What Camping at Firefly Music Festival Is Really Like According to Past Attendee
This post originally written by WJBR Digital Production Intern, Nicole Mills. Mills is a senior English student at the University of Delaware from Wilmington, DE.
My first time at Firefly in June 2019 is one of my favorite memories to date! I’m not much of a camper so that was rather low on my list of favorites, but it was an experience like no other. Going to concerts and enjoying live music has always been one of my favorite past times, so to be able to go to a festival & attend concerts for 3 days straight was a dream come true!
We camped in North camping, and it was really a prime location. We were a short walk, maybe 5 minutes, to the festival and concert area. If you walked about 2 minutes in the other direction you would reach the port-a-potties. Camping at the North sites was the best decision for our group. We had a large group of about 15 people and bought four campsites between all of us. Being at North, we were so close to everything going on and never had to worry about getting on the shuttle or a long walk back after a day of concerts.
We cooked a lot ourselves but when we did buy food the options at Firefly were amazing! I do not know many of the names but there was pizza, breweries, lemonade, burgers, pineapple & watermelon juice, and much more. There really are not any kind of restrictions about how much or what kind of food you bring into your campsite, so my friends and I were able to eat a majority of our meals at our campsite before going to any of the concerts.
There are constantly police officers and security guards patrolling the area so there was no fear of safety. They were actually very helpful and drove one of my friends to our site when she arrived late and did not know where we were.
Most people who camp bring tents or sleep in the backs of the cars with the trunk door open. Either of those work but something I saw a lot while I was there was people renting U-Haul trucks and setting up sleeping bags and cots inside there. I saw a lot of people that did that and if you have a big group, it’s honestly a great investment.
Camping at Firefly was a fun experience, but it wasn’t a necessary one. My cousin and her friend had a campsite but ended up driving to their friend’s beach house to sleep and shower before coming back to the concerts. If you live anywhere in Delaware, it’s an easy commute and can be a lot more comfortable then sleeping in a tent. Showers are offered but they usually cost money, $5 if I’m remembering correctly. Some people bring gallons of water meant specifically for showering while others leave and come back instead of paying.
All in all, Firefly is a great experience whether you camp or not. Live music, good food, games, and free entertainment, what more could you ask for? Firefly will take place September 23rd-26th. Tickets and more information can be found on Firefly’s website.
