So I decided to tackle all those crazy famous summer festivals worldwide this year. Looked cool online, seemed impossible to actually do. Just jumped in feet first and kept notes.
The Messy Starting Point
First, Googled “biggest summer festivals”. Overwhelmed immediately. Glastonbury, Tomorrowland, Burning Man, Coachella names popping up everywhere. Pure chaos. Didn’t even know where to begin. Seriously.
Actually Choosing the Damn Thing
Saw a travel blog casually mention “apply months ahead or forget it”. Panicked. Made a quick spreadsheet:
- Glastonbury (UK): Lottery ticket system. Annoying.
- Tomorrowland (Belgium): Global ticket sale madness. Website crashes guaranteed.
- Burning Man (USA): Lottery too, plus dust storms. Weird packing list.
- Coachella (USA): Just expensive. Like, ridiculously so.
Picked Tomorrowland first. Seemed the craziest challenge. Why not.
Preparing for Battle (Registration)
Tomorrowland requires an account months before tickets drop. Did that part okay. Annoying verification steps though. They asked for:
- My full legal name (obviously)
- Active email (duh)
- Phone number (for texts)
- Profile pic (weird, but fine)
Made sure everything matched my passport perfectly. Mess this up? Zero chance.
The Ticket Day Nightmare
Set 3 alarms. Computer + phone logged in. Website slowed to a crawl the second sales opened. Clicked refresh like a madman for 45 minutes straight. Finally got in! Hands shaking. Chose the cheapest package (Global Journey – bus from Amsterdam). Paid instantly with saved credit card. Didn’t breathe till confirmation email landed. Felt unreal.
Visa & Logistics Headaches
Since I snagged a Belgium gig, needed a Schengen visa. Paperwork felt like another festival ticket scramble. Submitted:
- Passport (duh)
- Bank statements (proving I wasn’t broke)
- Flight itinerary
- Ticket & hotel confirmations
- Cover letter saying “Just wanna dance, promise”
Took 3 weeks biting nails till visa approval. Booked flights immediately after.
On the Ground Madness
Boom. Belgium. Followed the Tomorrowland Global Journey signs to the bus. Crowds were wild. Bus dumped us at Dreamville camping.
Camp setup was pure comedy. Tent poles fought back. Neighbors helped, traded warm beers. Site map was confusing. Wandered forever just to find showers.
The actual festival? Pure sensory overload. Massive stages. Pyrotechnics. Strange languages everywhere. Ate expensive fries. Danced till feet died. Seriously. My feet.
The Real Takeaway (No Sugarcoating)
Doable? Yeah, barely. Stressful? Beyond belief. Worth it? Honestly? Mostly yes. Key things that saved my ass:
- Plan way too early: Like, stupidly early. Sleep means missing out.
- Documents perfect match: Name typo? Disaster.
- Payment ready: Saved card clicked faster than typing.
- Patience is key: Sites crash. Queues suck. Logistics fail. Roll with it.
- Lower expectations: It’s messy, crowded, tiring. Not Instagram perfect.
Got my ticket stub? Framed it. Done? For now. Seriously drained my vacation days and savings. Maybe Glastonbury next time. Or maybe just sleep.
