No one wants to miss out on an experience of a lifetime.

So all your friends are going to Lucidity…again. Or maybe you just see all these influencers flooding your Insta feed with Burning Man pics every summer. Well, not all of us can go to every festival our heart is set on. Whether it be financial reasons, family obligations, or countless other obstacles, there’s still a way to fulfill that urge to party, grow, express, and discover.

I’ve NEVER been to Burning Man. And for years I REALLY wanted to. Not for a lack of funds or free time, but my biggest obstacle was always actually obtaining a ticket. So instead of accepting utter defeat, I simply found other events to attend. Smaller and shorter festivals closer to home have been much more attainable for me and have had a profound impact on my life.

You don’t need to go to these huge festivals with pricey entry costs to have an epic festival experience. I sometimes wonder if people think attending the mega fests earns you some kind of bragging rights or cool points. All the festivals are great in their own way! In reality all that truly matters is having a good time with your friends and listening to killer music. “Life is about enjoy” - words of wisdom from my Nepalese friends’ father.

Trust me when I say you’ll have just as good or a better overall experience going to the ‘smaller’ fests. And they’re not even all that small!

Second to attending a festival, there are some things you can do during your regular life schedule that can fill in those gaps and combat some FOMO.

Throwing a themed costume party is a wonderful way to get those dressing-up needs handled. You’d be surprised how even most of your normie (non-fest attending) friends enjoy an excuse to dress up in something else than their daily attire.

You can host them at your home, a parents back yard, at a campground, or even at a renegade location out in the woods if you know of one. Recruit one of your friends with a great taste in music to be the “DJ” for the party. Dim the lights, throw up some lasers and Christmas lights and Bob’s your uncle. Mini-fest at the crib.

Some girl friends of mine also like to throw an annual girls camping trip and lingerie party (separately). These yearly events give off festival-like atmospheres including costumes, music, dancing and bathing in the moonlight. Planning something like this with your friends gives you something fun and frivolous to look forward to other than pricey or time-consuming festival attendance.

What if there’s a festival you can’t go to but you really wanted to? Or all your buddies are going to one without you?

Well, you can live stream sets from many festivals at home. You can find festival live streams on Hulu, YouTube, Twitch or even the artists Instagram and Facebook pages. Now this could give you worse FOMO if done incorrectly. Take care and do this instead: invite a friend or a few over, put on your fishnets and rose colored glasses, sip a cocktail by live-stream fireside and enjoy the show!

One of the biggest takeaways from festivals and transformational events alike is that you can bring them home with you. Life can be a festival every day. Whether the venue is Live Oak Campground, a studio apartment in the city, a friends cabin in the mountains, or a local bar takeover, you can always bring the party home.

Don’t let FOMO get you down, it’s all about the intent to have fun, no matter life’s circumstances. Party on Wayne!

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