clothes don't matter
be early to boca
beer
comfy shoes
you will probably get sick after, even if it takes a couple weeks
get the contact info of your interwebz friends so you can actually meet up with them instead of speculate whether or not that random d00d in line is someone from online or not and then end up not meeting any interwebz friends at all the whole weekend
don't pee in public (outside)

hm should clarify clothes don't matter as in fuck wear the same pants or something idk buy shirts less to pack makes life easier
don't go running around naked now

Vitamin Water is good stuff! Every time we passed a gas station or liquor store on University Ave I would go buy one and drink it before getting into the next venue, gotta stay hydrated people

I stopped at a McDonalds every single morning and got a large Orange Juice. Helped me out a lot.

eat something salty and drink tons of water every night before you go to bed. you will get sick. so fuck all that emergen-c crap. get stupid but don´t fuck shit up. don´t litter. buy someone a beer. meet people. have the time of your life. go and see the arrivals.

*Don't bring too many clothes. I bring just a couple of t-shirts, an extra pair of shorts and shoes, and fresh underpants and socks for the weekend. Buy a new t-shirt the day before to wear the next day. Don't wear your extra pair of shorts until the day you leave, throw away aforementioned underwear and socks. Use up all that available room to store your new shirts/merch.

* Last year was my first time, and i have to say you have to be very early at registration, i party the night before, and woke up at 1pm, i said, baaah i'll head to registration in a couple of hours, never realized i was gonna get stuck at registration line for like 4 hours

* Most venues you'll get in in about 15 min, but bigger bands like Lagwagon or Braid im pretty sure you'll have to be in line for about an hour before the show

* Stay alert for after parties, house shows, warehouse shows, and keep me informed hehe

* Buy a beer to someone, you'll get plenty of free beer from strangers, so it's time to return the favor to someone else

Last year, I set aside $100 for random-stranger beers.

Best decision ever.

This year, it's going to be $200.

Also: make friend's with everyone in line. I had to wait in line to get some of our friends their passes (the rest of us had band passes, and I had to grimly watch as all my 1994! dudes went swimming), and ended up getting drunk and partying with all of the wives' of the dudes in Red City Radio. Line friends are the best Fest friends--because, chances are, you're going to keep running into one another--so party down, try to remember names, and drink all the Fest punch.

I was also cursed with a bad case of blisters. Be early to registration. Waited in line four hours, drank a heinie. not a good idea. Got sick. by the time registration was done, i just wanted to go back to the room. I missed some bands I definitelly wanted to see because I was late. So, now I am going to be better prepared and show up early.

One guy said he doesn't bring shirts because he inevitably buys a closetful during Fest which leaves tons of room in his suitcase. Smart move.

I bought some Dr. Scholls "For Her" inserts made for women on their feet 16+ hours a day, and they were AMAZING the first two nights. My buddy and I headed back to the car around 2 a.m. Friday (night), and I felt like I could run a marathon. Definitely worth the $12 (I found a coupon online).

I went to the comedy show (Sunday?), and sitting for 30 min worked a miracle on my back. I was astounded at how much better I felt after even that short break. My advice– if you can work in a 30 min sit-down, it'll be well-worth your time.

BRING EARPLUGS. I know it's not "punk" to say it's too loud, but Fest totally is. Either get some cheap foam ones or invest the $10 to $15 on some Etymotic plugs. You'll be glad you did.

Don't be "that guy" who tackles people while rushing from the back of The Florida Theater to the pit at the front. And don't throw full/half-full cans of beer. No one thinks it's funny, and it hurts when they hit you.

Do say "hey" to people standing around by themselves. That's been me in most years past, and it's nice to make friends.

It's never been that bad before, I don't know why it was last year but I'm hoping it won't be this year. At Fest 9 I waited until about 5pm I think and walked right in.

Not to say don't show up early if you want to make sure you get it all sorted ASAP but I'm thinking, especially with the idea of an early bird registration on the Thursday, that it won't be as bad this time around.

Pretty sure it was because there were more people than ever last year, considering the hugeness of the lineup. It sold out 3 times with 3 sets of ticket sales.

We just didn't have enough people checking people in last year. At Fest 9 that many people was fine but for some reason it just did not work out during Fest 10. This year we'll have a lot more people available to check folks in.

This will be my third, and i have not gotten it yet, and i do some international mingling too (so my immune system is cultured) the secret? Beermosas with emergen-c, for realz... One more thing for the do list, Vets, find a firstie and show him or her how it's done, Firsties, Find a Veteran Fester, theyll show you how its done...

Something that I learned last year that I didn't do previously was to drink A LOT of Emergen-C.....stuff helped out the Fest Aids a lot!

I also stopped by mcdonalds every day...to get a 20 pc chicken mcnugget for $4.99. Helped me out a lot, as well.