I wish this festival was still in place But they haven't done this In years My first time my friends did the glamping package which was cool but it was a hot mess with showers and even though we were supposed to get priority we were not and it seemed like they didn't train their folks right The walks are long and going over the bridge going in seems fine but coming back lol it's hard But this festival is just nice with their stages spread out and although they made changes to certain areas over the years it still was a great festival read more

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Bought a 1 day pass to this music festival back in 2017, mainly to see The Weeknd. It was my first time attending. My husband has been to a couple of Firefly Music Festivals and was familiar with the scene. It is a multi-genre festival and one of the largest festival in the US. People usually camp out for the 4-day event. During the day, the bands that play are a bit lowkey whereas at night, the band/singers are concert-like and wild but its a great time! The sound bass coming through the speakers for every singer was spectacular. Overall an amazing experience! read more

Firefly Music Festival - The Weeknd - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Delaware

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My husband and I went to Firefly for the first time this year and we had an awesome experience and definitely makes memories. Not exactly knowing what to expect, we did our research and went with others who had previously been which helped us in navigating the music festival scene. The lineup was good and we really enjoyed the music. Tickets to the three day festival start around $320 for general admission. You can upgrade your wristbands (take note- there aren't any tickets) so don't fall victim to scams. An upgrade to VIP will double the cost and super VIP is several thousand dollars per band. This is pretty comparable to other festivals- Firefly was bought last year by Coachella. Be prepared for a large crowd- people of all ages and backgrounds. Music brings us together so keep that in mind. I did see some kids while was there mainly in the Super VIP section- use caution when thinking about bringing the whole family. Attire can also be eye catching. There are people in very little clothing and others who will dress comfortably. Everyone is there to have a good time and enjoy the music and I liked the availability of stations that could be used to report and seek help ( security, medical, etc.) I wore a fanny pack and stored my personals inside- the music festival is cashless which was nice. I used Apple Pay a lot. For those who don't feel comfortable with this, cash is still an option. My husband brought a camelbak which he filled often in the water station. You can carry in a backpack but it must be clear. There was plenty of food but it was pricey. Two tacos will run $14, pizza $8, and lemonade $6. Not more pricey than other festivals but since the festival goes all day and into the early morning for several days, it adds up. There are also plenty of places to get an alcoholic beverage if you need one. If you have a general admission pass, you have to use portable toilets which aren't that bad. They were kept pretty clean and lines moved fast. One last piece of advice, watch your belongings. In a large crowd, it's easy to have a cell phone stolen and I heard theft was an option this year. Just be aware of your surroundings. read more

Firefly Music Festival - Nighttime at Firefly - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Delaware

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I haven't attended a music event more than one day before. I spent months on the festival web site, reading all the tips on how to make the experience better. I joined several facebook groups to learn anything I could about Firefly. I downloaded the Firefly app on my phone. Overall, Red Frog Productions did a fairly decent job at pulling the event together. Check in was well organized and painless. I was not excited about the wristband. I understand that the festival needs to protect itself from fraud or people trying to sneak in. The wristband was uncomfortable and pesty. The extra ribbon from the band was especially annoying. If I tied it in a knot, it wouldn't stay. I had seen pictures of bands that had been cut. They would fray. I learned to deal with it. If I had a do-over, I would not have pulled it as tight as I did. Once you move the band forward, there is no undoing it. There were so many bands to choose from. The Firefly app was really convenient. You could look up performance times, learn about food venues and register your wristband. There were lots of fun photo opps. The areas of improvement would include being more organized and having a thorough screening/training of day or hourly hires. The parking staff on the road were chill, really relaxed and totally unconcerned with where you parked. The parking employees directing people into the grass and paved areas did not have the same plan. We had three employees giving us three different instructions. All three were equally frustrated with us for not following their unorganized waving of hands. I finally told one of the employees that we were willing and happy to follow one plan but that three plans caused confusion. That employee finally understood how challenging it was for concert goers to park when there wasn't consistent direction. The FYE staff at the tent did not even know what artists were at the signing tables. I bought a CD for a group that was sitting at the table when I entered the tent and they were gone 5 minutes later. This shows a lack of organization by whoever was wearing the FYE shirts. That was disappointing and unprofessional. No one at FYE cared about my circumstances. I reached out to corporate but I would have preferred actually meeting the artists than a small gift card. This drop in communication was preventable. The food had theme park prices but there were some decent choices. Firefly allowed bottled water, which was a lifesaver. All three water filling stations had hour (and longer) waits. One station even ran out of water. I didn't want to waste time in line so when our water ran out, we bought the $4 bottled water. We did not camp. We stayed with a friend. I did not deal with the showers but I was told that the lines were long and that conditions worsened as the days passed. We accidentally drove through regular camping. The roads were bumpy and full of giant pot holes. I felt horrible for all campers when Hurricane alerts forced everyone in tents to remove the poles and take the tents down. Campers who had paid extra to arrive a day earlier where forced to sleep in their cars. I read about bringing a bandana to protect from dust. I never saw any dust. The mud was bad even the first day. I wore gardening crocks, which were perfect. I could clean the grime off each day and my feet stayed dry. Paul McCartney was incredible. He had a wonderful show which included lights, a running documentary production with clips from the Beatles, unique family pictures & fireworks. He didn't even use a sweat towel! Paul's performance was worth any pot smoking idiots who blew smoke into the crowd, inconsiderate happy drunks and trolls without manners. Mother nature was determined to cancel a few performances. If you downloaded the FF app, you were the first to know that bands were being rescheduled or cancelled. There wasn't complete organization when evacuating s many people. the chat boards described being forced out exits father than where people had parked. We were lucky that we had left before the cattle was herded out. I don't know if we'll be back but for those attending next year, I highly suggest reading about the logistics about FF on the chat boards. Seasoned attendees have really great tips about what to bring and what to expect. I wouldn't camp. I would look for dorm rooms, book a hotel in advance or stay with a friend. If you are going to camp, lock all your valuables in your car. Don't wear shoes you love. They will get really dirty. Take a one-sheet or garbage bag to put under your towel or blanket. Expect to do lots of walking. Download the FF app on your phone. Bring a spare charger and also a plug since there were charging stations throughout the grounds. Umbrellas aren't allowed. Bring a plastic reusable poncho. Those cheap plastic ponchos will stick to you in the heat. Look for water resistant pouches for your phones & camera. read more

