The Boulder Creek Festival drew in over 100,000 visitors to the area in 2023. This year it is back with a whale hosy of new activities including a Pink Roller Rink alongside its music and food offerings.

While summer festivals are an amazing experience, large gatherings bring with them safety concerns.

Fortunately, if you know what is needed, you can counter and prevent them, making sure you have a memorable festival experience without any danger.

So to help, here are 10 tips for a safe and enjoyable time at Boulder Creek Festival.

Preparation is Everything

Smooth festival trips boil down to the best-laid plans, they say you can never be too prepared. Given the array of pitfalls festivals are known for, that couldn’t be more true.

Your crucial prep should include learning the layout, making an itinerary, and packing essentials.

There will always be things out of your control, but taking time to plan these 3 things ahead of time can help ensure that most things go without a hitch.

1. Learning the Layout

The festival grounds stretch from 9th Street to 14th Street, between Canyon Blvd and Arapahoe Ave.

You can reduce potential stress by familiarizing yourself with its layout. Learning key areas such as the stages and first aid stage stations is incredibly important.

Knowing where you can eat and where the nearest restrooms are helps you plan your itinerary and where to meet ensuring no one gets lost.

The event grounds are mostly hardscape and sidewalks designed to provide access for everyone. However, some areas are uneven or grassed.

ADA parking is available at Mustard’s Last Stand on 1719 Broadway to accommodate and include those with disabilities, but it is limited and, therefore, first come, first served.

2. Schedule Your Itinerary

Reading up on the event line-up and scheduled activities can help you plan your way around. It ensures you don’t miss an act you had hoped to catch.

Remember all of the concerts are free and there are over 30 acts confirmed, planning which you want to see on different stages. Planning which you want to see and the logistics in advance is a no-brainer!

Below are the opening hours for each day but don’t forget to check out this year’s Event Lineup schedule on the festival’s website to guarantee you don’t miss your favorites.

Ground Opening Hours

• Friday: 5 PM – 10 PM
• Saturday: 10 AM – 7 PM
• Sunday: 10 AM – 7 PM
• Monday: 10 AM – 5 PM

3. Festival Essentials

The weather plays a huge role in the essentials needed for the festival season. It can be unpredictable, so it is always best to pack the following must-haves;

• Sunscreen to protect yourself from sun exposure.
• Rain gear, such as a waterproof coat, umbrella, and perhaps boots, regardless of the forecast!

Additionally, at Creek Festival, you will need a reusable water bottle that can be filled at their rehydration stations allocated on-site and reusable bags because the vendors are plastic bag-free.

Navigating Your Way Around

As well as knowing the layout of the festival grounds you should know how to get to and from it and where is available to park.

An event that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators makes parking, as you can imagine, a bit of a nightmare.

If you know where your options are, you can cut out some of the hassle and heading out early can increase your chances of a good spot. Remember to have a backup plan in case someone has stolen your ideal spot.

4. Limited Parking

Where parking is limited the sensible choice is to park further afield and arrive on foot. Biking is encouraged and the festival provides designated bike parking areas which are kept secure to prevent theft.

5. The Importance of Staying Connected

Within groups, it is advisable to agree upon a designated meeting point in case of separation.

Remember that large events make it easy for groups to get split up or to lose track of individual party members.

Communication is really important, so make sure your mobile phones are charged and ready, and consider taking portable chargers to prevent the worst.

On the Subject of staying connected, remember if you plan to share data within your friend group, a reputable VPN can help keep a Wi-Fi connection secure.

This cybersecurity safety tip leads us nicely into our next section; Top On-Site Safety Tips.

Top On-Site Safety Tips

Festival surroundings present a few health cautions, some are external factors such as the weather, and others are personal responsibilities. Let’s discuss them:

1. Health in the Heat Cautions

Although most assume substance abuse is the biggest health concern at a festival, believe it or not, dehydration trumps just about every risk.

If you lose just 1.5% of your body’s water then your mental, emotional, and physical condition begins to deteriorate.

Without staying hydrated, you won’t enjoy the activities and live events, so be sure to use the water refill stations frequently.

Dehydration can set in quickly, especially if it is hot, and the heat also brings with it the potential for some nasty sunburn. So apply sunscreen regularly wear a hat and sunglasses, and seek out shade where possible.

2. Keeping Your Belongings Safe

Large crowds can bring out the best and the worst of us, not all festivalgoers are there to enjoy the music and ambiance. Some are looking for an easy mark, with so much going on you could lose track of your belongings.

The best advice is to pack light, don’t take anything expensive, and keep your wits about you. Important belongings such as phones, keys, and wallets are secured in a zipped bag.

Remember not to take any prohibited items you will be subjected to a bag search conducted by security staff at the festival entrance.

No outside food or drink, drugs, firearms, or glass bottles are permitted inside.

3. Personal Conduct

Creek Festival is a family-friendly event organized to be accessible to all and your personal conduct plays a huge part in keeping everybody safe and happy.

Beer and spirits are sold on-site and therefore it is down to the individual to drink responsibly and prevent unwanted behavior, inappropriate language, or potential accidents from occurring.

With younger visitors in attendance and large crowds, people must keep an eye out for unattended children who may be lost.

Unforeseen Emergencies

Of course, even with the preparations above and responsible actions, emergencies could arise, so knowing where to find help is another festival essential.

1. First Aid Stations and Emergency Exits

When you learn the layout of the grounds the first aid locations and emergency exits should be prioritized, you can’t plan for everything.

But the layout can help you get medical attention if required or evacuate safely should a situation call for it.

2. Severe Weather Precautions

The weather forecast should be monitored beforehand while not always accurate, it could keep you out of severe weather reach.

Should the worst happen identifying areas to shelter in when you plan your trip to Boulder can help you keep yourself protected if things take a turn on the day without warning.

Conclusion

With the right preparation festival season can be fun for everyone. Following the tips laid out in today’s guide you can attend one of Boulder’s biggest events without any hiccups.

Acting responsibly and taking care of your circle of friends, you can enjoy Creek Festivals music activities, and food in safe surroundings that make it a jam-packed weekend away for everyone.

John Mali Director of Media Relations

Director of Media Relations at AboutBoulder.com

john@aboutboulder.com