It's day three of Canadian Music Week in Toronto, and the festivities are in full swing! Music, parties, drinking... and the opportunity to check out approximately one zillion different bands at approximately one zillion different venues throughout the city.
Last week, Grant posted a survival guide for the SXSW festival that happened down in Austin, Texas. And while there was lots of good advice, there is one BIG difference between Austin, Texas in March and Toronto, Ontario in March.
IT'S COLD! (Yes, last year it was 20 degrees in Toronto during CMW. This year? Around -2. And snowy.)
So, let's go over some of the tips that will help you survive at this year's frosty CMW:
1. Wear layers. Just like your mom always said. It's cold outside. Sometimes really cold. But, then you'll go into a crowded, sweaty bar and you'll be too hot - so you're gonna want to be able to take some of that bulk off. Also, why not throw some extra socks in your bag? You never know when you might need a change. No one likes wet feet.
2. Bring a flask. Nothing warms you up like a little nip o' whiskey! Plus, you're going to be hitting a whole bunch of shows every night. You don't want to blow your whole budget on drinks, do you? And you never know when you'll end up standing in a line waiting to go into a show... while your buzz wears off. Flask saves the day again!
3. Drink water. Not just good advice for warm weather festivals - if you wanna go all night (and be able to get up tomorrow morning), you need to stay hydrated.
4. Be prepared to go it alone. There are a lot of shows to see, and your posse isn't necessarily going to agree on everything. If you don't want to get trapped in the "maybe-we-should-go-there-or-should-we-go-here-but-wait-mike-wants-to-go-here-and-sarah-wants-to-see-that-oh-my-god-we-just-missed-the-show-I-wanted-to-see-because-we-are-standing-outside-arguing" vortex, you may have to peel off from the group and bravely go to shows on your own.
5. TTC fare. Bring all your toonies & loonies! Or just buy a bunch of tokens so you know you can get around. Toronto cabs are expensive, and in this weather, cycling is no fun. Take streetcars/subways/the bus whenever you can.
6. Bring your phone charger. With all that tweeting and Instagramming and Facebooking and texting your friends about where you're going to meet up next, your phone may not last the night. Make sure you bring your charger so you can stop for a quick juice-up wherever you can find an outlet, if necessary.
That's a good start, but there are lots of other things you can do to make sure your CMW is a success.
Make a plan, but be flexible enough to abandon that plan if something awesome happens. Set your alarm RIGHT NOW so you make sure you get to work on time tomorrow if things get crazy. Maybe think about stocking your fridge with Gatorade and bananas so the mornings don't hurt too much.
What are YOUR cold weather festival survival tips? And what are you thinking of checking out this year at the festival (if you're going)? Share it all in the comments below!