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Update for campers! 2016 it rained- a lot but not hard. And it was muddy again. Since I camped before (not at festivals), I checked out the weather and came prepared for my fellow boys ( with no camping experience like me). What to bring (if you want to stay dry): -A good tent that fits your group. We brought a 6 person tent to fit 4 of us comfortably. -Cot, air mattress (if you plan to sleep together), or a sleepy bag. - TWO Tarps, pending on the size of your tent go one up. For example, 4 person tent should get a medium or large, 5-6 person is a large or x-large. It's good to have one tarp for the bottom of your tent and another to go over your tent that way you stay dry. Most tents are not 100% waterproof, it's usually water resistant. Yes there is a difference. -Canopy to create a hangout place or as a "porch" -Flashlights, lamps, or lights to hang. Go solar so that way it lights up automatically -Bring an extra pillow or light blanket...it can get chilly if it rains all night -Tray table to level up some space Food: - Cooler -Dry Ice goes a long way...no need to bring a fridge. We used one dry for the cooler, covered it with plastic/cloth and added ice. We layered first by adding all our meat in the bottom and produce on top. Eggs and fruit can be left out-but shade it. -Propane portable stove -2 small pans -plastic cups -utensils -water -Alcohol!!! Seriously, make your self some mimosas! Or beer-mosas! Other: -3 ft. folding table (you can go longer) -outdoor small rug if you want to glamp it up -Flag to track your tent -lawn chairs -sunblock -sunglasses -tapestry to create shade (hang them up) -Fun accessories to GLAMP! -Clips read more

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My first experience here and not a great one. If you don't go to camp and you attend on a single day General Admission pass. you'll pay a shade over $100 bucks. You'll have to park over a mile to the main gate for the performances. If you're going to meet up with someone in the North Premier camping area, it's 2 to 3 miles. They have no shuttle and you'll have to pay $20 or more to park for a few hours. The stages are very very far apart. There are no dedicated foot path's so the grass get's trodden down and it turns to dust. People were wearing handkerchiefs over their faces to deal with the dusty nussance. The Dog Fish Head tent was the place to watch the US -vs- Portugal soccer game. The only place with TV's. The Firefly ale was OK, nothing too special. The real headache was when you left to go to the port-o-potty, no one will tell you that you can't get back in. They limit 2 to 6 re-entries every 10 minutes. There were several hundred people waiting to get back in. We saw City & Colour, Jake Bugg & Lumineers. They were all short sets of about an hour. So annoying to breath dust and have your eyes irritated. I did like the many port-o-potties but the entrance and line arrangements were confusing. The food choices were good and the prices were reasonable, the David Bowie pizzas was worth the wait. A tolereable experience & I didn't see a single Firefly read more

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Wow. There is so much to say about Firefly, I don't even know where to begin. Firefly gave itself the title of "the East Coast's premier music experience," and they were spot on with that definition. The entire weekend was incredible, the Woodstock of this decade. The festival lasted three days, Friday July 20th - Sunday July 22nd, featured close to fifty performers on four different stages, and accommodated around 30,000 fans each day! The entire weekend ran extremely smoothly. From the promptness of the performances to the layout of the festival grounds, Firefly felt like a well-oiled machine rather than a massive music festival in its inaugural year. I got to experience The Killers, Jack White, John Legend, Death Cab for Cutie, OK Go, Lupe Fiasco, Young The Giant, Grouplove, Awolnation, Silversun Pickups, Graffiti6, Chiddy Bang, Imagine Dragons, CAKE, Modest Mouse, Lupe Fiasco, Cold War Kids, Reptar, Fitz and the Tantrums, and many, many more. (For the full lineup, see this link. http://fireflyfestival.com/#lineup.php) My friends and I thought seating wouldn't be too great considering the amount of people going to the shows, but it actually was great! All four stages were standing-only, but many people chose to bring blankets and towels and sit a little farther back, still with good views. Two of the larger stages had big video screens that showed the performances, so that helped too. But if there was a band you liked and you wanted to get up-close and personal in the front row, all you had to do was show up a few minutes early! Let's talk about food: The prices weren't outrageous, but things weren't cheap either. A bacon cheeseburger and fries was $8, Aquafina water bottles were $3, fried oreos were $5, homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches were $5, mac-and-cheese pizza was $8, margaritas were $8. The food was decent for being majorly mass-produced. There was also a winery, brewery and Jack Daniels area set up on site. Let's talk about branding: I don't know who they hired to do the branding, but they've gotta be the Don Draper of the music-festival-branding scene. The décor throughout the fairgrounds was awesome! As far as merchandise goes, they had a pretty wide selection of shirts for the musicians performing. Most band shirts were $30. They had two official Firefly posters, one of which was absolute art. There was also a poster booth that featured three different designers and their handmade screen-prints. We're talking super high-quality prints with absolutely GORGEOUS designs. Firefly t-shirts and hoodies were somewhat of an issue, however. They had super soft hoodies and t-shirts and they were printing the shirts on site, which, in theory, is awesome. But they couldn't produce them fast enough or in quantities that they needed for all the people that wanted to buy them. Also, the V-necks were extremely deep V-necks, and therefore not really meant for guys, so the shirt selection for Firefly specific stuff was limited and quite disappointing. Let's talk about the cool features: Water refill stations: If you bought a "green" ticket (which cost $20 or so more than a normal ticket), you got a free Firefly "Klean Kanteen" that you could refill at the water refill stations at the festival grounds. Hammock Hangout: There was an awesome area in the woods called the Hammock Hangout, which was a nice, cool, shady place with hammocks and swings to cool down away from the hot sun. Photo booths/video flipbooks: There was a tent that had a photo booth and a cool video booth that recorded you and your friends and made your video into a flipbook. Cool Down/Charge-Up tents: There were a few tents around the fairgrounds that were air-conditioned and had places for festivalgoers to cool off and charge their phones. Arcade: There was an awesome tent that was not only air-conditioned, but also full of old school, retro arcade games, all free to play. Hot-air balloon rides: There were two hot-air balloons that you could ride for $20. The balloon didn't travel but went up in the air for you to see the festival from above. Let's talk about the location of Dover, Delaware: "We've never performed in Delaware," was something EVERY musician said during their performance, no exaggeration. But I guess Delaware was a good place to have a festival like this, because of the space it offers, and its central location on the East Coast. Let's talk about the people: Most festivalgoers were fun and loosey-goosey. There wasn't a lot of rowdiness happening at all, most people were straight-up chillin' and enjoying the summer and the music. People were dancing, jumping to the beat and singing to their favorite songs. Everyone was friendly, including the people working at the food booths and other tents, and it was a good time for all. I hope Firefly Music Festival is a yearly thing "until the end of time," as the singer of OK Go said. The entire weekend was amazing and one of the highlights of my summer! read more

