With every six months comes another edition of Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. With the spring semester at NC State coming to a recent close, it is only fitting to put together a crash course in how to successfully navigate the muddy paths of future Shakori festivals!
Lesson #1: Keep a map! Shakori is relatively big with multiple stages, a big dance tent, sprawling camping sites. Make sure to grab yourself a copy when you check in at the ticketing booths to make navigating between the stages efficient and stress free. There is constant fun to be had at Shakori and getting lost is just a big ol’ waste!
Lesson #2: Expect to get dirty. There is mud. Lots and lots of mud. For some meteorological reason beyond my understanding, it seems to ALWAYS rain right before Shakori gets going. With hundreds of people trekking through the earth, things get dirty quite quickly.
Lesson #3: Barefoot, boots or bust. There is no in between when it comes to what to put on your feet. With all the mud puddles, if you don’t want to get mud on your feet, the only way its to wear knee length, waterproof boots, rain boots do well here. But if you want to cut corners, you really can’t here. Wearing any other type of footwear will just leave you with mud in between your foot and shoe, you might as well rip the shoes off and get a some foot exfoliation au naturale.
Lesson #4: Bring snacks! You will burn lots of calories running around between tents, dancing your booty off, setting up your sick camping site, etc. Don’t forget to feed yourself often, it’s easy to forget. Fuel your fun with extra snacks, I always bring a handful of protein bars and some fruit to keep me going. The food trucks are always amazing but for your average college student, a bit of a supplement is a must.
Lesson #5: HYDRATE YO BODY. You are a big water bag and you shouldn’t let Shakori dry you up. Bring a reliable water bottle and acquaint yourself the water taps dispersed throughout the Shakori grounds. Coffee, alcohol and soda will dehydrate you, so with every non-water drink you have, try to compensate with twice as much water.
Lesson #6: Have fun! Shakori is a weekend of unforgettable times with music and art loving people. Don’t be afraid to branch out and meet new people, your soul will thank you.
This is DJ Sparrow hoping to see you at many Shakori Festivals to come!