Music Festivals and After Party Wellness.

Festival-goers attend events for a variety of reasons which often include the music, making friends and experiencing something new. In reality most attendees use the festival experience to party and overindulge in their preferred drink or substance. Festival organisers need to include plans for the wellness and safety of festival-goers during the time after overindulgence. 

Many festival-goers do not generally overindulge in their daily routines and will use the music festival experience to party long and hard. This can have a significant impact on organisers whose priority is the wellness and safety of everyone on the festival site. The effects of overindulgence can have serious medical consequences in some cases and more likely will impact individuals with both physical and mental health fall out. Planning for wellness initiatives on a festival site can help festival-goers make a speedy recovery in a safe and controlled environment. 

The Impact of Overindulgence. 
Individuals consuming too much combined with long hours of dancing and lack of sleep will suffer the physical impacts the next day. Typically, they will suffer from exhaustion, muscle soreness along with headaches. The post event festival blues are common too sometimes leading to mental health issues. Organisers can anticipate the physical effects by providing medical facilities to deal with dehydration, trips and falls and substance abuse along with reminders to festival-goers to stay hydrated and observe others who do not look well. In rare cases some individuals may display violent behaviour which can affect other festival-goers and staff. 

Party Planning. 
Festival-goers should fully prepare themselves if they are intending to overindulge by always drinking plenty of water or electrolyte drinks to stay hydrated. Eating regular healthy option meals that include fruit, and vegetables can help with a speedy recovery the day after. Organisers can make announcements on their social media channels and festival App to remind festival-goers how to prepare themselves for a long night of partying. These announcements can include the location of water drinking stations, juice bars and healthy food vendors. In addition, they can provide advice about morning after care including the location of medical facilities and chill out zones. 

Hangover Cures and Medication. 
In reality there is no known cure for a hangover but there are actions that can help to minimise the effects. Staying hydrated before, during and after overindulgence can reduce the severity of the inevitable headaches. Some organisers do provide branded recovery kits either free or available from on-site vendors. Recovery kits may include pain relief like paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen although care is required when issuing any pharmaceutical medication due to potential liability issues. Common recovery kit contents will also include electrolyte drinks (like Pedialyte or sports drinks), rehydration tablets, vitamin B and C supplements, protein or granola bars, ginger chews and dark chocolate. 

Wellness & Chill Out Zones. 
Organisers are well aware of the effects on festival-goers of overindulgence and will usually create chill out and recovery zones. These zones will be located in a quiet part of the festival site with comfortable seating and soft lighting. In addition, services like massage along with space for yoga and meditation are common to help festival-goer recovery. Organisers can create a booking system for access and wellness vendors will pay a pitch fee to be located in this space. 

Mental Health and Safety. 
Festival staff and security personnel should remain vigilant at all times during a festival to apprehend any troublemakers and to spot others in danger or in need of medical assistance. Safety is the priority for everyone on site. The medical facilities can sometimes provide space for professional onsite counsellors who can provide support and advice for anyone suffering with mental health issues sometimes caused by overindulgence. Many organisers do run sober driver initiatives to encourage designated drivers with various incentives. Staff can try to do their utmost to prevent festival-goers who have overindulged from drink driving the day after with car park staff monitoring behaviour and giving advice where necessary. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Colemay via Pixabay

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