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I almost died on several occasions. BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL EVER. I have never had the honor of being out west for a music festival but they weren't kidding when they said Firefly was the biggest and best music festival on the east coast. I was only there for Saturday which meant I got to avoid a lot of the problems people endured and I as I said I almost died as opposed to actually dying, which I'm sure would have happened if I was there for all three days. What made this so great is what made it such a problem for others. It was so unorganized. It was amazing. It was like high schoolers and morons were working, oh wait they were. I didn't even need my ticket. I got into VIP without any bracelet on, I don't mean a VIP bracelet. I mean any bracelet. They didn't even check my ticket when I walked into the festival. We drove down Saturday morning and got there at 10 am. Ate something quick and started to rage. Saw some people by the bathrooms showering in filth which was nice. Met up with my friends who had their camp site all setup. I hear some people complaining about how it was a terrible wait on Friday and I saw the Facebook updates, however you gotta expect that. My friends said they didn't have any real problems. Drive and drive early my friends. We were partying and checking out the scene having a great time. Went in around 1 and my friend had a different route he used for VIP to get in. I just followed his lead and went in. No one there knew anything. If you knew how to talk, you could have bullshited your way into anything. No one knew what the bracelets meant. Not the pink ones, not the VIP ones, not the guest ones. The security had no idea. We get in and start buying some drinks. Some people had quarrels with the prices. I don't know where your from but a $7 dollar pint sounds amazing to me. Go to MSG and try to get that price. But who needs that when you have uninformed employees. My friends who were allowed in VIP were denied, just goes to show you how much people know. They were denied access to where they paid to be. Then when we attempted another entrance and we all got in. No problems. Went to the back where there was an even more exclusive section and started drinking for free. We we're tipping quite friendly out of joy. The VIP area was a blast and a good way to cool off. Kendrick Lamar was good. The best performance of the day was the Alabama Shakes. Edward Sharpe was a little disappointing but still enjoyed it. Karen O killed it. MGMT was awesome. By the time Tom Petty came on I was starting to lose my mind as well as my soul, morals and ten pounds which were lost way earlier in the day. Still I enjoyed his set. Couldn't hang for the EDM stuff at the end. Went back to regroup for a bit so I could stay up later. Refocused, I continued on but was shocked to see people calling it an early night. People know this is a music festival right? One annoying thing was the staff had no idea what would happen to my car over night. There were telling me that it could be towed. Others were saying no way it'll be towed. They couldn't even agree at 2 am in the morning. Eventually I figured out there was no way they could tow all those cars in the parking lot. I see so many people complaining about the camping experience. C'mon. This is an outdoor festival. What did you expect? People are complaining about ATMs? Really? If your parents went to Woodstock, they should slap you. Food? Bring your own, what did you expect? People are complaining about the ground? Too rocky or that it was sinking. Motherfucker were you at Governors Ball? Randall's Island is a swamp. I needed to swim across a moat for a vodka soda. That's right a mother fucking moat. An alligator almost got me! A freaking alligator and I loved every second of it! Woke up the next day at 6 am and told my people it was time to go home. Easy ride back on a beautiful day. I love drives like that. I'm glad I did the one day pass. It was easily the best day because you didn't deal with the hassles and it was without a doubt the best lineup. Not even close. Firefly 2013, you may have taken my last shred of dignity but hey, I was gonna lose it eventually. Glad I can say it was with something special! read more

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Come prepared, if you have allergies bring a bandana and some meds. Stay hydrated! Bring lots of sunscreen! Many campers brought their own toilet tents. Almost everyone is friendly. Bring a spray bottle and everyone will love you. Popcorn is the best food to buy as it will last you all day. Great bands, great music, great experience! See you all next year! (Yes, I took that picture! :-) ) read more

Firefly Music Festival - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Delaware

Writing this review, I feel like I'm documenting my generation's Woodstock. Essentially that is what the Firefly Music Festival was in its 2012 inaugural year. With one of the best alternative rock and overall music lineups in the world, the first year of Firefly was an unbelievably success. Around 30,000 people flocked to the Woodlands of Dover National Speedway. Thousands camped outside of the festival for a fee and many "glamped" (glamorous camping). We personally commuted from a friend's house in upper Maryland to save money and keep fresh. The Woodlands were decked out with four stages, two hot air balloons that could be utilized for $20, a hammock hangout, an air conditioned arcade, a "cool down, charge up" cell phone charging station, a TOMS shoe customization tent, two water refilling stations, a merchandise stand, lots of food options, a brewery with "Firefly Ale," a vineyard, and a tent where three poster artists sold their amazing designs. That being said, there was a ton to do that was non-music related if you needed to kill time. But you rarely needed to kill time because across the four days, from morning to night there were amazing acts on stage that couldn't be missed. Almost fifty performers graced the 2012 stages. Headlined by Jack White, The Killers, and The Black Keys, their supporting acts included the likes of Lupe Fiasco, John Legend, OK Go, Grouplove, Death Cab For Cutie, Silversun Pickups, Modest Mouse, AWOLnation, Cults, Fitz & The Tantrums, Cake, Young The Giant, Yeasayer, The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, Graffiti6, and so many more that you wouldn't even believe it. It was music heaven. The food was enjoyable and fun. My favorite stand was "Sweet Tooth" which had giant home made ice cream sandwiches and fried oreos. These things were $5 or more. As were most food items. The Mac & Cheese pizza from La Tratoria was $9, burgers/fries from The Burger Joint was about that too. For a meal you were generally paying about $10. Water was $3 and I believe beer was about four or five. It's obvious they made bank on food, beer, and wine (which was like $8 at the on-site winery). However they also raked on merch. The merch stand had tees from nearly every band as well as Firefly-specific clothing. They could have done a better job keeping the Firefly stuff in stock as they were producing them on-site in a screen printing tent. The hoodies everyone wanted so badly constantly sold out. The t-shirts ran dry by the third day too. So gettem early! Overall this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I began to feel like The Woodlands were my home and I was so excited to return each day. It was an a immensely comfortable music environment that I can't wait to return to every year. I feel like I'm attached to this festival and a part of it having been there it's first year. It is in fact coming back in 2013, I cannot wait! read more

