Multi-day music and arts fests like Coachella, Bonnaroo and others released their official lineups earlier this month.
“I would rather eat ramen for weeks on end and be able to go to festivals in the summer,” Noel said.
Noel and junior Ashton Moody said they started going to music festivals together in 2015. They’ve already bought tickets for at least two festivals this summer, Electric Forest and Coachella.
“Festivals are the highlight of my summer by far,” Noel said.
Still, the two students said the high admission price isn’t easy to afford.
“We definitely save up really hard throughout the year,” Moody said. “I work now and most of my money usually goes to that.”
Moody spends about 30 hours per week at her job at the IU Health Bloomington Hospital.
Noel said he regularly works in the summer to help pay for tickets.
“I mean, we say we’re not going to do any more, we need to cut back, but then like the lineups start coming out, and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, we have to make it there,’” he said.
The two tried to conserve their funds when they went to last year’s Electric Forest, Noel said.
“We brought a ton of food so we wouldn’t spend that much money on food stands and stuff,” he said.
For Moody, festival preparation begins in the fall. She said she uses websites like Reddit to see pictures and popular opinions of past festivals, and these help her determine which ones she wants to attend.
She said she’s been to Bonnaroo, Spring Awakening, Lollapalooza and Electric Forest in recent years. She likened her festival experience to a vacation.
“You make memories and friends there that you just, like, keep forever,” she said.
Noel said as soon as he leaves a festival he starts planning for the following year.
Both said general environment plays an even bigger role than lineup when choosing whether or not to go to a particular festival. That’s one of the biggest reasons they’ve decided to return to Electric Forest this summer, they said.
“I have tickets already, and the lineup is not even out yet,” Noel said. “I love that place so much.”
Moody said she loved the intimate atmosphere of Electric Forest — many performers would stick around after their shows and hang out with the crowd.
“The closer for the festival, Big Gigantic, they came out to an RV and they just played a set for everyone,” she said.
Moody said experiences like this make all the hours she spends at the hospital worthwhile.
“Makes it worth it; to be honest, like all that hard work,” she said. “When I get there, I’m just like, ‘This is why.’”
