People-watching can be just as entertaining as the performers at a music festival. Keep an eye out for these five types you might meet wandering among the oaks.
THE ROAMER
This person always ends up alone in the debauchery with a dead phone and nowhere to go. He or she may ask to use your phone or charger since they can’t get an Uber or Lyft with a dead battery. He or she might also ask—even beg—you for a ride somewhere. For everyone’s safety, stick to the buddy system or else you may become the roamer.
THE STAN
“Stan” spawned from Eminem’s 2000 track about an obsessive, maniacal fan of the same name. This person knows everything about the artist, including their government name, birthday, zodiac sign, favorite food, and relationship status; and they will tell you about every unreleased track they’re hoping the artist will perform. Voodoo firsttimer and headliner The Weeknd is known for his ferocious fan base—and they despise bandwagon fans (like all Stans).
THE UNDERAGE BRIGADE
Either they travel in packs or there’s one teeny bopper in the group of “adults.” Nevertheless, age is nothing but a number when you’re partying at a festival. However, beware of those who ask you to buy alcohol for them. And don’t be surprised if you overhear someone talking about the homework they don’t plan on doing.
THE TAKING-UP-SPACERS
This is one of the more obnoxious types of people. Usually recording the show and not singing along or dancing, all they do is place you one person farther from the stage. If they’re playing on Snapchat, Twitter, or Instagram etc. and not even watching the show at all, that’s even more frustrating. To put it simply, T-U-Sers are just there for the social media posts, which is lame.
THE NEW BFFs
You’re going to bond with complete strangers who love the same music as you, creating a vibrant atmosphere during,arguably, New Orleans’ most wonderful time of the year. You could make new best friends with people you may never see again. Your new BFF could be a Roamer, a Stan, a member of the Underage Brigade (with caution) or even a Taking-Up- Spacer, which is a beautiful thing. Stop recording. Start raging.