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Where What Who? Yes, that's what went through my mind when my friend invited me to camp out among hipsters and music lovers for this free-love affair. Three things I've learned about Delaware: it's the first state of the US, the home of Dogfish Head Brewery, and has established Firefly as the first East Coat music festival extravaganza. I almost forgot Delaware existed before this trip and probably will again in a month. For being the larvae of music festivals, overall Firefly succeeded with a solid lineup headed by bands like Black Keys, The Killers, Jack White, John Legend, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bassnectar. However, Firefly still feels very juvenille. It's no Coachella or Lollapalooza yet. Some downsides: only 4 stages, limited availability of cooling stations, poor customer service, and no campground map. My biggest problem was that charging and cooling stations were combined into 2 tents in opposite parts of the fairground. Not only were there ghastly long lines for charging, but people would come back after 4 hours of charging only to have their batteries charged 15%. The A/C sucked up so much power from the generator that not enough power went to the charging stations. Finding the shower stalls was a mess too, our calves ached after circling around the campsite and customer service had no clue where the showers were. Like Harold and Kumar finding White Castle, discovering the shower became the magical experience of the weekend although it cost $5. As for the crowd, wow I was quite impressed by the civility and friendliness especially given the leniency and great amount of booze drinking on the fairgrounds. Best part about the beer was the Dogfish brewery of course, my favorite craft beer. I got to sample some brews I've never tried before like the Midas Touch and Namaste. Not bad at $8 a cup in a A/C tent. read more

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This was my first music festival and overall my friends and I had a fantastic time and I would totally do it all over again. We all did 4 day passes, opted for the free parking, and stayed in a hotel further up the road (about 15 miles or so). Half of our group came from the DC metro area while the other half came down from NJ. TRAVEL The DC clan left during rush hour on Thursday. So, that's nothing against firefly, we're working adults and know better but that's the only time we could band together to make the mini road trip up there. Once we got over the frightening bay bridge, (travel & leisure magazine's top 9 scariest bridges in the world) everything was smooth sailing. The peeps in the lot directing the traffic could of been a bit more solid, definitive and tighter with their instructions, but I guess they were also volunteers so I'll cut them a break. The walk from the free parking lot to the festival itself was maybe .75 miles? almost but not quite a mile I suspect. Don't wear flip flops, wear comfy shoes you don't mind getting busted. MUSIC I came here for a few of the headliners, but also to check out a few smaller bands. For me, it was about seeing my favorite bands and discovering a few new ones. Firefly did not disappoint with its lineup! They had a bit of everything here, although some genres were more heavily represented than others. Indie rock, folk, and edm had more representation than say hip hop, soul, bluegrass. FOOD Food trucks at the hub (the area they call the place just before you enter the festival) included some pop up restaurants and popup walgreens. Inside the festival were a number of vendors offering a lot of allergy friendly/diet-friendly foods (gluten free, vegan. vegetarian). If you got there early enough in the day you could probably customize your order a little further. Later into the day you can forget it though. STAFF/VOLUNTEERS For the most part, helpful, friendly personable and stayed on top of most things. Of course a festival of this size is bound to have a few bad apples but from what I saw they handled it pretty well. As mentioned earlier, some departments seemed a bit more together than others but they all came together to pull off a good event. FESTIVAL GOERS Pretty chill crowd although the demographic skewed towards late teens/early twenties (mostly college coeds) which made an interesting dynamic when bands/groups like the foo fighters and outkast performed. Overheard at the festival (from one woman to a young man) "Outkast has been a group longer than you've been alive!" awkward.... Not to say there weren't other age groups. I met a group of 50 to 60 somethings that made it a point to get together to go to big music fests like these and I saw some parents with small kids. Met some people in their 30s & 40s as well. But overall its mostly early to mid 20s. I wouldn't say it's the best place for small kids though. (noise, crowds, and in this year's case dust, bands having more 'adult' content etc) CONS Well the woodlands cleared some trees to make room for more festival goers, from what I read on the website. This left a lot of dust, dirt, and rocks on most of the festival grounds. From my understanding, this isn't entirely Firefly's fault. I mean, they DON'T own the land that the festival is on. However, I think they're making strides to rectify it for next year. But boy, was that dust pretty bad. Not the worse (sand storms by far....evil. this is no where NEAR that bad). I'm sure we won't have that problem next year. Too few water stations. Free water stations by camelbak? AWESOME. Only 3 or 4 stations on the entire grounds? Meant long lines during peak times of day. But kudos to the festivalgoers getting in their high quality h20. bobby boucher would shed a tear of joy at the sight. Narrow pathways to get from one side to the other of the festival. The two chokepoint pathways were fine most of the time but during peak times on Friday and Saturday things got a little packed and herd-like. Luckily nothing happened but I could see that causing some problems should there be an incident (fight, falling, faint) etc OVERALL A good time if you plan ahead, keep an open mind, and go with the intent of enjoying good music. It's in the woods and not a 5 star hotel/conference center so of course it's not going to be the most glamorous and comfy. Take it as it is and enjoy yourself :) read more

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I would give this festival zero stars if I could. Absolutely terrible experience all around. The bathrooms and smells all around the festival were absolutely horrendous. So dirty. And they charge $10 for freezing cold showers that take an hour to get into. We went with a group of 11 people, one of my friends was getting water and passed out without our group realizing. We found him at the medic tent shaking and shivering absolutely terrified after he passed out twice. The medics truly did not care about his well being and told him that he was fine and to leave. Thank god we found him before he was wandering the festival alone, scared with a concussion? The medical care was truly upsetting. Overall, this festival was dirty, inhumane, and absolutely a nightmare with the most careless staff I've ever seen. I've been to other festivals that were far and away so much better. Never again Firefly. read more

