9 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Attending My First Music Festival

It becomes obvious pretty soon after stepping through the dusty gates of a music festival that the lineup of food vendors is just as important as the list of musical acts. Risotto balls? Check. Off-the-wall ice cream flavors? Check. Pizza so good it'll make you cry? You betcha. Check the rules of a festival beforehand to see if they allow any food to be brought in, and if not, then be prepared to watch the cash in your wallet disappear faster than your patience in a smelly porta-potty. It's a bummer to be paying almost $15 for an ice cream cone, but for me, it was also really cool to be able to try some amazing local NYC restaurants that I normally wouldn't be able to thanks to months-long reservations.