Culture
LittleVillageMag.com
LITTLE VILLAGE REC’D FESTIVALS
Traveling, camping, tailgating, stage-hopping, hula-hooping, singing at the top of your lungs—summer music fests are a blast, if you come prepared.
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BY LILY DETAEYE
t’s that magical time of year again! Festival season is back and that means wristband tan lines, sipping craft beer with buddies and seeing all your favorite bands onstage. Although most festivals took a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are back this year in full force. Alongside national favorites like Coachella, South-By-Southwest, Bonnaroo and Americana Fest, Iowa boasts its own exciting schedule. Savannah Rae is the senior editor for The Festival Voice, a blog dedicated to covering festivals across the country. “It is great to be able to highlight Iowa’s festivals because we are a smaller state,” she said. “This lets my readers know that there is something to do in Iowa besides looking at corn! Iowa knows how to throw some amazing parties.”
FESTIVAL PRO TIPS Having fun is hard work! A few tips from some committed regulars should help make your experience more magical and less stressful.
Don’t ignore the up-andcomers
Dress for success
“I saw Lizzo before she blew up on a free stage at 80/35. There were maybe 150 people in the crowd. Core memory.” —Lily DeTaeye
“Bike shorts are amazing. Rompers feel really cute but are kinda hard when you’re in a port-a-potty.” —Maggie Klos
“If you hear a crowd getting really excited, go there. Because it’s probably gonna be a really good show.” —Madeleine King
“Pack for the weather. Your outfit looks wonderful—but you won’t have fun if you’re freezing to death.” —Savannah Rae
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Make the most of the space “I’m a back-of-thecrowd person. I feel like a lot of really fun dancing always happens back there.” —Madeleine King “Do your research in advance and get a lay of the land.” —Dustin Smith
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How to Festival: A Guide
Kansas City resident Maggie Klos has got camping at the central Iowa fest Hinterland down pat. “Our group of six-to-eight of us rent an RV in Kansas City. We drive up, which is always an adventure,” Klos explained. “We kind of have a routine now where we make sure we are settled down in the type of spot we like. And then it’s just like a lovely weekend being around friends and really great other concert or festival goers.” Klos and her group have camped in St. Charles for three and a half festivals since Hinterland began in 2015. Last year, a separate commitment kept the group from the first part of the fest. “This is how much I love Hinterland really,” she said. “We flew from St. Louis at 6 a.m. Sunday morning and took a cab to Hinterland. We were there for like 24 hours, but we wanted to make it there for at least Sunday. So I count that as a half.” Klos says traveling in an RV is still the best camping experience. A nice bed to sleep in at night can be a godsend, and you still spend plenty of time outdoors. “We have a lot of space where we kind of set up what we call our front patio,” she said. “With chairs and rugs and stuff like that.” First time camping at a music festival this year? Klos recommends doing your research before showing up.
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A-List
“Typically, you’re not going to go to shows until later in the afternoon,” she said. “So make sure you think about what you want to do during the day. It doesn’t have to be that organized, but bringing games, bringing food to cook or going on a nice walk. They have the covered bridges all over Iowa. Thinking of fun things to do in your downtime is really great.” Klos’s group is responsible for organizing the Hinterhalf, a half marathon (and concurrent 5K) held on Saturday morning of the festival. Participants get shower tokens and great camaraderie. Interested in joining? Be on the lookout for this year’s Hinterhalf details coming soon. Rest assured that when you’re visiting a festival, your favorite artists will probably be having just as much fun as you. But have you ever wondered the best way to support the acts that come through? Dustin Smith, a solo artist as well as frontman for Des Moines band, The Maytags, said the way to an artist’s heart is through the
Be prepared
“Bring both cash and card if you can. The beer tent could be card only but your favorite artist’s merch stand might just take cash.” —Lily DeTaeye “Bring your own toilet paper.” —Maggie Klos
Put yourself out there! “MAKE FRIENDS! Iowa has so many wonderful people and I can say that I’ve met some outstanding people from all over the state.” —Savannah Rae “There are so many things they offer for kids and adults that are not drinking and music.” —Dustin Smith