Simultaneously the best and worst five days of my life. I could give a literal novel on my experience at Firefly, but Yelp's character limit prevents me, so I'll try to summarize the best way I can... First off, I went with my girlfriend and we got Wednesday Night Premier Camping -- right off, this is the way to do it. You get settled in for a night before the "real" music acts start on Thursday, and you also get a few live musical acts that range from "Who in the hell?" to "Oh! Nice!", so it's not all bad. For instance, WNPC's got Arkells and Robert DeLong -- not too shabby. I know, no one knows who Arkells are, but they're pretty good. I'd discourage VIP or Care-Free camping or any of that just because for VIP, you're eons away from the stages. For those few spots where you're ON the stage, you get zero interaction with the band, and you're standing to the side or behind them. I fail to see how that's worth the price. Care-Free camping and the like costs a decent bit of money extra as well, and they are well away from the festival outside. Yeah, you get a shuttle service, but I imagine it sucking having to rely on a shuttle to pick you up. Okay, so the camping situation... getting in was fine. No one ruined mine or my girlfriend's life by getting into our camping space with their stuff. The campers on the other hand, are a mess. I'm not a super social or anti-social person -- I pick and choose. The campers next to us literally -- I mean... LITERALLY -- only talked about drugs. Their first conversation was, "Name, where you're from, and drug of choice.", and that's what they ran with all weekend. Any time I was at my camp site, day or night, they were talking about drugs. I'm not anti-drug by any means, but... get another hobby, would you? Leaving the festival was also a mess... I'll get this bit over with: it took us over three hours to get out of the festival in the morning. We got in line at 9:10, and didn't get out until a little after 12:30, with us being completely at a standstill for about three of those 3.5hr. Seriously, Firefly needs to work out a better system. Thankfully, I was just glad to be in air conditioning and sitting down, so it wasn't that miserable. Okay! The Festival itself -- mostly good food, mostly good people, mostly a good time. For food, do NOT get Coriander Market... it's over-priced, you don't get much food, and the food is just bland. The people are nice for the most part, but be prepared for bottles thrown at you randomly, see people pissing behind trash cans, security guards giving water and food to flirty girls at the rail at Main Stage, and for people to throw up or openly piss on the ground at stages. None of this bothered me TOO much, because honestly, I expected it at a music festival... regardless... come on, people. Walking around the festival isn't bad. The area takes about 15 minutes to walk from one side of the other to, which is fine by me. The amount of trash on the ground -- in the festival and in the camping area -- is astounding. There is garbage absolutely everywhere, and I just wonder how long it takes x amount of people to pick it all up. I'm really disjointed, there's just a lot to say... for the music acts in 2016, all of it was good or better with a couple of exceptions. Ellie Goulding had almost zero crowd interaction, and her labored "THEKYEH" at the end of every song was just annoying, honestly. Fetty Flop (a.k.a. Fetty Wap) was frustrating. He came on half an hour late, and my girlfriend and I didn't wait longer than ten minutes to openly shout profanities at the others on stage. I sadly admit I was looking forward to Fetty -- really, I got what I expected... yeah, live rap is not something to get excited about. The headliners (other than Ellie, and Two Door Cinema Club in some ways) were great. St. Lucia was an underrated and likely underappreciated late night set that did a phenomenal job, and Arkells had a lot of energy that I really appreciated all three (yes, three) times I saw them. Anyway, to wrap up... Firefly is a hell of an experience. Relying on baby wipes to clean myself for five days was... different, waking up in a puddle of sweat every morning, and standing in place without being able to sit for 8-12hr a few of the days was truly both miserable and incredible (you're gonna have to hydrate properly to do that... a couple liters of water a day and no alcohol will help). I'd love to say more and go more in-depth, but Yelp won't let me say all that I want to. Just know that whether you're a stinky little festival junkie or a person who just likes to be clean and away from most people (the latter is generally me), you ought to really enjoy yourself if you come in with an open mind. Until next year, Firefly! ... assuming the line up is decent. read more

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Pretty amazing festival which fantastic staff!!! We arrived for Wednesday Premier camping which was beyond worth the extra money! We got a campsite right between the entrance to the festival and the hub that housed the bathrooms, showers, food and pre party stage! I was impressed that they offered farmers market food, food trucks, volleyball, yoga and a conscience store for things you forgot! They even offered Bloody Mary's in the morning to help kick that hangover! The ice was expensive and it's just a total way to rip off campers since they know we need it! The festival itself is set up nicely and spaced out. Spaced out is great for listening to a show but is horrible when moving from stage to stage! It's a very big site so be prepared for lots of walking which means wear the right shoes and stop worrying about what looks cute! The sound and quality of performance was great for everyone I saw except Fetty Wap which was unbelievably bad and he shouldn't be allowed back, ever! Food and drink: they had a great variety of food and drink! Liquor, wine and beer were available. Dogfish beer offered a beer garden which was super nice! The wine was offered by the bottle and you got a free water bottle with purchase! The food was good but the lines were insane! The arcade was one of my favorite things because it was air conditioned and fun!! They had a DJ there which was fun to get a break from the heat!! Be prepared for the weather!!! It will probably rain, bring a jacket or poncho. It will be hot in the day and standing in a huge crowd of people that haven't showered isn't going to feel the greatest but it's worth it, bring sunscreen and a hat! At night when the sun goes down and you have a little sunburn it will feel cold so maybe throw a little coverup in your backpack! The festival is more fun if you are prepared! A few suggestions for improvements would be making the festival 18 and up to weed out the young and immature crowd that is super rude at the shows! I know there are going to be drunken fools everywhere but I watched people vandalize the grounds and such which I think could be helped with an age limit. I also think that young children bring in that environment isn't the greatest because let's face it, people are drinking and doing drugs often. I also think the festival should end the show on the main stage, Major Lazer was great but would have been better on the main stage for the finally! I think they should open the gates at least 30 mins earlier as well! It was an insane made rush to make a set that was right at the time the gates open! I'm sure I could make this review go on for days but the overall conclusion is that it's def a festival worth trying!! Happy Festing, Music Lovers! read more

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Sucked. Music lineup 2022 was awful. And why is there a need to do sound checks at 4000 dB at 8 am every morning when the precious night's set finished only 6 hours earlier? Really? And you can bring illegal illicit weed through security stations with no questions asked, but I'm not allowed to bring a candy bar or a beer into the venue? WTF? And the gestapo at security who kept lecturing me that I wasn't exiting correctly because my wrist band didn't show the right color. Really??? And the glamping was a total rip off. read more

This was my first year going and it was the most fun I have ever had. Firefly offers many activities and has delicious Food. I only went for a day, but that was enough! I will definitely come back for years to come. read more

