I did my first sober music festival in BC and here's how it went
What it’s like doing a music festival sober
I gained a lot from being sober at Bass Coast this year. And not anything spiritual or hokey. Simple things, like logic, for example. Simple tasks are simple. I wasn’t worried about getting lost. Going to camp to grab a sweater wasn’t a huge mission.
I ended up being the barometer of normalcy for my friends — a valued service, they said. Were the vibes in a certain area weird? How hot was it, really? Did the music actually sound that good?
And the most fun part of the festival, for me at least, is when an artist comes on who’s exactly in tune with the music you need at that moment. When you’re listening to tunes you love and can let loose with your friends — that doesn’t change.
I still saw some of the artists I loved, discovered new ones, and definitely danced.
The experience left me feeling empowered. I’ll probably choose to do more festivals sober, even when I’m fully recovered. It also left me feeling a little bit more healed than when I arrived. Because for so many months, I’d said no to fun experiences because it might over-stimulate my recovering brain. But being able to do this on my terms and still have a great time left me feeling more well than I had in a long time.
Thinking of trying a festival sober?
People go sober to festivals for all kinds of different reasons, and events in BC are generally pretty good about supporting people choosing that route. Bass Coast has meetings several times a day for those trying to maintain sobriety, and Shambhala even has a dedicated camp that’s entirely substance-free. So know that if you decide to give it a try, you’ll be in good company.