Festival Safety - How to Keep Our Body and Mind Safe

Festival Safety - How to Keep Our Body and Mind Safe

In recent years, the global trance scene has been growing rapidly. Especially in the past few years, I've noticed a significant rise in trance parties, from small friendly gatherings to multi-day festivals. We, trance lovers, enjoy the music, the freedom, and we go all out, letting loose and enjoying ourselves. From my personal experience at festivals around the world, I've seen how this music connects people from all walks of life, creating a shared experience that transcends borders and cultures.

No matter where we're from, we all have our stories, our struggles, and our triumphs. Many of us come to festivals seeking healing, peace, and connection. Whether it's personal challenges, collective traumas, or simply the stresses of daily life, we all carry something with us. Music, nature, and the community we find at festivals provide a space for us to heal and grow together. This article is about ensuring that this healing experience remains harmonious and doesn't turn into a tragedy.

Maybe the word "safety" sounds heavy or boring, but I see it differently. When approaching substances with maturity, responsibility, and curiosity, we can truly surrender and be present in the moment – while keeping our body and mind safe. In this article, we'll cover some guiding principles for responsible use, so you can experience the festival fully and safely.

On a personal note, if you found any value in my article, I'd be grateful if you share it with your friends.

And remember, when you go to a festival, know that there are people who love you and care about you. Take care of yourselves. You are important to us, your loved ones, and the world.

What Am I Putting Into My Body? Mindful Use of Drugs and Psychoactive Substances

Testing Your Substances Is a Must

Not just at festivals, but for any use of substances. Today, there is a huge variety of drugs on the market, and ordering drugs has become easier than ever. If you intend to use substances, testing them with a home kit is a critical step. Most of the time, it's impossible to tell by sight or taste what's inside the substance you received, which can be dangerous.

Where to Buy? Sites like DanceSafe, Bunk Police, and Test Kit Plus offer legal testing kits. A small investment in such a kit can make a big difference. These days, I'm contacting manufacturers and suppliers of these tests to add them to my website. In the meantime, you can buy from the sites I mentioned.

How to Test the Substance: Take a small amount of the substance, drop the testing reagent, and watch the color change over time. It's recommended to compare the results with videos on YouTube and the chart included in the kit. While the tests are not 100% accurate, they are currently the safest solution for home use.

Avoid Dangerous Mixes

Our nature is to seek new experiences, to want more and more. This happens across cultures – from having the latest gadget to the most prestigious job. When this approach meets the world of drugs, there is a real danger, as not all substances mix well together. In fact, combining certain substances can lead to severe health risks, even life-threatening situations.

Set and Setting - A Golden Rule for Psychedelics

You can't talk about mindful and responsible drug use at festivals without mentioning the "set and setting" principle. This principle emphasizes the importance of your mental state when approaching the experience (set) and the physical and social environment (setting) when taking psychedelic substances. The "set" refers to your emotional state, intentions, and expectations before and during the experience, while the "setting" refers to the environment where the experience takes place. The more you approach the experience with emotional readiness and in a supportive environment, the greater the chances of having a positive and safe experience.

Measure Your Quantities: Balance Is Key

Festivals can feel like a moment where you can forget everything – but it's important not to forget your limits. If you're drinking alcohol, try to stay aware and measure your intake. The right balance is key to a good and safe experience. Use small kitchen scales to measure precise quantities so you can enjoy the right amount without unnecessary excess. Remember, even a small additional amount can make a difference, and we all want to feel good the next day, right?

Taking Care of Our Body

Drink Enough Water

Personally, I don't feel comfortable unless I have water available when I'm dancing. That's just how I am, and I'm happy about it. I recommend buying a large thermal bottle, putting ice in it, and enjoying cold water at all times. A reusable bottle is a must, in my opinion – invest in a good one.

Nutritious Food: Your Fuel During the Festival

I don't believe in overloading the body, but it's important to make sure we eat at least two meals a day. In between, keep your energy up with fruits and vegetables. A bit of salty food is also great – it helps replenish minerals and salts that we've lost, especially when we're active all day in the sun.

Vitamins and Minerals: Give Your Body the Boost It Needs

At long festivals, where the body is exposed to increased physical and mental effort, it's important to support your immune system and recovery processes. Studies show that certain nutritional supplements can help with this. Here is a list of vitamins I take with me to festivals:

• Vitamin C: Boosts the immune system and helps fight fatigue and mild illnesses, especially during long days and short nights.
• Zinc: Maintains a strong immune system and helps prevent infections – useful when you're in an environment with lots of people and dust.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid: An antioxidant that supports quick recovery and enhances energy – great after hours of dancing.
• 5-HTP: Improves mood and helps the body recover after using stimulants, helping to reduce fatigue.
• Electrolytes: Maintain fluid balance, prevent dehydration, and help recover from excessive sweating during the festival.

A Serious Note! It's important to mention that taking nutritional supplements should be done in consultation with a medical professional, to ensure personal suitability and avoid side effects or interactions with other medications.

Protect Your Ears

I'll share a secret with you – I suffer from tinnitus (a ringing in the ears) since birth, which means I must protect my hearing as much as possible to avoid worsening the ringing. How does that fit with my love for the speaker? Very simply! Earplugs for parties – the kind that perfectly protects your hearing but doesn't filter out all the important sounds. I compare earplugs at parties to contraception during sex – you may not feel everything, but it's essential and protects our health and well-being. And speaking of sex? Read the next tip.

Rest and Recovery Time

Plan for Good Sleep and Prepare Properly

It's important to give our body and mind time to rest and relax. At a long festival, sleep is critical. Make sure to set up camp in a comfortable, shady, and quiet spot, and have essential camping gear: a comfortable mattress, tent, pillow, and sleeping bag. Most importantly, ensure it's waterproof to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Rest Is Essential: The Body and Mind Need a Break

The best advice I can give: let go of the FOMO. Our body needs those little breaks – naps during the day, reading a book, a good conversation. If you find yourself spending many hours on the dance floor – enjoy it, but stay mindful of your body and remember to pause and breathe.

Be Smart in the Sun

At summer festivals, temperatures can get extremely high. For example, at Boom, temperatures can reach up to 45°C (113°F) or even higher each year. In such temperatures, protecting ourselves from the sun is not just a recommendation but a basic necessity. A hat, a wet scarf, cold water readily available, sunscreen, setting up quality shade at your camp, and more. If it's especially hot, consider not taking stimulants, or if you can't resist, wait for the cooler nighttime hours.

Safe Sex

When there's an atmosphere of freedom and love and everyone is fully present – magical connections are formed. A mix of emotions and passions expressed through dance, touch, and of course – sex. Rule number one is using protection, and if you don't have any, you can find plenty at the healing area in the main dance floor or in the heaven area near the Mirador art zone.

Personal Tips From Me to You

Drug Advisors (Yoas"im) – In short, this is a Telegram group where you can ask questions about drug use and get answers. The founders of the project came from the assumption that people have used, are using, and will continue to use drugs in the future. Preaching to these people not to use drugs usually results in the opposite reaction. Therefore, the group provides tips, explanations, and questions regarding smart consumption. I first heard about the project on the "Todat Rabah" podcast.

Prepare Quantities in Advance and Don't Go in Blind – Regardless of the substances we consume, we must know the dosage. Usually, there's someone in every group who enjoys dealing with this – make sure they handle it properly. Don't blindly rely on others, and if you can, double-check for yourself. Remember that taking a large amount without knowing the precise dosage is dangerous.

Know Your Limits: Don't Feel the Need to Prove Anything – Be attentive to yourself, act according to your desires, passions, and needs, and don't try to please others or give in to an experience you're not ready for just because "everyone is doing it."

Integration – At a week or two-week-long festival, we might experience a lifetime's worth of moments, 24/7 of experiences, encounters, challenges, and emotions of all kinds. Add drugs to all this, and the experience is amplified by 300 – giving you a life-changing journey. I believe we're constantly changing, but in such a festival, many shifts and consciousness developments occur. And it's crucial to sit with ourselves afterward, to relax, let the body recover, and no less importantly – give the mind a rest.

I love writing; it helps me. I write guiding questions and sometimes answer them:

• What did I learn?
• What moved me?
• What were my intentions?
• Did my intentions come to fruition?
• What hurt my heart?
• What lessons did I receive?
• Who or what made me feel good inside?
• What do I need to pay more attention to?
• Was I attentive to myself?
• Did I use defense mechanisms that didn't serve me?

All these questions are just a small example of the integration that can be done after festivals or any other experience we go through. Share with me the integration you do in your life, and give me tips, and I'll be happy to share them.

That's the end of the article on festival safety. During the writing process and while searching for sources, I was surprised to find that there's not enough information on this topic in many languages. I'm glad I got the chance to write this article, and if you took away even one small thing from it – I've done my part. Take care of yourselves, and see you on the dance floor.