My friend and I drove down to Firefly 2013 from MA, and overall had an unpleasant experience. The festival was badly organized with none of the volunteers knowing where anything was, and the walking distances were pretty dire. I'm definitely not going back next year. CONS 1) Overflow parking distance: we arrived at around 9 pm on Friday because we weren't willing to skip work. While it was great that there was free overflow parking, the walking distance to the festival was terrible. With our luggage, it took us nearly an hour to reach our campsite, and then another 20-25 minutes to reach the festival. At night, it was NOT SAFE to walk the parking lot to campsite distance with so much luggage right by the highway. 2) Lack of signs: for some time, we walked towards the opposite direction because there were no signs near the overflow parking that pointed you towards the festival. Thank goodness we eventually ran into a drunk guy who helpfully pointed out our mistake. 3) Charging stations: unshaded charging stations that only provided for iPhone and Android users. Can someone say, phone discrimination? I have a flip phone and ended up unplugging one of the lights by the Hammock Hangout to charge my phone. Next year, provide for other phones (yes, we exist!) and make sure the waiting area is shaded. I waited with my friend under the sun for nearly 3 hours so that at least her iPhone could be charged. 4) "Sinking" ground: At some parts of the festival, it literally felt like we were walking on quick sand or something despite it not being muddy. I think it was a landfill of some sort, and walking through it was scary. We felt like the ground was going to give away. 5) Unhelpful volunteers: No one seemed to know where the entrance for the Hot Air Balloon ride was. After walking back and forth based on wrong directions, I eventually gave up. Not cool. 6) Bad scheduling: I realize that most people take time off from work to come down to festivals but the main acts shouldn't be scheduled around this assumption. We missed a ton of bands because they played during the day on Friday and very late on Sunday. It would be better to have more acts on Saturday as there was hardly any decent bands playing on that day. 7) Shuttles: we saw signs but WHERE WERE THEY??? PROS Garnier Fructis vendors where they did your hair for free (THANK YOU!); charging outlets at the vendors (lifesavers but need to be advertised better); free games at The Arcade; free water refilling stations. read more

Firefly could be really great, but ultimately falls short when it comes down to it. The schedule was probably the absolute worst for anybody working a 40-hour work week. All the headliners were either during the day on Friday or late Sunday night. You HAVE to account for the young professionals or else your tactic of trying to keep people to stay longer to make more money will actually backfire. Hippies and college students don't have much money (usually), so Firefly is missing out on a huge market (this is what big name music festivals don't do, learn from them). Also, not opening the festival grounds earlier than the performances commence ended up causing a mad rush to the water stations, phone charging booths, food, just about everywhere. Why not open an hour earlier than noontime for better dispersion of the crowds? Oh and you are standing in lines practically the whole weekend. I don't think they know how to manage a crowd that was much larger than last year's. Someone mentioned the hammock situation. Well, people were hovering over each other because of the numerous selfish people (mainly couples) who fell asleep for hours and would not budge. There were so many people throughout the hours of the day waiting and waiting and waiting just get the chance to get on a hammock ONCE, so yeah you have to give those "sleeping beauties" a hint to either make room for you or threaten to flip them over. (I'm only joking, here...sort of). People were NOT polite, really hot and bothered due to the weather I guess. If you have ever been to Ultra, now those are nice people. I had never been pushed by so many douchebags without a 1 sec "oh, sorry" line. That's just common decency. NOW FOR THE GOOD! I hate to be the Debbie Downer, but it's not easy in this situation. The Vineyard was great! $8 for a glass of wine (darn good), $10 for a cheese platter (sub-par, but definitely a must). There were so many food and drink options, including this Island Noodle place...so delicious. The arcade and the Heineken domes really helped kill time between performances. I would probably never go again unless I see some major changes in the scheduling, crowd, and hammocks (yes this is important), which is very likely considering this was only their second year. read more

Meh. Guess I could say there is always good with the bad. I didn't have the best time of my life (although I am extremely jealous of those that did) and I didn't exactly have a terrible time. Personally, I didn't sit in that much traffic and we got there relatively "late" (11am) and we got a great camping spot, right out by the hub/road. There were porta-pottys within reasonable amount of walking distance for most. I can say that while we were sitting at our tent, that someone opened up the hatchback on my car and stole our entire cooler of food and booze. Not exactly the most exciting welcome present. Just be forewarned that people are shady and although most can pay for their $278 wristband for the concert... it is because of this that they CANNOT afford food or drinks, therefore feel the need to steal things from others. The lineup was pretty decent, I wouldn't say overly epic but again not terribly bad. I would agree that poor Petty (although I do love me an old soul) just wasn't the right fit to be headliner on Saturday night. But 21 Pilots, Matt & Kim, Dispatch and Zedd put on amazing sets.. so it made up for it. So if you're looking to attend in 2014, here's what to expect: 1. Overall a $500 weekend, when all is said and done (camping, food, booze, gas, wristband for the festival). 2. Camping is a far walk, if you don't like to walk.. you probably shouldn't be at this event. It is a festival ladies and gents... not the four seasons. 3. Bring extra toilet paper - there are a ton of people, the pottys run out.. its bound to happen and Firefly even wrote in the email prior to bring some of your own. 4. Drugs. This is a festival.. much like woodstock and bonnaroo, so it is to be expected. Don't get mad when you smell it though. 5. Keep your stuff locked up, or it may just go missing. 6. Traffic is terrible getting into the camping area and the volunteers aren't instructed well enough to direct you anyway... just try not to hit people while finding that camping spot of yours. 7. Bring a bucket, there are water spots around the pottys that you can fill up the bucket with and bath yourself. Honestly, I found this to be easier than paying the $5 and waiting in 2 hour lines. But if you go a whole weekend without actually showering (like I, myself did) it's not that terrible. 8. Be careful - cops are everywhere. Don't do anything that could affect your future. 9. The festival is getting bigger and bigger each year, expect more people and more traffic.. its merely inevitable. 10.. ENJOY YOURSELF. read more

I'm kind of surprised by the negative reviews. I am not a big music festival person, but I really enjoyed Firefly 2013. The lineup was awesome, and that is what my rating is based on. I also liked that they offered more than just stages of music. It had a free arcade, hammocks in the woods to take naps, outdoor cinema, etc. Here are my ideas to make it better: Con: The hammocks are too low to the ground. Solution: Could you fix that? Con: The movies are all in black and white without sound. Solution: Could you put on newer movies with sound? You could pass out headphones for the sound. Con: ATM's ran out of cash. I was hungry and cashless. Solution: Start accepting credit cards or refill the ATM's every night. Con: Most of the food was not good. Solution: Could you get some local vendors to sell some decent food. read more

Be wary. This festival has shoddy business ethics and tried to swindle their potential volunteers out of more than $200. They had extended their decline deadline, but then threatened to charge all of us that responded to the extended deadline. Then they proceeded to scare the crap out of us all by waiting several days to respond to our emails of protest, leading to many of us contacting the DE attorney general. I've never been, and now I'll never go. They need to get their act together. read more

