Survival Tips for the Rainforest World Music Festival

Hoooooyyeeaaahhhh!! 5 more days for that time of the year again where flocks of different folks come together for one of the most anticipated event of the year - the RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014. This is it's 17th year, voted for the 5th consecutive year as one of the 25 best International Festivals by renowned world music magazine, Songlines. 

With management experience and worldwide recognition, you can rest assure that the event is as safe as any festival event as can be. Teams of staffs and volunteers alike line up to ensure the event flows according to plan with contingency and action plans accounted for any unplanned events. 

That being said, you, as festival goer, should not neglect your own safety nor the safety of other festival goers.  Remember, have fun responsibly!

The Venue
If you've been to the festival in the previous years or are already familiar with the Sarawak Cultural Village grounds, the same general rules still apply since past years. If this is your first time, here's an aerial view of the Sarawak Cultural Village (courtesy of Sarawak CUltural VIllage and rwmf.net)

The Programme
It's worth noting that some visitors to the Rainforest World Music Festival come for the highlight of the whole festival - the evening performance from participating bands from all around the world and spend the day sight-seeing around Kuching Town. The festival has loads and loads to offer, especially for the musical enthusiast looking for exposure and experience. Plan your timing, try to arrive early for the best spots and do join the afternoon workshops or shop for souvenirs at the arts and crafts or memorabilia booths set all over the festival venue. There are also plenty of food stalls if you feel like tasting the local delicacies. You can print out the daily festival program here:

• Day One | Friday (June 20th, 2014)
• Day Two | Saturday (June 21st, 2014)
• Day Three | Sunday (June 22nd, 2014)

The Dress Code
Kuching, in general, has good whether. However, it can be unpredictable. Dress for comfort. I have seen festival goers particularly ladies wearing high heels to the festival. This is highly discouraged as one, the festival ground spans over a large area and a whole lot of walking is expected; two, the walkways are made up of woodplanks (to reflect the traditional way back when) and there are gaps between the planks; three, the front-stage or 'mosh-pit' is earth, not paved, not woodplanks. 

I recommend t-shirt or tank tops, especially those made with jersey or quick dry material, shorts, and flip-flops. 

Accessories
I cannot stress this enough. Last year was my second time going to the festival, and my first as a media representative - on which I made a couple of small but costly errors. The first being not having a power bank for my devices. I almost used up all my phone battery by the first hour of the evening performance. So yeah, bring along a power bank or extra battery for whatever you may need. There are power points in Dewan Lagenda (I cannot confirm if these can be used) but you don't want to be grounded with all the happenings around you, do you? 

The second was my memory stick - I barely have enough memory to store all those photos I took with my DLSR! Dang! By all mean I'm no pro, but like many I want to capture the moment in photos! 

So to help you out, here's a checklist of items that you might want to consider bringing along with you.

1. Powerbank for your devices.
2. Chargers, again for your devices. I'm adding a power extension cord here. Sharing is caring, no? Plus, it's a good way to make friends!
3. A spare change of clothes, kept in a plastic bag to keep dry. 
4. Toiletries - this is really up to you how much you want to / can stuff into your backpack. Wet-wipes, tissue and toilet rolls, hand sanitisers are basic. Keep them in a sealed bag or plastic bag to keep them from getting wet in case it rains. 
5. Raincoat / poncho / umbrella - unless if you don't mind getting wet in case it rains.
6. A small torchlight - you never know if and when it becomes handy.
7. A whistle - to attract attention if you found yourself in a predicament. 
8. A backpack to keep all these in. 

Things NOT to bring to the concert! They WILL be confiscated!

1. DRUGS! Just say no to them. There are other ways to have fun, like, uhh.. I dunno - just enjoy the music and the crowd?
2. Dangerous objects / objects that can cause harm - knives, scissors, sharp objects etc. Simply, if the items were not allowed in an aeroplane, they will not be allowed to be brought into the event grounds. 
3. Food and drinks - yeah this is quite unfortunate. Even bottled water were confiscated last year. They do sell them inside at a price, so do bring cash with you. 

Additionally, for those who plan to drive to the festival,

1. Unless you have the official car sticker, you won't be able to drive into the festival ground. Ensure your car is safely parked and locked. DO NOT leave any valuables in your car (This is a general rule, festival or not >.<)
2. Wrap your seat with old newspaper or plastic. If it rains, it will be muddy and you'll want your car interior to still be clean. 
3. Bring a few bottles of water, both for drinking and to wash up after the event. 
4. If you want to skip 2 and 3 above altogether, just keep a spare change of clothes in the bonnet and change before you drive home. 

Keeping safe
Always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you're going to the festival by yourself (in which case you can also contact me! I'll most probably meet my friends there, you're always welcomed to tag along). 

If you're travelling in a group, set up a MEETING POINT in the festival grounds. You'll most probably see other groups of festival goers carrying banners and signs like these. It's also a good idea to wear an identifier i.e bracelets, sash, cap etc. in case you need to quickly locate a missing member by announcing from the PA system. 

Do OBEY THE LAWS AND FESTIVAL RULES AND REGULATIONS. They are there for a reason. For one, it's you keep you and other festival goers safe. For another, it's to ensure that the festival management successfully organised the event for yet another year, keeping a good track record in hope that next year it will be held bigger and better!

STAY HYDRATED. Drink lots of water, and stay under the shade as much as possible to avoid dehydration and heat strokes. Generally, tap water in the festival venue is treated, but there may still be pathogenic microorganisms that can cause diarrhea or worse. Drink bottled water instead - or beer, whichever you prefer >.<

ENJOY!!
After all, that is the main reason why you'd come to a festival in the first place, no? 

P/s:  http://preciousmadphoto.wordpress.com also provides some really good RWMF survival tips here.