I’m a big fan of Madonna, so I’ll let her lead this discussion:
Music makes the people come together. Music, mix the bourgeoisie and the rebel.”
In my opinion, the cross-pollination that happens among patrons from every walk of life is the BESTS thing about camping music festivals. It’s a gathering where we can all escape into a universe defined by unity and vibes.
At any camping music festival, a general admission (GA) ticket secures your entry. You’re in! Party on!
Newsflash: You cannot just BUY a good time. You have to help co-create it! I believe that’s why it has been my [mostly vicarious] experience that paying more for an off-the-shelf “VIP” option can be a waste of money.
Resist the urge to get click happy and trade your money energy with the general organizers in advance of experiencing for yourself the magic of playing as equals, regardless of the roads that led us all together now.
TRUE STORY: My neighbor at Imagine Music Festival opted for Platinum VIP and the buyers remorse was real. He had to go on a wild trek in order to get any drinks from VIP. Meanwhile, with my cheap-o GA festival pass, I could get whatever I wanted à la carte throughout the entire festival grounds juuust fine.
I’m also reminded of standing safely inside an area at full capacity near a fire marshal at III Points Music Festival in Miami, FL before Busta Rhymes took the stage, and hearing the fire marshal yell repeatedly “I DON’T CARE WHAT WRISTBAND YOU HAVE! THIS AREA IS FULL!” The patrons who dropped extra cash didn’t get to enjoy some sort of special treatment, and that’s not uncommon.
The sense of entitlement that some patrons with upgraded passes exhibit is also generally unbecoming, especially in the context of a camping music festival. Showing up with “me-me-me” behavior in a very “we” place is just antithetic.
SAVE YOUR MONEY, opt for GA, and you can go to twice as many camping music festivals instead! Easy choice. And/or spend the extra cash on upgrading your camping setup. Putting your money towards a good fan, a solar panel, or even a new pair of shoes might be a better investment than an upgraded “VIP” pass.
No matter which pass type you opt for, please remember to STAY HYDRATED, use sun protection, and brush your teeth.
xo,
Karla
P.S. Joke is on you if there are any stakeholders in the crowd that see you with a b.s. VIP wristband as they are casually integrated into GA with some detail of their own instead. Duh.