This year was my second year visiting the firefly music festival and I cannot speak highly enough about it! They bring top notch artists each year and the shows are always full of energy. They have plenty of bathrooms, although they are port-a-potties so they aren't always the cleanest. The food is pricey. I paid $12 for three tacos at the festival, but they hire different caterers each year so make sure to check the website to see your options. Because the festival is in June every year it is usually very hot during the day so make sure to pack lite clothing! Overall, one of my favorite festivals I've ever been to. read more

Line up was great! I love going to festivals but this one needs some help. You could find beer everywhere you looked but water refill stations were lacking, almost to a dangerous level (especially in 90+ degree heat). You spend hour(s) long in refill lines; and beer stations did not have water (until so many people complained and they started to Saturday afternoon). VIP ran out of water so often and refused to fill it anymore than once an hour. Rain happens and while I'm no stranger to mud at a festival - wood chips or a filler would have been great. Especially when your feet are sinking a foot or more into the ground. I kept my boots on the whole weekend but others weren't so lucky. After first day hammocks weren't allowed to be hung because a tree had fallen and the ground was wet so trees could not hold our weight. Bands got cancelled Saturday night because of the rain, but what can you do? A bit chaotic and unorganized heading back to the camps once the ''emergency'' was broadcasted. I think this also had to do with a serious lack of lighting. Pathways were very dark and hard to navigate. Festival workers were very friendly but entirely uninformed. From not knowing where to tell us to park, to not being able to point us in the right direction of the camp site or where certain things were within the festival. I also found there to be a lack of different venues to go and visit. Other than the three stages, there wasn't much else to do. So in between sets sitting on the muddy ground was really the only option. There were a few spots to take pictures, but other than that, it really lacked innovation. On top of that nothing was very environmentally friendly, which really upset me. Tons, and tons of plastic and waste (everywhere). All the vendors there were insanely expensive too. I'm not sure if I'll be back. I wasn't impressed. I'd prefer to attend a festival that is more focused on the safety of their patrons in regard to water/supplies/lighting, organization, innovation, and environmental sustainability. C'mon Firefly - you can do it! Read reviews and prepare better for next year! read more

Sorry firefly 2014, but no. Only do this festival if you like punishing yourself for days and breathing in dust. I had premier camping and waited two hours in a stand still line of vehicles just to get to a campsite..it made no sense the way they had everyone enter. Anyway, we arrive on Wednesday much later than expected in close proximity to the hub on the other side of the festival near the main stage. I'm not sure when edm became such a firefly staple but I had more than enough of that shit all weekend, including the hub stage until 2am every night right near the camping. An adequate amount of space is Allotted but the set up and staff is a big joke. Also, the lack of Porto potties in the actual camping area made no sense. The inside festival grounds are way bigger than before which is the only reason it didn't feel as crowded as it should've. The sound here is absolutely the best of any place. I don't understand why most of the stages had one screen and a beer stand right in the middle of them blocking views. The food inside of the hub was way better and more affordable than inside of the festival. $4 bottles of water or what. Beers and drinks were pretty standard for festivals. Also, the 24 hour walgreens tent was a lifesaver ~ they had ice which i completely forgot, saving my beer from a weekend of warmth. Nothing was worse than the dirt and current sore throat I have from said dirt. It was seriously everywhere. This festival is too unorganized as well. The staff could care less, security was a joke. Most of the crowd was too bro-y? Not sure I can ever look at another pile of dust or flower crown again. The silent disco and lineup were really good though but not worth the hassle. read more

Well first off, the fact that Yelp allows Firefly to be reviewed is hilarious. To review a music festival? What are the critiquing guidelines? Obviously lines are the worst enemy of all in any scenario. If you want to ensure that you won't miss any performances definitely stand in line around 1130am-12pm. Between 3-6pm there will always be a long, smelly, hot scorching line. Firefly itself I think can fix this issue by possibly having separate lines such as "w/ book bag" "w/o book bag" and then maybe hiring more security staff members and having more lines. Also, the line gets very boring, I'm sure a local band or something wouldn't mind performing near where the lines are so we aren't just standing in complete silence during a musical festival. The food and drinks I cannot complain at firefly. Lots of choices and variety. I definitely would recommend stronger drinks especially for the prices. Also, the rock walk?? Omg how much does that hurt on my feet?! I can only dream one day that the venue will grow grass and won't be just a dirt road. Let's be real, Firefly is awesome, and if you don't think so you were never meant to attend. read more

Firefly - I think I love you! After coming for one day last year, my teenage son and I came back for the full 4 day experience this year and it was AMAZING. We bought VIP and, if you can swing it, that is definitely worth it. Red Frog did an awesome job of stepping up this year and fixing some of the challenges that were faced last year - primarily with traffic and bands starting late. I will admit that I was a little nervous as Red Frog had expanded the number of people by like 20% and added multiple stages and a whole another day of music. However, traffic flowed smoothly and we only saw 1 band that started a couple minutes late. For the good things - there were plenty of bathrooms and the expanded grounds provided plenty of room for everybody. There were plenty of food vendors and the technical execution of the acts was awesome. Oh ... And the lineup kicked butt. For the bad things - not fully in Red Frogs control, but it was ridiculously dusty. There were not enough chairs in the VIP section and the complimentary non-alcoholic drinks at the Lawn VIP were not maintained well. The signage for the VIP parking needs to be better marked. The lines at the water filling stations tended to get a little long - perhaps they should have added another water filling station. Not a problem for me because I got my wristbands in the mail, but the line for will call for all the people that did not receive wristbands in the mail was inexcusable. Lastly, I think they need to open the gates 1 hour before the first act, rather than 30 minutes to give folks a chance to fill water and get to their stages. My tips for a great festival experience - Rent a locker! They are only like 40 bucks and it was awesome to have a place to stow my rain gear (which was luckily not needed). Don't be afraid to sit down and just chill a little bit - it is a large festival and I was running from stage to stage and probably would have enjoyed it more if I had stayed in one place a little bit and just discovered some new music. Get near the stage for at least one act that you are really going to enjoy - the energy is completely different depending on where you stand and being really close for a couple acts gives you the full festival experience. Don't go too hard too soon - a festival is a marathon, not a sprint. A teenager puked on my an hour after I got there on Thursday. There is no way that I can believe she lasted all the way until Sunday. Don't crowd surf. I know I am going to seem like on old fuddy duddy here, I know it looks fun, and generally speaking the crowds at Firefly are very crowd surfer friendly and surfed people forward without throwing, molesting, or dropping people, but I saw enough people ride by on first aid carts in necks braces and back boards to tell you that it is not all fun and games. I guarantee being on a back board is not the way to enjoy a festival. Bring blister first aid supplies. I generally take good care of my feet. I wore well broken in sneakers the whole weekend. I was sober the whole weekend, and I still got several really bad blisters on both feet. The first aid tents will not help you treat blisters. Blisters really make you not enjoy the festival experience. Having your own supplies will help you and make you super popular with lots of people around you. My top 5 acts that I saw this year - Foo Fighters - I was a casual Foo Fighters fan before Firefly, but I now idolize Dave Grohl. He is so amazing when you think of his career and what he has done, he has so many great songs, his ability to connect with the audience was special. Just awesome. Twenty One Pilots - the energy that these two guys bring just blew me away. I am so thankful that we waded into the middle of the GA crowd at center stage about halfway between the sound booth and the stage. They just plain bring it. Aer - a smaller stage performance. I may have been the only person in the entire audience not smoking weed, but what an amazing show. I know they are going to continue to get better and better. Weezer - I am so mad that I did not realize what an amazing show this was going to be. We were way in the back for this set and it was still amazing. I can't imagine what it was like up close. Amos Lee - I figure I need to get at least one mellow singer songwriter type of act in here. I loved his rendition of fat bottomed girls and his guitarists rendition of should have put a ring on it. Bonus #6 - Girl Talk - for him to be able to pull as much energy out of the crowd as he did after people had been partying for 2 days and already been through almost 12 hours of music (including Foo Fighters) was truly special. Not a big dancer, but I still found myself kicking it a little bit - I couldn't help myself. Firefly - see you next year! read more

