My First Music Festival – In My 40s!

You’re never too old to try something new…

So here I am, in my late forties, and I’ve never been to a dance music festival. Sure, I’ve been to music gigs, parties, clubs… but Aum – a 3-day music festival over New Year with camping accommodation was a whole new experience.

So many questions…

What to take to a festival? What to wear? Would it rain? Would I get fried by the sun? Would it be full of out-of-control binge drinkers? What would the music be like? Would I get lost? Would I be able to have a shower? What would the toilets be like? What shoes should I wear? Would I have a good time?

…So many questions went round my head on the drive to South Head, outside of Helensville, near Auckland, New Zealand.

The excitement levels build up

The excitement levels increased further as I pulled into the festival site and drove through the deer farm to get to the festival location. The sun was shining, and the landscape was spectacular: gently rolling green hills with stands of ancient manuka trees dotted generously everywhere. In the distance, the Tasman Sea sparkled an iridescent blue colour in the sunshine. New Zealand at its very best.

Reaching the camping area, I was a bit overwhelmed initially at how busy it was. I arrived on the second day of the three-day festival, and at first it was hard to spot empty sites. But patience paid off, and a perfect spot near the edge of the campground revealed itself. Fringed with manuka trees, it was idyllic, and I was happy that it wasn’t too close to other campers, as there was a slight slope surrounding the tent site.

Off to explore…

The brand new tent went up easily, and once camp was set up, I was eager to explore.

I figured that a reconnaissance mission in daylight would be perfect, so that I’d have an idea of where everything was before it got dark. I donned a favourite skirt and tank top and off I went… to discover I was totally underdressed!

What are they wearing?!

Oh my word, the outfits!

I never realised that dressing up at festivals was such a thing; nearly everyone I saw was wearing something zany. Face sparkles, unicorns, psychedelic clothing, fairy wings, bikini tops, glitter, flashing LEDs, tight dresses, flashing capes, a giant banana… it was all there!

(If you’re wondering where to buy clothes like that, check out Tybor-Style – an online party attire shop that ships worldwide, they have some super cool stuff!)

And wow, I have never seen so many women’s nipples in one place… not that I look at women’s nipples, but it was impossible not to see them!

A visual feast

Talk about next level people watching; it was incredible, and a visual feast. There was so much to look at – especially against the art installations all over the site, and incredible theming of the stages. I suspected Aum would have great music, but I never expected such visual delights as well.

Exploring the art installations was fun, and then I meandered into the foodie and shopping stall area, and then into the healing glade where there were several bemused deer (the festival site is a deer farm) also seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

The music stages were already cranking, and wow, their décor and lighting was just next level. Excellent sound systems, and vast parts of the dance floors were under cover – perfect in case the weather turned (which it never did, by the way).

Not just music

While the big drawcard for me was the dance music, there’s so much more to Aum. There were workshops in all manner of things, for all ages. After all, this was a family-friendly event with children welcome – and it was BYO alcohol, there wasn’t any booze for sale on site.

There was also a Healing Glade – plus numerous food stalls and market stalls.

A place where you can truly be yourself

Everything was well laid out at Aum, and even someone as directionally challenged as me couldn’t get lost.

As I wandered around, the vibe became more and more intoxicating – not just the combination of the visual and aural feasts, but also the happy vibes. Everyone was there to have a good time. To enjoy. To party unashamedly and ecstatically. To unleash a part of their personality that they no doubt kept hidden in their 9 to 5 jobs, but in a joyful and authentic way. I’ve never seen or experienced anything like this. And while I may have felt underdressed in my day-to-day clothes, no one was judging anyone else on what they were wearing. It felt like everyone was accepted for who they are; there wasn’t anything competitive in the atmosphere; only a sense of fun and being yourself.

I figured the outfits would get even crazier in the evening. And although that’s when the LED outfits truly shone, more people had opted to cover up – it is New Zealand, after all, and the evenings are rarely balmy. So daytime’s the best time to show off your zany outfits or walk around in your bra. Just in case you were wondering.

New Year’s Eve

The atmosphere was electric; the crowd was on fire; the music was deep, thumping, ecstatic; the laser displays were next level.

Best. New Year’s. Ever.

Truly.

And repeat…

And the really amazing thing: the whole experience was repeated the next day. Awesome daytime music, and more visual spectaculars. A number of festival goers packed multiple outfits, so they had different dress ups for each day, and also for each evening… such dedication!

The atmosphere on the evening of the 1st of January felt like New Year’s Eve all over again.

It felt like I was celebrating an excellent start to 2023… which is exactly what it was.

PS. Unanswered questions from the intro…

What to take? Check out my festival packing tips.

What to wear? Whatever the heck you like; the zanier the better. If you need some inspo, check out the festival attire online at Tybor-Style.com. Whether you’re after something glittery, flashing, or some fun accessories, there’s a great range to choose from.

Would it rain? No it didn’t rain at all.

Would I get fried by the sun? No, I didn’t get fried, but I found an awesome hemp hat at one of the stalls that kept the sun off me nicely. The hat is packable, so it’ll be coming with me to future festivals.

Would it be full of out-of-control binge drinkers? I never saw any binge drinkers (thank goodness – that’s so not my thing). The vibe was otherworldly and awesome, but it never felt overcrowded or out of control. I felt safe the whole time. In fact there were many people at the festival by themselves, so if you don’t have any friends to go with, don’t let that put you off having an awesome time.

What would the music be like? Absolutely fantastic! There are multiple stages; I rotated between them whenever I fancied a change in music. There were all types of house, drum n bass, trance, psy trance, and other genres I don’t know.

Would I get lost? Nope, it was easy to find my way around. A little harder when intoxicated, but not impossible!

Would I get to shower? There were showers, but the queues were so long I couldn’t be bothered. Take baby wipes and/or a facecloth, water, and soap.

What would the toilets be like? As well as portaloos, there were blocks of longdrops. Not glamorous, but at least us ladies don’t get a urinal in your face like you do with most portaloos.

What shoes should I wear? I packed trainers and never wore them. I wore my jandals a lot. But mostly I was barefoot – and dancing in bare feet on the sand and grass felt amazing. I was really energised afterwards by all that earthing.

One thing I wasn’t expecting: Having to deal with dirty feet in the tent… not nice in your sleeping bag. So bring baby wipes or something else that makes it super quick and easy to wash your feet when you’re tired and want to sleep!

Did I have a good time? HECK YEAH!!!! So much so, I’ve got tickets for more festivals this summer… make sure to follow me to hear about my latest adventures!

PS. You can hire me to write for you!

Photos and words © Cornelia Luethi. All rights reserved.