a hat and other protective clothing<\/a>, and avoid excessive alcohol. Opt for non-aerosol sunscreen, since many festival venues ban aerosol sprays.<\/p>\nFestivals where heat is an issue are sometimes equipped with mobile cold-water immersion tanks to cool people down quickly, Friedman says.<\/p>\n
At multiday festivals, malnutrition can also be an issue, he says. \u201cPeople are running on adrenaline for the first two days, but by day three they realize they are dehydrated and exhausted and haven\u2019t eaten nutritious food since they arrived, and this exacerbates any other conditions they might have.\u201d<\/p>\n
His top safety tip: Stick with your friends so you can watch out for one another.<\/p>\n
Leave sandals, heels and flip-flops at home<\/p>\n
Both doctors urge attendees to wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes, since attending a festival can involve more walking that you might expect. And it\u2019s easy to happen upon small stones or other sharp objects on the grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrips and falls are common, and we see a lot of sprains and foot contusions,\u201d says Friedman.<\/p>\n
Glasses, ear plugs, maybe an inhaler<\/p>\n
For anyone susceptible to respiratory problems, it\u2019s a good idea to bring a backup inhaler, since dust-filled wind gusts can exacerbate breathing issues, Puzzo says.<\/p>\n
Eye problems like corneal abrasions are not uncommon at festivals, says Friedman, who recommends bringing large sunglasses or even goggles if it\u2019s likely to be dusty.<\/p>\n
Outdoor venues can get buggy, too, so consider insect repellent.<\/p>\n
Protect your ears by not standing too close to speakers, and bring earplugs, says Greta Stamper, an audiologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also helpful to take listening pauses during festivals to allow your ears an opportunity to take a break. Having some quieter moments during the day can help your ears recover,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
If you notice that your hearing is muffled or your ears start ringing, your ears are telling you it’s too loud, Stamper says.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re coming with kids, give them added protection with over-the-ear headphones, not just earplugs, Friedman says.<\/p>\n
Pace yourself<\/p>\n
\u201cMusical festivals are a marathon, not a sprint, so be sensible and take care of yourself,\u201d Friedman says.<\/p>\n
As you kick back with friends, it\u2019s easy to have a few drinks too many as the day wears on. Puzzo warns that drugs acquired at some big events might not contain what people think they do. This can be dangerous in any case, and is even more so if combined with extreme heat and alcohol.<\/p>\n
Embrace the moment<\/p>\n
Don’t forget, though, to find joy in the music and the scene.<\/p>\n
Enjoy the unexpected, and making connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to talk to your favorite musician, the most meaningful thing you can do is to thank them and talk about a specific song you love and why,\u201d says Gloaguen.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 Music festival season has arrived: a time to gather outside with friends, listening to tunes,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[16780,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-229179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-color","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}