Going to a music festival might sound innocuous, but being unprepared for the hysterical fangirls, drunks and unexpected hiccups might kill the fun the $175 you shelled out for the tickets (unless you won our contest) was supposed to deliver.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or festival greenhorn, UrbanWire hopes this simple guide will make your festival experience an awesome one.

1) Interact with the Band/Artiste

Nothing pleases performers more than seeing the crowd reciprocate the fervent emotions that they put out on stage. Let your hair loose and react the way the band wants you to.

If the performer is a pop act, belt out the chorus of the song with the singer to create a cacophony of off-key singing. Despite being out of tune, the 10,000 voices will still sound good nonetheless.

A rock or metal band gets a real kick from seeing the audience either writhing in the mosh pit or jumping along to the songs. Although moshing is sometimes seen as an act of hooliganism, the activity’s harmless fun and every cool person should do it. Crowd surf, mosh, form a wall of death, or even dance to express how you feel about the music. That’s the loudest applause you can give.

2) Share your Food, but More Importantly Booze

Nobody likes stingy people. Besides, sharing booze is a great icebreaker to get to know more people, if the germs don’t kill you first. Festival spirit needs to be kept at an optimum to distract you as the long hours of standing is physically taxing. But there’s a good reason why plastic stools are in short supply here, people will deem you uncool and ostracise you if you arm yourself with one of these.

3) Dress Comfortably

Guys should don loose tees. They should also leave the spiked leatherwear at home to avoid attracting unwanted attention or impaling someone. People might stereotype you as a violent ruffian and avoid you. Gentlemen may want to get themselves  a shoulder pad to carry their lovely girlfriends on their back. Be prepared that this act of romance will earn you daggers from other concertgoers as the added height is bound to obstruct their view, while other guys will get ribbed by their girlfriends for not doing the same…

The ladies might want to wear a bright-coloured/neon/bling-crusted bra to throw on stage when singer-rapper Kanye West is performing. The multi-Grammy Award-winning artist who was last here in 2008, still gets a lot of heat for what he did to Taylor Swift, so the multi-talented celeb will definitely lap up any form of fangirl-ism.

4) Stay Hydrated and get an Early Dinner

Remember to keep yourself hydrated, as you don’t want to pass out (and miss the show, or make a fool of yourself) while watching your favourite artiste live. Also, you might want to grab a light dinner to line your stomach (in case someone offers you booze, see 2.).

However, don’t drink too much as you might have the urge to pee. This isn’t advisable, as you’ll kick yourself if you have to relinquish your spot in front after hours of queuing.

5) Don’t be an A**hole

Make sure to consume alcohol in moderation. UrbanWire doesn’t want to sound like a killjoy, but alcohol abuse will only create nightmares for you and everyone around.

Also, don’t push your way to the front when you join the queue late. The whole world will think you’re a jerk. True story.