As of a few weeks ago, Vans Warped Tour 2017 kicked off, and next week in Mansfield, Massachusetts, I will be attending Warped Tour for the 6th time! I've been going since I was 14 in 2012, and now I'm 19. Warped Tour is one of my favorite days of the entire year. Since I've gone a few times, I thought I'd make a little survival guide for any first-timers.
What To Bring
-Backpack/bag: I usually bring my school backpack. I know it’s big but it holds everything i need. Drawstring bags are also good if you don’t want to carry around as much stuff (I use these for normal concerts). Don’t bring a bag/purse that you actually care about cause it might not come out looking great.
-WATER: Don’t drink energy drinks, they will dehydrate you. WATER IS SO IMPORTANT PLEASE KEEP DRINKING THROUGHOUT THE DAY. The night before I always go to CVS or a grocery store and buy like two 1L bottles (I usually just end up bringing one of these and then a bunch of smaller ones but it’s always good to have more if you want them). If you’re bringing prepackaged water, don’t open it until after you go through the gates cause if it’s open they won’t let you bring it in. If you’re bringing a reusable bottle, it must be empty when you bring it and then once you get in you can fill it at the water stations.
-Sunscreen: I don’t care if you don’t burn. I don’t care if you don’t have sensitive skin. I don’t care if it’s cloudy. Bring your damn sunscreen. “Waterproof sunscreen” doesn’t mean anything, you’re gonna sweat it all off so apply it before you leave and a few times during the show.
-Money: Determine beforehand how much merch you wanna buy/how much you think you’ll need (t-shirts are roughly $20-30, CDs ~$10, posters ~$5). I wouldn’t recommend bringing your whole wallet cause you’re not gonna use credit cards so it’s better to not risk losing those. Just bring your money in a plastic bag but keep it in a safe place in your bag. ALWAYS PUT IT AWAY AFTER BUYING SOMETHING. Merch money can be used in 20-dollar bills, but also bring $2 to buy a schedule (it’s easier than looking at the big inflatable). Also bring money for food if your venue doesn’t allow outside food.
-Snacks: If your venue lets in outside food, bring some snacks. I usually bring apples, granola bars, pretzels, etc. Remember, if you had a big healthy breakfast you’ll be pretty good for most of the day. If you really want lunch/a meal/your venue doesn’t allow outside food, you can buy food at the show but keep in mind it is pricey. Also be careful of eating too much/eating something that could upset your stomach. I bought a hot dog last year and it was fine but I got terribly carsick on the way home and threw up in my friend's car (sorry Erin).
-Pen/sharpie: For writing down set times/meet & greet times. Also good for autographs if bands run out of sharpies.
-Charged cellphone!!! I keep my phone charged overnight the night before and I charge it in my car on the way there. If you have a portable charger, bring it. Be mindful of how much you use your phone, especially on the long painful drive to the venue.
-Ticket: This is the most important thing. Don’t forget it. You’ve had this piece of paper for months. DONT FORGET IT, especially if you live far from the venue. If you forget it, don’t try to buy one off scalpers outside the venue cause they’re fake and you won’t get in.
What To Wear/Hair
-Style wise I don’t care and neither should anyone else. You do you. People say it’s tacky to wear band merch, girl wear whatever the heck you want. I’ve worn band merch every year. Icon for Hire told me I was cool cause i wore their shirt in 2014. Just wear whatever you like. If you want to wear makeup, go for it, but even the most waterproof makeup will be gone by the end of the day.
-Shoes: Don’t wear open-toed shoes, you won’t have any toes after. I’d recommend sneakers the most. In the past, I’ve worn Converse or Vans. I tend to wear high tops so that they don’t fall off or anything, just my preference. Make sure you’ve worn your shoes a lot so you know that you’re going to be comfortable in them all day.
