FestHack 2.0: What to expect at the 2016 Wayhome Music Festival

Hello r/wayhome!

 

Awww Snap! The 2016 festival season is almost upon us. We have year one of Wayhome under our belts and from it have learned a lot about how things work at Burl’s Creek. With that knowledge in front of mind we’ll again head out on the festival path to hack through the burning questions from festival first timers, as well as those who got hooked in 2015 and want to expand their experience for 2016.

 

What to expect at the Wayhome Music Festival

 

Since we’re now in the second year, a lot of unknowns from our first go-around can be cleared up by drawing from our 2015 experiences. With that in mind, I realize that each of us had a slightly different experience. We arrived at different times, we camped in different areas, and we part of different sized groups. Since some of what we experienced is in direct relation to those factors, please comment on your individual experience and how it may have differed from whatever info I’m spouting off. As always I will continue to post things with an annoying/arrogant sense of complete festival knowledge in hopes that doing so will inspire debate and conversation.

 

Getting into Wayhome

There will be a wait to get into the festival grounds. Expect a wait time of 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on what day and time you plan to arrive. In 2015 the wait was more to do with 15 lanes of traffic converging back to one lane after the toll booths, then the searches themselves.

Your car will be searched when you enter the grounds. The main purpose of the search is to look for glass, weapons, and other banned items. Everyone will have to get out of the vehicle and 1-2 security staff will poke around for 3-4 minutes. There were no police dogs, and I don’t believe there were any random police searches.

 

Your Campsite at Wayhome

The camping spot will be approximately a 20’X20’ space (25’X25’ for Camping +). What time you arrive will determine where your camping spot will be located. Your neighbors for the weekend will be the car in front of you, and the car behind you. Last year Wayhome chose to fill camping from the backish to frontish, which meant that being one of the first cars in maybe made your camping spot further away from the main venue than someone arriving after you. Click Here for the 2015 Map with some identifies added in. I believe it was filled (on the Blue Side) section D first (Section C ended up being RV Camping), then A, B, F, E, H, and G. Not sure how shit went down on the Red side of things. My group was in section F and we arrived at around 10pm Thursday. Also, if you were arriving from the west on HWY 11 and the lineup on the Blue side was too long, you were forced to continue past Line 7 south to Line 8 south which meant you were now camping on the Red side.

 

The Weather at Wayhome

Average July temperature in Oro-Medonte is a daily high of 26°C (78°F) and an overnight low of 15°C (60°F). Rain is always a possibility so plan accordingly, and always plan to wear sunscreen. The highest temp last year was Sunday at 29°C, and the lowest was 10°C overnight Thursday.

 

Cell phone use at Wayhome

Oro-Medonte has a population of 20,000 people. Adding an additional 45,000 people puts a strain on their cell towers. Last year cell service was always available but there was some delay in the sending and receiving of texts, made worse if both parties were at WH.

 

Lineups at Wayhome

Although you should always pack a little patience, there wasn’t lineups for much last year. There was no wait for the porta-potty’s, booze, water (if you could find it), or to enter the concert area. There was a short wait at some of the food vendors, and a bottleneck at the end of the night to scan out, but otherwise no excessive waiting.

 

Acoustics at Wayhome

The acoustics were extremely impressive in 2015. There was very little sound bleed between stages and no matter where you were at each stage you could clearly hear the music. Can only expect the same for 2016.

 

Watching a set at Wayhome

If you’ve never been to a concert without assigned seating, it will probably be a big shock to you. Basically, the earlier you get to a stage, the better your spot will be. This may mean getting to the stage during the set before the one you want to be up close for. If you wish to stay seated for a show, expect to sit further back in the crowd. If you’re near the front of the stage, expect it to be loud and more crowded. It was generally not as jam packed at Wayhome shows as some of the larger festivals and it was relatively easy to get close at shows with minimal planning. The crowds were also quite porous so finding your way back to your group during a busy set was much easier than expected.

 

Getting around at Wayhome

All aboard the Heel-Toe Express! Unless you have a disability, you should plan on walking a lot. To and from your campsite, between stages, to find food/alcohol/washroom. You will be on your feet for 75% of the weekend. Avoiding blisters will be a constant battle, so plan for proper footwear, and know that the best footwear is multiple pieces of footwear.

 

Washrooms at Wayhome

Although there wasn’t generally a wait to use a porta-potty you may have had to travel some distance to get to one. Every unit I occupied over the weekend was clean and usually even stocked with TP. I’ve never seen porta-potties at a festival in as consistently good shape as they were at WH last year.

 

Eating at Wayhome

Expect there to be more food choices than you thought possible, this includes options for every type of diet. Do not worry about not being able to find something to stop that stomach gurgle. As for bringing food for your campsite, it’s easy to have the intention of preparing all your own meals, but once you get into the excitement of the festival, slaving away in the heat at your campsite to save a few $’s is going to be the furthest thing from your mind. Plan to make yourself a solid breakfast, then let the food vendors do the work for you.

 

Sleeping at Wayhome

You will need to get some rest each night in order to make it through the next day. High/Low temperatures, noise, generator lights, and your bed setup are all contributing factors in how easy that will be to accomplish.

 

The Vibe at Wayhome

From my experience I describe the Wayhome Vibe as… Filled with polite interactions. No one I came across was pushy or rude, people respected your space, and I never felt unsafe, or nervous leaving items at the campsite. Police/security were there to watch and not make drug arrests. Overall it was an extremely comfortable vibe for the weekend.

 

In the coming weeks up until Wayhome I will continue to repost some edited versions of last year’s FestHacks with updated information, as well as some new ones with material that I didn’t have time to cover in the past. There are no stupid questions here so please do not hesitate to ask anything that maybe on your mind. I will make sure every question within the FestHack posts are addressed, and as always encourage anyone who has their own festival secrets they wish you share to submit a post as well!

 

100 Sleeps till Wayhome!