I did my first sober music festival in BC and here's how it went

When was the last time you danced completely sober?

For a lot of us, myself included, it was probably an uncomfortable high school semi-formal.

Turns out things have changed since then. I’m not as awkward as I was in my adolescence, and dancing with my friends to my favourite music comes naturally to me now. And I never would’ve found out if it wasn’t for a brain injury that re-vamped my life this year.

How it all went down

I fell while skiing in January and hit the ground hard enough to get a concussion. I’d had five of them before, and this one took longer to heal than the others.

I’d later learn that a previous history of concussion is one of the risk factors for prolonged recovery for your next one, although it’s often a mystery why some get better quickly and others take months.

I dealt with pounding headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and even some vision disturbances through winter and all of spring. Simple things like a stressful commute, a driver slamming on the breaks too hard, or a bad night’s sleep would worsen them for days.

Needless to say, with things being so weird inside my head already, I stayed sober.

As spring turned to summer, it became time for music festival season. It’s usually a highlight on my calendar. I love everything from the music to planning my wildest outfits to spending 72 straight hours with my closest friends.

But still dealing with concussion symptoms, I knew this year would be different.

I’d signed up to go to Bass Coast with my friends, but I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy the festival the same way. Would I get bored and want to drive home? Would being in a crowd be too much?

Turns out, I had just as good of a time. A little different, sure. But still thoroughly enjoyable.

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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.