If you’re reading this, you’re either curious about the wonderful world of music festivals but have no idea where to start, or you’re a festival fanatic looking for your next hit. To the former, I get it. The first-time festival experience can be overwhelming and you’re probably thinking, “What if I don’t have “cool” enough taste in music compared to everyone else?”, “I bet everyone’s going to look like beautiful, magical, sexy unicorns -slash- mermaids who always look fab even after a 12-hour rave” and “festivals can be X and what if it ends up being a letdown!?”
Heres some pro advice:
- If someone is judging you for the music you enjoy, don’t fest with them #goodvibesonly
- You ARE a beautiful, magical, sexy unicorn -slash- mermaid and
- Primavera Sound Barcelona as one of your first festivals definitely won’t let you down
And I’m here to tell you why. And to my festival fanatic friends – not only is there plenty of variety in music, people and late-night shenanigans for you, you can take all the credit for introducing your festival novice friends to what we know as the most fun you can have with your clothes on (debatable) because this festival is perfect for them.
All Dancing, No Camping
Primavera Sound is held at the Parc del Fòrum, a space which plays host to a variety of events in Barcelona.
Due to the size of Parc del Fòrum, the stages were well laid out, so I hardly ever felt crowded (aside from one set of stairs used to get from one area to another). Each stage I frequented were well-serviced with lots of food stalls, bars and toilets so the wait times were minimal. I eat a lot and my friend goes to the bathroom a lot so that was a win!
I’ve spoken to non-festing friends who are super reluctant about camping and knee-high mud but you’re in luck – this is not a camping festival and there’s no mud in sight!
While Parc del Fòrum is located slightly out of the center of Barcelona, there is plenty of accommodation around if you’re quick. If you end up further from the venue or prefer to be closer to the city center for some sightseeing between festing, public transport will get you to the venue easily. Trains, buses, and trams will become your best friends. Primavera Sound has also got late nights sorted with shuttle buses to Placa de Catalunya – perfect if you’re staying more central.
Festival Fashion Freedom
What I loved about Primavera Sound was how everyone was so comfortable in their own skin. There were people dressed to impress, dressed for comfort, fancy dressed, casually dressed – all colors of the fashion rainbow. Even though I’ve done a bit of festing, I still get myself into a tizzy sometimes about planning my outfits but as soon as I stepped inside Primavera Sound, that all melted away. If you want to go all out with glam clothes, hair, makeup, glitter, hats – hell yea! And if you want to rock up in jeans, a t-shirt, and comfy shoes – bloody go for it! You dressed for you and only you.
Food, Glorious Food (and Booze)
The standard of food offerings at music festivals just gets better and better. Gone are the days of three food vans that only serve golden food drenched in oil. Primavera Sound offered so many different cuisines and also had quite a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options. The best part? Each of the vendors was a local restaurant in Barcelona. You could taste the town without ever leaving one small area. Even the fussiest eater would find something at Primavera Sound.
You could get pretty much any basic spirit on top of the beer, wine, Bacardi cocktails and Aperol Spritzes on offer. A drink option that was severely lacking though, was sangria! Hopefully, these Spanish delights will make an appearance next year. They even had roaming Heineken beer carts and backpacks filling people’s cups for €5. Food and drink were reasonably priced in my opinion so if you’ve spent your money getting to Primavera Sound from wherever you are in the world, never fear – being at the festival is quite affordable.
And Last, but Definitely Not Least…The Music
Rock bands, DJs, rappers, pop stars – there was something for everyone on the Primavera Sound line-up, even activities for kids. There were acts big enough that most people would recognize, and you were likely to stumble across a band, DJ or singer that was up your alley. I certainly did – I love that at a music festival, I get a taste of my favorite artists, but I also get to learn about new ones to fall in love with.
Acts started around 4 pm and the latest I stayed out to was about 3 am each night, but artists were playing right through to 5:30 am. And because the venue was so spacious, you could be right in the thick of the mosh or sit back, relax and enjoy the music from afar. You decide how early or late you go to bed, how hard you want to party and how deep you dive into the festival experience.
Newcomers, long-time festival goers, singles, families – if you’re looking for a welcoming, easy going, ridiculously fun time for all types of festers, I can’t recommend Primavera Sound enough. It’s an unintimidating environment filled with friendly people, all looking to enjoy music and the Barcelona sun without the clichés that might be preventing you from buying your first festival ticket. If there’s any festival to get you as hooked as we are here at Festival Squad, it’s Primavera Sound.
Primavera Sound 2019 will take place from May 30th to June 1st next year. Early bird tickets are on sale now: https://www.primaverasound.com/