For the second year in a row, Cute W and I went to the Out of the Blue Festival. It is so, SO fun. Not gonna lie: it’s also expensive. But if you like the beach and like going to concerts, it’s basically a priceless experience. Last year, all four of us went, and this year, the girls were doing other things, so just Cute W and I went. Super-fantastic both as family fun and a date-vacation.
The reason why we took the leap of faith to attend last year is because we are huge Noah Kahan fans. We’d seen him at SPAC and couldn’t resist the chance to see him again, and that made the trip super-tempting because he was selling out everywhere else.
This year, the decision was easier: we knew what to expect, and Noah was headlining with The Lumineers. Cute W and I had been trying to see The Lumineers in concert for a long time. We’d had tickets to a show that was cancelled due to Covid, and then we got tickets again when they were coming to SPAC on our anniversary. . . and then we got Covid. M and a friend went in our place. She came home and said, “Wow, those were really good seats.” Awesome. Plus Mt. Joy and Briston Maroney had been at the festival last year, so we knew we liked them. Although I will say that Briston’s gotten scruffier in the last year, and I’d really like to see a JVN makeover for him.
Huh. Maybe Tan could help him out, too.
Anyway, during this year’s trip, I kept thinking about Tips, because often I’ll write reviews for KidsOutAndAbout.com and I’ll include suggestions on how to make your visit to someplace better. So here are my tips for going to the Out of the Blue Festival.
Study Up. Concerts are always way more fun when you know and appreciate the artists involved, and lucky for us, the festival created an official Spotify playlist. Now, some people may have been satisfied with that, but Cute W and I are nerdier than that: he looked up recent set lists for all the bands and artists who were new to us and made playlists for them, and then shared them with his lovely wife so that we could make the most of every set (or know if there were any we could skip). We had seven different acts to learn more about. I quickly realized that I already liked Lake Street Dive (especially Good Kisser). Between studying up ahead of time and watching them live, we now have some new favorites, including (and I’m linking to one song each, just in case you want a sample): Michael Marcagi (In the Light), Ashe (Running Out of Time), Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Cocaine Jesus), and Wild Rivers (Amsterdam).
Bring Plenty of Small Bills. One of the most shocking things about this festival is that you can be in the middle of a crowd watching a concert, and you can ask someone to get you a water or a margarita, and they will come back and find you. If your sad that the juice from yesterday’s buffet isn’t out the next morning, you can ask and someone will bring it to you. If you look like you’re struggling with the umbrella over your chaise, someone will appear to magically lift it for you. And while it’s all included in your package, handing over a dollar or two makes you feel good and makes all your many helpers feel good.
Don’t Forget Your Sun Hat. I am excellent with sunscreen, but I don’t love wearing sun hats unless I absolutely need one. Often I don’t, but when you’re in the middle of a pool in Mexico in the afternoon, it can feel like your brain is frying. So bring a hat, just in case.
Non-Dominant Hand for Your Wrist Band. Why do I always forget this? Wrist bands are required to get into the venue in the evenings, and this year we had a special alumni wrist band that gave us access to a special area with a bar near the stage. I wish I’d thought to put them on my left hand! I’m sure I could have asked them to switch, but who wants to leave the pool to go ask for help in the lobby?
Send Your Early Riser Out to Stake Your Claim. I am extremely fortunate that Cute W wakes up so early, because there are tons of chaise lounges, but also tons of people. On that first day, you could see all the new people wandering around at 9:30 or 10 am looking for two or four chaises together. Some of the most coveted territory was near the pool stage, but that whole area would get invaded by spectators during the concerts, and we were okay with getting into the pool to watch, so we settled on this slightly more out-of-the-way spot, conveniently located near the swim-up bar.
Enjoy the Non-Cut-Throat Atmosphere. People often ask us if the festival was insanely crowded, but it really wasn’t. When I look back on social media images of the crowds in the pool, it looks much more packed then it felt, and there’s generally a much more relaxed atmosphere than, say, times when I’ve tried to mark my territory with a blanket on SPAC’s lawn. On the last night there were people in line to get into the venue hours ahead, but they were doing that to be in the front row. It was relatively easy to wander in later and still watch from ten or twenty feet away from the stage. The drawback with that, especially since it’s a festival with numerous artists, is that people who aren’t particular fans can walk right up and stand around, not paying attention to the musicians and just chatting and flirting very close to people who are having a Serious Concert Experience and don’t want anyone to interrupt it. We definitely moved away from groups multiple times when we really felt like smacking someone upside the head.
Go for the Mexican Food. There is a lot of food, everywhere. The absolute best choice, always, is the Mexican food. The poolside bar with burgers and fries was always crowded, but the poolside taco bar was typically quieter and better. Yes, you could get waffles or omelettes made to order at the breakfast buffet, but there are always a variety of Mexican dishes that you can grab without waiting in line, plus they’re tastier and give you a little actual Mexican culture in the otherwise fully American-saturated resort.
Plan for Dinner at the Venue. Now, this may or may not contradict the previous tip, but people who actually arrive for the first day of the festival wouldn’t know that there’s plenty to eat within the concert venue, so you can arrive early and eat right there. There are a bunch of different food stalls with different snack foods. Below are some servings of ceviche. When you first enter the venue, there are typically waiters with trays full of beers, waters, or margaritas, but there are also bars where you can order something different.
Anyway, I highly recommend it. Is it wildly extravagant and also a little bit inconveniently timed right after the holiday break? Sure! But it is a tremendously wonderful time. And if my kind of music isn’t your kind of music, they have multiple festivals.
