How to survive a Shanghai music festival

Photograph:  Anthony DELANOIX via Unsplash

Shanghai's big Labour Day weekend of music festivals is upon us and you've got your ticket and are ready to go. But, actually, deep down, you're not ready, are you? You've never been to a Shanghai music festival before and don't know what to expect. How should you dress? Is there a particular etiquette you need to abide by? What do you do if you don't know the words to any of the songs?

GIF: Pitchfork

Ni bu yong zhaoji! We've compiled a bluffer's survival guide for Shanghai music festivals that'll help you get through the weekend unscathed and come out on the other side looking like a seasoned festival pro.

What to do if you don't know any of the acts

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You've looked at the line-up and besides the famous international acts and big-name Chinese bands, you have no idea who anyone is. Unless you're very much plugged into the alternative music scene or a big fan of obscure EDM, you can be forgiven for not knowing every name you see on the bill. Family Mart Disco? Bubble Tea Fiasco? Violent Liangpi? Unorthodox Ayi? Bund-side Misconduct? Profound 158? Virtually Private Network? M50 Cent? You don't have a clue who anyone is, but that's fine.

Just dance, pretend to mouth the words and look like you're enjoying yourself. If asked any questions just be very vague about it all. 'Hanzi Shambles? Yeah, I liked their last album! How Boo How? I prefer their old stuff.' Simple...

How to dress

Photograph: @lilymaymac via Instagram

Okay, first of all, remember you aren't at Coachella. While it may look cool to rock up in the latest festival styles like the girls in the picture above, you might feel a bit weird when it dawns on you that you're not freaking out to Beyoncé in California, you're bopping your head to alt-J at Shanghai Rugby Club.

Storm Fest 2017 (Shawshank Redemption)

Our advice is to dress practically, comfortably and appropriately for the weather – when it rains in Shanghai it really rains. Last year at Storm, when the weather truly lived up to the festival's name, we saw girls battling the mud in high heels and guys walking around shirtless during what felt like a biblical downpour.

How to behave

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Music festival etiquette and behavioural norms differ from festival to festival and country to country. Something that might have a blind eye turned to it at Burning Man might be considered a crime at Strawberry or even a breach of human rights at JZ Spring. You've probably seen the worst of the worst if you've been to a UK festival such as Glastonbury or T in the Park, but remember we're in Shanghai and a lot of that won't fly here.

Photograph via Facebook

If you're expecting a weekend of craziness and debauchery, you're barking up the wrong tree, but that doesn't mean you can't let your hair down and have fun – just keep it clean, there might be kids around... What we're saying is, it won't get as crazy as when we were at Leeds Fest in England in 2009 and a girl fell into the toilet and got stuck... Je suis Poo Girl.

How to get there

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With the exception of JZ Spring, if you're Puxi-based, this weekend's festivals aren't exactly on your doorstep. edc is way out at the end of Line 11 at the Disney station (the end of the earth in Shanghai terms), Strawberry is out on Line 6 at Wuzhou Avenue, 11 stops from Century Avenue (be warned that the trains often terminate at Jufeng Lu so you'll have to get off and wait for another one), while Midi isn't even in Shanghai, it's pretty much in Suzhou. Shuttle buses to and from Midi will be running from Suzhou stations, and you can get to Suzhou by train from both Shanghai Railway and Hongqiao stations. Safe travels.

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