Electric Zoo has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. After the highly controversial cancellation of Day 3 last year, Made Events has deployed drastic measures to ensure safety. These measures have sparked outrage in the community, with the banning of Camel-baks drawing the ire of almost every single attendee. We here at EDMTunes feel that it is our responsibility to show that even with seemingly hostile rules, we can still have a safe and fun time in face of the negative stigma that is starting to envelope the EDM community. Below is a survival guide aimed to keep everyone in attendance safe, while also getting them there & home safe and sound.
Staying hydrated
This year the top 3 concerns involve water; how do we get it, how do we store it, and how much is enough? At the time of this writing Labor Day weekend is projecting to be all sunshine with temperatures in the low to mid 80’s. This means that for someone who is going to spend a large portion of the day dancing, you will be sweating quite a bit. Factor in the state of mind people have and the banning of the Camel-baks is that much more important. The map, for all intents and purposes, is poorly laid out, although promoters tried their best to accommodate attendees with what little space they had. Located just to the right of both Main Stage’s are water refill stations and medical tents. AVOID THESE AT ALL COSTS. Unless you are at these main stages, you should not even be looking at them as a viable option. The traffic there will be worse than I-87 on a Friday, and the people there will need it more because of their proximity to the stage. Instead, head over to Water Refill Station East, located by the Vinyl Only tent. Not a lot of people understand Vinyl Only, so the people there will only be there for water, which will produce a high turnover rate. Thankfully you are permitted to bring in “empty, clear plastic water bottles up to 1 liter in capacity,” so make sure to bring one of the large Evian, Smart Water, or Poland Spring bottles to the event, as well as taking a break to sit, relax, and share a Gatorade with friends. One of the most important things to do during an event like this is not only stay hydrated, but replenish your electrolytes and salts that are lost though dancing the day away. One large Gatorade should do the trick.
In addition, DanceSafe has announced an event that will be held on August 28th called Zoo Survival Night. The event will be highlighted by a presentation focused on harm reduction, and the DanceSafe crew will provide their usual harm reduction-themed gift bags for all attendees. From the DanceSafe website:
On August 28th, 2014, DanceSafe’s New York Chapter is providing a FREE evening of harm reduction preparation for attendees of this year’s Electric Zoo Music Festival. Conveniently (held post work hours), the event will take place from 8:00 pm -10:00 pm EST at the Center of Remembering and Sharing 2nd Floor- Located at 123 4th Ave. between E12th Street and E13th Street.
Additional details can be found here.
Travel
Originally we would start off with the travel portion, but we felt that hyrdration is far and away the most important aspect of Electric Zoo. Now that we’ve covered that, how exactly are people going to get there? Some of us were lucky to get a ferry pass, others lucky to get a bus pass. If you’re taking the bus, you need to head to either Harlem 125th street via Metro North, or take the 4, 5, or 6 subways to 125th street, and from there walk to 126th and 3rd, where you will see the buses. For ferry riders, you will take the ___ subway to ___ street and go to East 35th street at the FDR Drive intersection, which is the ferry landing. The last option is to travel by foot. Attendees looking to do this should take the 4 or 6 train to 103rd street and walking across the footbridge. It may take 10-30 minutes, but if you don’t have a transportation pass, it’s what you’re saddled with. Although there is always the 4th option of arriving to the festival in class, via limo. If you’re going to go hard, do it big, right?
Preparation
Preparation is key to survival this Labor Day weekend, and 30 minutes of planning can save you huge headaches later on. First there are the essentials; unsealed water bottles (if you can), chapstick, Vick’s Vapor-Rub, deodorant, sunglasses and or a hat, and some sort of portable charger. There is also the official Electric Zoo app, which offers a map of the venue and a schedule of set times. But all of this preparation is for naught if your phone dies, so make sure to not only bring a charger, but designate a meeting spot at a certain time. This will ensure that there is a slightly more realistic chance of meeting up with your friends. Also, it is vital that you load money onto your wristband. Electric Zoo is going cashless this year (just like Mysteryland) which means that the Benjamins you bring will be worth virtually jack squat. It is best to load before you get there because, as what happened at Mysteryland, the services are prone to shutting down, which makes adding money at the last second a whole lot more difficult.
Etiquette
Everyone, we are under the microscope. Well, more specifically, Electric Zoo is under the microscope. And now, more than ever, we are saddled with the daunting task of setting the example for the entire music scene. While the efforts taken by Electric Zoo seem draconian at best, it is to ensure that the deaths that have happened so far stop here. None of us enjoy reading or writing about someone dying at a place that is supposed to be the epicenter of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect, and it is our job to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Electric Zoo will have “Zookeepers” who will be going around the festival; med-school students who will be roaming around to offer free advice and represent a familiar face as opposed to security. Let’s take it upon ourselves to make their jobs easier and show that we are more than brightly colored kandi kids; that we are compassionate, responsible adults who’s actions are not defined by what goes on on the dance floor, but who’s character does not falter when there is someone in need. May the sun shine bright for us Labor Day weekend.
