I am 100 percent behind this. Why you would hold a fiery object when you know you're going to be jostled uncontrollably in a crowd of people you could likely burn/light their clothes on fire makes no sense to me.

If you're that hard-up for a cigarette, go stand somewhere less hazardous. I don't appreciate being put at risk for the sake of your unhealthy, litter-creating habit.

I've never heard of these hangover remedies you have, and I've been to three fests. Could have probably done with it on Monday morning last year though. Worst plane flight home ever.

Wear shorts, I sweated so much my pants had salt encrusted in them. So. Gross.

And post Fest SEE A DOCTOR if you're sick. I couldn't get off my couch for a week I was so sick. Turns out I got really nasty strep and had to get an IV for dehydration so don't put it off.

That wasnt just your sweat, that was the sweat of the world, amongst other stuff... and if you do get sick and cant go to a doctor, Wild Turkey will scare the devil outta you if you drink enough soon enough in your sicktime

I don't think I've ever seen anyone as hungover as you looked on the monday! i almost felt sorry for you

Actually that's true! You looked like you were suffering badly when I saw you in the Holiday Inn lobby....

Fest is a disgusting place. Gotta air it out

Dont exceed 2 five hour energy shots in a 24 hr period for 3 days in a row

Alright, I haven't been to the Fest since Fest 8, but here are my Do's and Don'ts.

DO
- Wear comfortable shoes, especially ones that fit snuggly. If you want to be near the front of the stage, or in the more excitable areas, you are going to get stepped on and it is goign to hurt for weeks. Also loose shoes will be lost in the crowd.

- Pace yourself. Friday I went all out, stage dived and crowd surfed at every opportunity. By the time Saturday rolled around I was tired and sore as hell and didn't really have the energy to enjoy some bands as much as I wanted.

- Treat the morning as the time to refuel. Eat oranges, carrots, and bananas for breakfast instead of going out and eating at a restaurant. This will help a ton as it is probably the only healthy meal you are going to get as you drink beer and eat pizza the rest of the day.

- Go to an acoustic show at least once during the weekend. Goes along with pacing yourself, but just chilling out, sitting down, and drinking water goes a long way.

- Wear warm clothes. Don't know how many virgins to the south attend the Fest, but it's still super hot/humid in the south in late October. Do not wear pants or long sleeves.

- Get drunk, be friendly, and talk to people. Keep each other informed about house/warehouse show buzz. My most memorable moment of Fest 8 was riding around in my friends sedan with 5 other people looking for a house show we had hear about but couldn't find. Found 7 people wandering the street and they were heading to the same place. Ended up cramming 12 people into the car and eventually found the show.

Dont's

- Don't throw your half full beer. It's not cool, it hurts when it hits your head, it waste beer, and it makes the floor super slippery. I will never understand why people do this.

- Don't be a dick and litter/trash the place.

- Don't have the expectations that you will see every band you want.

THIS

everything thats already been said, but i want to reiterate: take a chance on random bands you've never heard of before. last year bouncing souls/hot water music on fri night was PACKED, so instead i hopped around a bunch and ended up having a great time and discovered some amazing bands i never would have listen to otherwise

IF you absolutely must go to the No Idea record sale, go as early as possible if you don't want to stand in line for hours. I spent a good two hours just waiting last year and I got there at a somewhat decent time, albeit hungover and tired from the night before. The problem was that only like four or five people at a time could browse the records. Hopefully they'll figure a better system out this year. Do take a photo in front of the No Idea house sign though!

DON'T think that Gainesville Airport is open 24 hours and leave super early on your day to go home to make sure you get to your early morning flight on time.

It's stupid to do and doesn't pay off. It doesn't take 3 hours to get through like Logan Airport does. And you'll camp outside for a few hours and feel silly, but luckily you'll be entertained by everyone else as they arrive and stare at the door and say "Oh... You guys too?" And the drunks, the drunks are entertaining as well.

Last year we thought we'd be clever, get to the airport early and sleep in some seats till our flight came in. We were out smarted.

Do:
-Tip well. I know none of us are probably rich/loaded, but don't stiff the servers/bartenders because you didn't budget enough money for food or drink. Slam beers in the hotel room, eat in, just don't screw the people who are stuck working while you are festing. Besides, its the one time a year that is worth shitting money out of the window. And if money is that big of a deal, take back one of the seven young livers shirts that you probably bought.
-Eat one decent meal a day. Seriously, one hot meal a day will quell the Fest aids to a certain degree. Also, eat local. Taco Bell doesn't need you to stay in business, but some of the local places thrive that weekend and stay in business partially because of it.
-Drink tons of water. As a former Florida resident for 17 years, I can tell you that the humidity, even in october and even when its not that hot, will drain you. You will sweat out water faster than you can take it in if its hotter than 80 degrees. Also, a glass of orange or grapefruit juice in the morning will keep you feeling limber all day.
-Be friendly. Especially when you are stuck in a line, whether it is for booze or to get in the door. Being pissed about it and even mistreating the door staff is retarded. I see it every year and its got no place.
-Catch some modicum of sleep. Like not even that much. Even 3 or 4 hours is fine. One, it will keep you ready to Fest for the next day. Two, you won't have some dumb excuse to bail out of seeing a sweet aftershow.
-Shower. Please. And wear deodorant. That includes you, Defiance Oh fans. OHHHHHHHH SPEEEEEEEDSTICKKKK.
-have fun. Fest is too short to spend grouchy for any reason.

Don't:
-Trash the town, start fights with cops, drink on the streets, and generally act like an asshole. This happens every year and its going to be the death of the Fest one day. Gainesville is cool enough to let this gigantic awesome festival happen, and the more bullshit that the cops/business owners/etc have to put up with, the less worthwhile it is for them to support it for another year.
-CALL THE COPS BECAUSE SOMEONE BLOCKED YOUR CAR IN AT A WAREHOUSE SHOW. NICE GOING ASSHOLE AT FAIL SAFE LAST YEAR. I HOPE YOU WRAPPED YOUR CAR AROUND A POLE.
-Sit at the venue all weekend.
-Make a definitive schedule and expect to actually stick to it. Better to just have a list of all the bands you might want to see and wing it.
-Eat at taco bell and mcdonalds all weekend.
-Be that guy. Flailing crowd surfer guy. No one likes him. There is nothing punx about giving people concussions. Crowd surf=good. Failing your limbs wildly whileyou do so=you are the biggest asshole on the planet.

I'm sure there is more. But I think that is all of the basics.

I don't understand why everyone's doing this recently. It's pretty dumb.