By: Pooja
Its more than just your ticket: it’s a memory. Festival Wristbands have become a staple in EDM culture. Long gone are the days the festival experience begins when the doors open: instead, the fun begins as soon as tickets arrive to your door. EDC and Tomorrowland are infamous for their elaborate magical gift boxes which arrive with their Festival Wristbands. Not only have the design of wristbands improved vastly over the last decade, but their function has increased as well. Not only do wristbands provide access control, they act as cashless payment methods, and of course a bragging right.
Here’s 5 ways you can keep your Festival Wristbands!
A popular trend amongst festival go-ers (including myself) is the Shadow Box! This method involves the most amount of manipulation to your wristbands, so if you do this, you wont be able to re-wear your wristbands again. Once you’ve selected your shadow box frame size, you’ll need to smash (NOT CUT) the plastic security clasps off each wristband. Cut wristbands ultimately do not have the same effect. Then slide off and set aside the plastic RFID pieces from each wristband. An optional step here is to choose whether to wash your cloth wristbands (handwash or a use an underwear bag).
It is advised that you iron or straighten out your wristbands to achieve the maximum smooth effect. Once ironed, slide back the plastic RFID chips onto your wristbands, space them evenly out on your shadow box display and use double sided tape to stick the wristbands to the shadow box. Repeat for each band until completed! It is suggested that you place your wristbands in either rainbow or chronological order for the maximum effect! You can also use cool scrapbook paper for a fancier background.
A popular option for the lazy raver is to store all your wristbands in a mason jar or memory box. If you want to get creative, you can decorate your storage unit by repurposing old stickers and boxes from past events! Just be careful, as limiting the flow of fresh oxygen to bacteria-infested wristbands may cause the storage unit to smell.
This can be avoided one of two ways: either was your wristbands using the strategy above (handwash or garment bag) OR you store your wristbands uncovered. Using a deodorizer or spray can also held reduce or eliminate unwanted odor.
From pashminas, to t-shirts to jackets: you can make anything with enough Festival Wristbands (key word, ENOUGH). Even DJ’s have turned wristbands into festival fashion: Zhu sported a custom-made jacket made of festival wristbands EDC 2018. The possibilities are endless here: it all comes down to the number of wristbands you have and how much additional non-wristband fabric you are willing to use. Along the same train of thought, Ravers have also repurposed the fabric from wristbands to make accessories like coin purses. This requires much less skill and less wristbands to start with.
Nothing says “I’m a Festival Addict” more than sporting old wristbands! A trend more popular amongst the European Festival circuit, re-wearing old wristbands has become a summer staple. Use a bracelet holder, mason jar or memory box to store your old wristbands, and then get them out and about once the season hits! Re-wearing old wristbands is also a great way to connect with other ravers and bond over potential shared memories.
If you plan on going this route, washing your wristbands between wears is crucial. Consider investing in reusable clips to replace your existing festival clips in the event they become too tight.
Remember, once you cut your wristbands, its all over. So choose your adventure carefully!
Pooja Shah is an LA-Based IT Consultant and the FestivalAddicts website monkey. When she’s not posting articles, getting sponsors, or headbanging to the latest Lost Lands Compilation Album, you can follow her festival adventures on Instagram @Pooja_Shahnanigans