In Southern California, April is music festival season. Music, arts and popular culture enthusiasts migrate to the scorching desert for two of the country’s biggest music festivals: Coachella and Stagecoach. Both festivals are held in Indio, part of the greater Coachella Valley, notorious for its springtime heat.
According to the Riverside County Heat-Related Illness Dashboard, there were 204 heat-related emergency room visits in the Indio area during festival season last year. Taylor Wilson Burkholder, associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine, said that those cases were just the ones that were severe enough for the emergency room.
“Coachella and Stagecoach have entire medical teams with cooling centers and first aid,” said Burkholder. “So there’s probably a ton more heat-related illnesses at these festivals that don’t even end up in the emergency department because they’re treated at on-site field hospitals.”
During the festivals this year, temperatures are predicted to be in the average range for this time of year, in the mid-90s to low 100s during the day and high 70s at night. According to Burkholder, there are a few crucial steps that should be taken to stay safe and away from the emergency room while at Coachella or Stagecoach this year.
1. Dress appropriately
The first tip from Burkholder is to plan outfits ahead of time.
“Bring light-colored clothes for being out in the sun, and things that are more breathable, and then layers for the evening as it starts to get cooler again,” he said.
Valentina Figueroa-Sanford, a first-time Coachella attendee, plans to dress accordingly for the daytime heat.
“I’m packing mostly light dresses and sneakers, or shorts with bikini tops,” said the sophomore film major.
Riley Grannis, a sophomore studying behavioral economics and psychology, has tickets to Coachella weekend two. He said that he would also be wearing breathable clothing like shorts and t-shirts to remain comfortable in the high temperatures.
2. Hydrate
Although the festivals limit what you can bring into the venue, there are ways to bring necessary hydration materials, such as water bottles and electrolytes, according to Figueroa-Sanford.
“Waterpack backpacks are allowed, so I’m taking that because they have other pockets to hold stuff,” she said. “Also, Liquid I.V. and lots of water.”
“I’m bringing a Camelbak backpack with one of those water tanks inside of it, so I can have that on me at all times,” said Grannis.
Burkholder also suggested taking advantage of the water stations placed throughout the festival.
“All [venues] allow a plastic water bottle as long as it’s empty, and they all have hydration stations where you can refill those water bottles for free,” he said. “It’s very expensive to buy water at the festivals, and I think that’s one of the reasons why some people don’t hydrate.”
Other things that Burkholder said to keep in mind are to take frequent breaks in the shade, stand under misters that are usually around the venue, or use cooling towels.
3. Be aware of surroundings and substance intake
An additional point that Burkholder made is to be aware of the use of alcohol and recreational drugs and to keep an eye on other festival-goers.
“Drugs and alcohol are very common at these music festivals. But alcohol can dehydrate you and it can impair your sensation that you’re getting hot,” he said. “Drugs will impair your thought process around getting yourself cool or will create more agitation. Those are the ones we see as most dangerous at music festivals.”
Finally, Burkholder advises anyone at Coachella or Stagecoach this year to identify the medical stations and other safety resources that are made available at the venue.
“Always have a plan and make sure that your friends are watching out for each other,” he said. “If your friends start to look like they’re overheating, starting to get sick or nauseated or starting to get confused, that’s when it’s time to get them checked out at first aid.”