How To Festival In Style — Innings Festival 2025
by Scott Redmond
Attending a music festival, or any other type of festival or convention, can be a bit overwhelming to first-time goers. So many new experiences, crowds of people, and opportunities.
As a now seasoned veteran (not really) of two years for the Innings Festival Tempe, I’m here to offer up some sage wisdom and tips. Here are the things I’ve learned along the way which made my experiences even better.
So grab a notepad and something to write with and bring your undivided attention.
Tip One: Invest In A Hydration Pack
Water is fundamental. We all know that. Walking around, especially for long days, is going to mean hydration is even more important.
Thankfully there is a whole industry centered around this exact issue. Many solutions are backpack-style, easy to carry, containing a pouch that fits an inner bladder with a capacity of a couple liters. Filling up hydration packs is easy, and then the tube for drinking pops out through a hole in the side. Pop the cap and drink the sweet (tap) waters of nurturing.
Most come with a spout that can be bit, pushed/pulled, or sucked upon to release the water. There is no worry about the water spilling everywhere. Many festivals offer hydration stations for filling of these bags.
As a bonus, there are versions that come with various pouches to fit festival swag or hold other items. Some include secret pouches on the side facing your bag to place wallets and other important items. Just in case there might be some folks with sticky fingers nearby.
Tip Two: Bring A Hat
Look, I know this is pretty obvious to most. Yet, somehow in all my planning for my own festival trip, I left my hats behind at home.
Talk about regret.
The sun, it turns out, isn’t your friend. Depending on the type of festival or venue you’re visiting, there might be a ton of unfriendly sun to contend with. Inside space to flee the sun is likely at a premium, if it even exists. For some conventions, this is a useless piece of advice since many are inside of venues.
Lucky you.
Anyway, keeping a hat (and shades) handy is a real-life saver. Keeping the sun off your face and out of your eyes makes seeing easier. There’s nothing worse than trying to enjoy the showmanship of a musical act while squinting from the sun beams. Speaking of sun effects, those of us a lighter variety should also bring sunscreen. Better safe than sorry, especially when the alternative is a crispy red neck or arms.
Tip Three: Have Blanket Will Sit Comfortably
Actual physical seating options are usually at a premium for these types of events. Paying for premium or VIP statuses will provide bleachers or cabanas or more. Beyond benches or tables that might be found in the types of park settings often used for festivals, there aren’t many seated options.
Luckily, there are plenty of grassy, solid dirt, and hilltops spaces for catching great views of the performance stages.
Trust me, though, dry grass scratching on the skin isn’t always the most pleasant feeling, especially if you’re sitting there for the whole performance or camping out ahead of time. A hilltop spot gave a perfect view of Boyz II Men, but I sure was feeling it by the time the show was over.
Next year I’m most definitely grabbing a blanket to keep in the aforementioned hydration backpack for this reason. I loved every moment of the show, but I won’t lie. I was mildly perturbed about the short-lived grass lines on my shorts-wearing lower body.
All those folks stretched out across their large blankets seemed to be living the best life. Make sure to get yourself a piece of that life.
Tip Four: Find Lodging Nearby
Price is always a factor. We’re not all rolling in the stacks of cash to be able to afford everything we desire. Festival going is something that can be done on a modest budget. I’m proof of that. Daytime sees me seated in a high school classroom working as a severely underpaid special education instructional aide.
Granted, for full disclosure, I was attending the festival as a member of the press. My partner though had a fully paid two day pass. Adding lodging to ticket prices can really rack up the dollar bills. That being said, closer is better.
Tempe is a very walkable city. The entire main street outside of the festival is full of restaurants, bars, stores, and other opportunities. That presents opportunities to shop, eat, drink, and mingle beyond the festival itself, allowing the party to continue into the night. Not only that, if you are in town for days before or after the festival, there is plenty to do without needing to add in Uber, car rental, or other transportation costs.
My partner and I stayed a ten minute walk away at a really lovely Marriott Residence Inn. Markets were nearby for midday and late night food cravings, as well as plenty of other food options. We walked everywhere, getting in our steps, and it felt wonderful.
One note though, even though Tempe is a college-town (home to Arizona State University), a lot of the food options are closed by 11pm. There are standouts that were open later, most of them down the aforementioned main street spaces.
Tip Five: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
I’m a person that suffers from anxiety.
Being around large groups of people is not my desired experience. Defaulting to being a homebody was more common than not for too many years. It was a big swing (sorry not sorry) last year to even step food into a music festival scene. Encouragement from my editor and my partner (as well as her agreeing to accompany me) really helped.
It was an amazing choice as the festival space is so welcoming, fun, and beyond memorable.
Festivals and conventions offer up a wide bevy of activities and experiences. Some will be things you’ve never tried before. They might even feel scary or ominous for understandable reasons. Speaking from experience, this is the perfect time and space to dip a toe into those waters.
See how they feel.
Pushing past the feelings, even if for a moment, bears unbelievable fruit.
Even if you find that such things are not for you, which is very okay, the fact you tried matters. Take a friend, family, or other loved one for support. Lean on them and live through their experience or loving eyes.
Take a chance. Life is pretty grand when we do.
