Festivals bring out the sparkle in people. When you’re in the heat of summer surrounded by friends and good music, emotions are high and moments are magical. But right now, we might be feeling less than sparkly. While we’re holding out hope for festivals this summer we know a lot of them are being postponed, are in danger of being cancelled, or are already cancelled for this year. Many of us are preparing for the worst and already mourning our music festival losses. But this grieving period can bring a new perspective. While COVID-19’s season of self-isolation can be upsetting or seem bland and boring, there are plenty of ways to bring the spirit of festivals into your own home! Here are some tips and tricks to bring that magic back.
1. Dress Up!
First off, get dressed. I know pyjama parties are great, but if you do them every day for weeks on end it gets a little old. If you were going out, you’d probably put a little something extra into your look. So, don’t skimp on the glitter, get glammed up and do it for you! Wear your favourite festival outfit or one you were waiting to debut. Then you can have a dance party at home, set up a fancy outfit Facetime with a friend, or go out for groceries to show the world how you are expressing yourself through the apocalypse of the festival world as we knew it.
2. Create visual splendour in your home!
You can also rearrange and redecorate your home! Part of the fun of festivals is the visual splendour of stages and art installations. To embody that feeling within your own home, you’ll need to deck out a dance floor. The living room or bedroom would be an ideal space for this. You can shove your furniture into another room, or if you can, try to set it up nicely along the outer edges of the room to create a chill spot for in between sets. Maybe even step it up and hang some tapestries and sheets around the chill spot to make it more of a fort! You still want space in the room to move your body, but also try and make sure it is visually appealing for you because that’s part of the magic! To help with that aspect, you can also try making a new piece of art to decorate your dance floor. Maybe a funky garland, or a psychedelic painting to spice up your space and make it feel special.
3. Open your fest memories box!
Once you’ve dressed up and set up, take out your souvenir box. Most of us dedicated festival-goers have a collection of items from past events, whether it’s wristbands or things we have found on the ground. Put on an old wristband if you can and reminisce as to how that festival made you feel. Revel in the fond rave memories! Ask yourself, is there any other way I can bring that feeling home? Make it happen. Maybe you want to spend time making little gift bags and do a giveaway for friends on social media, or watch flow arts videos. Probably the best thing you can do at this point though is to put on a live stream!
4. Tune in to a Livestream!
Gathering restrictions have given birth to a new era of music sharing via live stream. While we have had this technology for a long time, it has never been used on a mass scale like this. Nearly every artist and festival are organizing live stream events, so you can move your dancing feet as we find our way forward through this crisis! Music will always be there for us, and the Electronic Dance Music community is reminding us of that as DJs and producers all over the world put in the time to support our festival spirits. Here are some live streams we would love for you to check out!
Beatport‘s global music series ReConnect will be featuring artists like Claude VonStroke, JAUZ and Tiesto during a 36-hour event that starts April 17 at 8 P.M. BST. This will be an epic way to energize yourself without leaving the house! It also raises funds for non-profits to support music during this pandemic.
The 3-day online music festival being presented by Trap Nation and Chill Nation on April 24, 25 and 26 is an event you won’t want to miss either! Room Service will have artists like CloZee, GRiZ and REZZ to keep you on your toes, bumpin’ and grindin’ into the night while raising funds for charities that benefit those affected by COVID-19.
In addition to these big online events, you can also find individual artists streaming through self-isolation. For example, Freddy J is doing a recurring stream called Soulcast Saturdays, featuring different online guests each week on Twitch. Keep yourself busy, tune in and dance it out!
We have all gone through highs and lows during this health crisis, and odds are that will continue for a while. But if we as a community can find ways to bring our happy place home, the days might seem to shine a bit brighter. It’s time to find your best festival self, seek out a sweet live stream, and set it up to dance it out! WE are the life of the party, after all.
*Featured Image Via Beatport*
