why would anyone ever bring one? They seem like so much work to carry around all day!” Well, I have five perfect reasons you should DEFINITELY bring a totem to your next festival:

1. It Helps You Find Your Squad In The Case Of Separation

Festivals are HUGE, and there is a high possibility that at some point you’re going to lose your friends. Yes we are in the age of cell phones, but what if your phone dies? Or what if you gave it to one of your friends for safekeeping? WHAT EVER WILL YOU DO? At that moment you see your totem shining out from the crowd, "Oh wait, there’s our totem, hold up guys!"

You see how useful that was? I bet you’re thanking your lucky stars your squad decided to bring a totem, huh?

2. It Gives You The Opportunity To Showcase Your Creativity

A totem is more than just a poster on a stick. It’s an opportunity to experiment with colors, glitter, lights, and anything you could possibly think of! Your totem could be anything you wanted, obviously you should probably try to make sure it’s not insanely offensive because no one will appreciate that. Still, you have a decent amount of freedom with it. I have seen Spongebob, Donald Trump, names of ravers, sayings, and a mass amount of lights adorned on fantastically hilarious totems. So take this moment to let your creativity shine!

3. It Provides The Perfect Conversation Starter

If you have made a bomb totem, people are going to compliment it. They may even ask you where you got the idea for it, or what your totem actually means. And the beauty of that is, you’ve just made a new friend! Not only will people want to talk to you about your unique totem, you’ll be bound to see some interesting ones that you’ll be dying to know the story behind. The totem is just an all-encompassing object of unity and creativity. I mean, where else are you going to see memes with flashing lights on a stick?

4. When The Artists Look Out At The Crowd, Guess What They'll See?

They’re going to see your totem, of course! Your face will be lost in the sea of people, but your totem will rise high above the mass and be visible to all. Sometimes, artists will take photos of the crowd they’re playing for. How amazing would it be if in that picture, your totem was visible in the midst of all other totems? It would forever be in that picture that would most likely be up on Twitter or Instagram and be seen by millions.

That kind of sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?

5. You'll Have A Keepsake From The Festival To Cherish

That totem you made for the festival will forever be a reminder of the amazing time you had. When you look at that totem, you’ll remember the people you went with, the artists you jammed to, and the atmosphere you were immersed in. You will also remember the new things you experienced, like the people you met, the new artists you fell in love with, and the light shows that gave you chills when the bass dropped.

As I have said before, festivals are magic. They’re filled with experiences that you will never want to forget. By adding your personalized totem to the mix, you are only enhancing the experience you will have and the memories that you will cherish. It’s never too early to start planning your totem for your next festival, so go forth and get creative! I have a feeling you won’t regret it. Now, please enjoy this image of a Bob Saget Totem: