“My Firefly Experience…” So first off if you know me at all you know that I listen to music every waking hour of everyday. I cannot stand silence and need music in order to be productive. Also I love a good karaoke jam session in my car just as much as the next person. I have this fundamental belief that music can transport us to another place and time. No matter your mood, there is an artist that you can listen to, and by doing so you can move through a difficult time or celebrate a joyous occasion. I have wanted to attend a music festival for years. I remember in college my friends raving about Bonaroo and how amazing the sets were and the friends they made. Last February I spent a weekend with my friends in Dover, we were traveling to Pennsylvania for a play. Their neighbor told us we should come back in June for Firefly. My ears perked up and I was like “What is Firefly?” He looked at me and said it is only the best music festival on the east coast; we have been every year since it started. I was sold. The stars seemed to align, I had friends I could stay with and I wouldn’t be venturing into this experience solo. When the tickets went on sale, I along with thousands of others waited with baited breath to secure my GA pass. Then the countdown was on. Now another thing about me, I am a planner. I love to research and prepare. So the next months were spent scrolling through the message boards on Firefly’s website learning as much as I could on what to expect. This is a great feature, props to you Firefly peeps. Reading about people’s experiences, what to bring and the dustbowl of 2013 were hilarious. I was even more excited for my own journey to begin. Thanks to these message boards, I was also the saving grace of my group and random people at the port-a-potty’s a couple times…with my handy wipes, back up supply of toilet paper, Band-Aids, flashlight and glow sticks. One afternoon in May when I arrived home, I checked mail…I was eagerly waiting to receive my GA pass, and there was a package stuffed in my mailbox. I opened it and was blown away by the packaging. Opening it up, I was excited to get a map, lineup poster and my wristband. Of course I started messing with my wristband, before I read that very important note about once it is tightened you can’t undo it…luckily I have very tiny wrists. Receiving this packaged added to my excitement and I immediately started mapping out who I wanted to see and looking up artists I didn’t know to listen to their music. I also read all about the shopping, food and other fun activities in the Woodlands. Finally Firefly was upon me! It was a very dark Thursday morning, when I boarded a bus, which would take me to the train station that would deliver me in Wilmington, DE. Taking the train was a great choice; I could chill out, read and just think about the days ahead. The drive to Dover was a short 45 minutes and once in town, the atmosphere was buzzing with people already driving to the speedway or out stocking up on supplies. I arrived at my friends’ place and we immediately started to map out that evening’s game plan. We arrived at the speedway and decided that Thursday night would be chill, we would check out the landscape and familiarize ourselves with the set-up. I remember standing under a pavilion jumping around with a thousand other people, drinks in our hands, smiles on our faces and mud covering my legs – it was awesome!!! Friday was spent checking out smaller bands earlier in the evening before seeing Paul McCartney. One band I saw and still a fan of today was The Wind + The Wave. Their cover set was amazing! Plus I even got to meet the members afterwards and get a photo with them. I will say one of my favorite areas of the Woodlands, was the Dogfish Head beer garden. We would spend an hour or so just hanging out, meeting new people and enjoying some nice A/C. The best night of the entire festival for me was seeing Sir Paul McCartney live – I feel lucky to have seen a living legend and a member of the Beetles. He was just amazing, the show was over 2 hours and hearing thousands and thousands of people singing “Hey Jude” together was pretty magical. I danced and sang-along and knew this is why people come to music festivals. I will also say everyone I met at Firefly was so nice, and just happy to be there. Everyone you spoke to wanted to share their stories and who their favorite bands were. You made friends at every corner. My hands-down favorite activity at Firefly would have to be the Beer-cade. My friends and I spent a good amount of time hanging out there, enjoying drinks and beating one another at old school arcade games. I personally kicked ass at skee ball (thanks Mom for those life skills). The fact that all the games were free was amazing, and I loved the old pinball machines. My other favorite pastime was taking photos of people’s t-shirts. I loved the fashion choices and now have a whole album with Bill Murray shirts, SpongeBob, Will Ferrell, cats and many more. Plus there was a guy who carried around a small llama statue…for reals. *Sidenote = food vendors were amazing. There were these tater-tots I had at least twice. The other artist I was most excited to see during Firefly was Hozier, and he did not disappoint. I had been a fan of his for a while and was pumped to see him live. He killed it; especially hearing “Take Me to Church” live was pretty moving. When I traveled home on Monday, I was sad it was over but already thinking about next year and who might be there. Plus I wore my Firefly shirt…and was asked by several people if I went and if I had fun. My answer was yes, and yes I definitely had fun. Overall, I am so happy that Firefly was my first music festival experience and I am so looking forward to having a chance to attend again this year! Being chosen as a brand ambassador and completing these tasks has been a wonderful way for me to reminiscence about the experience. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share my experience with others and tell them how awesome Firefly is! Hopefully this was an entertaining and insightful read :)
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