Time for Introspection: How Did You Mess Up Your Yardfest?

There is a saying that the buildup to Yardfest is better than the actual event. That being said, you should still make an effort to go. Surprisingly, this is easier said than done for many of us. Yardfest has grown to become a test of will, and those who make it alive are the true champions of the day. How badly can you f*** up Yardfest? Now that we’re a week out, it’s time for some introspection on our behavior, so we can learn for next year.

Getting too lit at the pre-game

Many of us have reached this point of premature lit-ness, and if you haven’t, your time has yet to come. Yardfest pregaming is an opportunity for college students to completely ignore their responsibilities for a day and get wasted at a time when they’d normally be asleep. Chances are, you got too excited and peaked at 3 p.m., and the rest of the day was spent on the floor of some stranger’s dorm.

Sleeping through the concert

Typically a byproduct of pregaming too hard, you can choose to “take a nap,” vowing to yourself that you’ll wake up before your alarms. It’s a dangerous game to even approach a bed around Yardfest time, unless you want to wake up to the sound of the concert reaching its peak.

Being near, but not at, the front

Congratulations, you successfully made it to the Yard. That’s better than most people. However, you can still make the mistake of attempting to reach the front. Yardfest has proven an inverse relationship between one’s proximity to the stage and amount of personal space. Either watch from outside the crowd where you have room to breathe, or get used to having someone’s armpit shoved at your face because you won’t come out of the crowd unscathed.

Dressing inappropriately

Outfit planning for Yardfest is quite a variable process. Dress too warmly, and you’ll be drenched in your own sweat—and everyone else’s—in the crowd. Dress too lightly, and you’ll look great, but at the expense of your body’s internal temperature. Finding the balance between comfort and festival promiscuity requires one part experience, one part dumb luck.

If this was your first Yardfest, no need to worry. Each year is a different experience and an opportunity to make the next one potentially better. Yardfest is what you make of it. You can spend it however you like, but if you come out of it alive, you’re probably doing something right.