-Clothes: I usually go for a t-shirt and shorts, nothing special. A lot of girls wear bathing suit tops/bralettes and a lot of guys will just go shirtless. I wouldn’t recommend wearing black cause it’s hot as hell but you know, can’t stop the emo. My first year I wore athletic shorts which were comfy. More recently I’ve worn just regular jean shorts. It really depends on your comfort. When putting on an outfit, think to yourself “am I going to be comfortable in this ALL DAY outside?” Hats are good to protect your head from the sun but you might not come back with it (don’t wear a beanie, you will actually die).
-Hair: If you have long hair you’re gonna end up putting it up at some point, it's common courtesy for people behind you in the pit, no one wants hair in their face. Make sure you have plenty of hair elastics on your wrist in case some break or if other people ask for them. Do whatever you want stylistically, but just remember it probably won’t last long cause it’s sweaty and gross out there.
The Night Before/Pre-Warped
-Eat a really big dinner!! Since my first Warped I’ve had a full box of mac and cheese for dinner it’s great. Gotta carbo-load.
-Get all your stuff ready!!
-Make a list of all the bands you’re seeing in order of importance to you just in case you run into set time overlaps at the show (same for signings/meet & greets).
-GO TO BED EARLY. I don’t care what time you normally go to sleep, Warped is a long day go to bed at 11 at the latest. It’s going to be hard to sleep anyways because of the excitement so get as much sleep as you can.
The Morning Of
-Set an alarm: Make sure you’re up at the time you wanna be up so you can get to the venue on time.
-Shower because this will be the only time of the day you will smell nice
-Eat a big breakfast!! After a big dinner and breakfast, I never need that much food at Warped, just snacks and things, which takes up much less backpack space than a full lunch/Warped food is expensive.
-Make sure you have everything!! Triple check your bag to make sure!!!
-Leave your house depending on how far you live from the venue. Keep in mind, once you get close there WILL be heavy Warped traffic. I live about an hour away from my Warped venue and I usually leave about 2-2.5 hours before doors open because the last new miles of the trip are awful. We’ve sat in the same place for like half an hour before.
During Warped
-When you get there, figure out what line you’re supposed to be in (general admission or those skip the line things where you bring canned food).
-Decide on a meeting spot with your friends if you get split up and with your parent or guardian if they’re bringing you and picking you up.
-The first thing I do is buy a schedule. I don’t even bother to look at the inflatable schedule. I buy one quick and easy for $2. There’s tons of places to find them. There’s vendors with sunglasses, schedules, etc. at the beginning of the day. Grab a schedule and find all your bands’ set times and mark them with a pen or whatever and make a plan with your pals based on who each of you wants to see.
-After getting a schedule, if none of my bands are playing first thing, I just wander around the merch tents. I try to find all of my bands’ tents so I know where they are for later in the day. You can buy merch now cause they’ll be stocked, if you have room in your bag, or buy it at the end of the day, whatever works for you. I also look for the tents to check meet & greet times so you can plan accordingly with meet & greets and sets.
-Know where all the stages are. My first year it took me and my friend like 20 minutes to find the stage we were looking for and we missed half of a set. If your venue has an amphitheater, it will most likely be split into two stages. (there's usually a map on the back of the $2 schedule). It’s also helpful to know what stages your bands are on ahead of time (check the Warped Tour website).
-Go to sets and meet & greets and whatever else you plan on doing. Remember to keep drinking water throughout the day. Drink water when you get to a stage and right after a band’s set. Reapply sunscreen periodically. Eat if you’re hungry. Drink if you’re thirsty. Rest if you’re tired. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. It’s a long day so take care of yourself.
-If I have a long time before any sets or meet & greets, I usually rest in the amphitheater and watch whoever’s there. You can also walk around and see what Warped is up to. Check out the vendor/sponsor/charity tents. Check out other bands!!! Just go up to a random stage and watch a band you’ve never heard of, they might become your new favorite.
-HAVE A HECK OF A LOT OF FUN
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