Yes it rained a lot on firefly 2015 & yes, mulch sodden quicksand like, flip flop eating muddy entrances welcomed you into the festival & yes, the shower & charging station lines were looooong but so what!!!! Unplug from technology, pack extra baby wipes and dry shampoo, dance your ass off in the rain, camp and share food with friends & enjoy the music. The lineup was amazing and the vibe was very chill. I did not see any fights and got atleast 150 random high fives #high5firefly so that alone makes it a pleasant experience. The Firefly event team Did a pretty good job of battling with mother nature to keep 100 acres of fields and forest as safe as possible for over 90,000 mostly friendly, somewhat dehydrated, feeling "Happy" singing, eating, drinking & dancing attendees. My only complaint is that there were too few water filling stations within the festival grounds. I think only 3 stations to service over 90,000 people is insufficient and coupled with heat, sun & alcohol is No good at all. read more

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This was my first multi-day Festival and I had a ton of fun. The Firefly App was super helpful. The lineup of artists was amazing, although lacking female artists. The security were mostly fun loving and positive despite the extreamly long hours they were expected to work. Both phone charging valet and phone charging stations were a great idea when trying to coordinate meeting up with new friends. I loved the huge range in ages represented. I had done a bit of research by both asking people who had attended years past, reading the must-pack lists, and even message boards. I had planned to attend with friends however they both backed out last minute and I still attended alone, and people on the "going solo" message board stepped up to make this such a great experience. I was glad to have a canopy above my tent, tarp under my tent, and an extra tarp for blocking some wind/rain/extream sun. I also worked part time to offset my ticket price, so I met some wonderful people there too. Food situation had tons of options, and all that I tried were tasty. Slightly overpriced ($8 a slice of pizza, $9 vegetarian cup of noodles, $10 chicken finger basket), however they had a decent fresh/vegetarian options like humus plate and fruit. Many people I know left the festival to cook/ eat meals at the campsite, but by the time you left main stage, walked back, cooked, and waited in lines to re-enter, it was easier to just eat in the festival. I would say over all super fun but not quite a 5 star experience because of a few things: First, many of the amazing bands I wanted to see were scheduled at opposite ends of the grounds within overlapping time frames. Stages next to eachother were timed impeccably as to not overlap, but stages across the grounds unfortunately did. Second, I know the higher powers of Firefly could not have predicted the excessive rain, but when you plant grass over manure and let 90,000 people tromp through what do you expect will happen to the grass? Hint: puddles of poop. There were some places you had to remove your shoes and go barefoot because sandals/ flip flops/ trainers would get stuck in the mud. My rain boots were hot but worked well to keep my feet dry. They attempted to resolve the issue by scraping, laying out plywood, and eventually using wood shavings. Third, the water situation was not so great. Yes there were many places to buy bottled water for $4, and there were 2 Cammelback sponsored refill stations offering free water. If weather is hot and you know people are induldging in both leagle and non-leagle means of altered minds, free water should have been even more available purely for safety. The 2 free water refilling stations should have been more like 12 stations because lines were long, and many people passed out before they got to the front, not to mention, the lines made you wait in poop puddles. Sponsored by Cammelback, majority of people there wore that product and may now have a bad taste in their mouth so to speak. Fourth, due to weather (specifically lightening) they had to cancel Saturday night performances. Understandable. However it would have been in good faith to have rescheduled for the following day, or offer a partial refund in some way. Also, it would have been super helpful to know prior to a storm that the town of Dover uses an alarm sound to call volunteer fire fighters to emergencies. This sound is identical to the tornado warning sound used in the midwest, and would have been great to know before the high wind, lightning, rainstorm I spent in my tent. Fifth, showers had super long lines. I stuck with baby whipes and used the sink station for my hair washing. Again, overall great experience. I might be too old for the camping part... but the music rocked! read more

My 1st music festival. Tons of fun. Great line up. Parking and other things seem fairly organized. VIP tickets seem worth the piece but regular 4 day pass is the best bang for ur buck. Very dusty arena. Very long lines for water refill though it's nice it's free. Food and drink prices are like any other concert. Overall a good event to attend. I would say 3.5 stars if I could read more

Firefly Music Festival - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Delaware

Edited to add (having read more recent reviews) that I have been to many, many festivals with camping, including Bonnaroo, the Byron Bay (Australia) Blues Festival (several times), Strawberry in California, etc. There will always be a few glitches, but Firefly was just a clusterf, and much of that had to do with how badly trained and disinterested many volunteers were. Firefly Festival 2013--my first and likely last. Some good points, but far too many bad ones--and way too expensive for tickets and extras. "Rocks of death" (as someone on FB called them) all over the paths. I twisted my ankle! Why did you put down rocks everywhere?! Gravel, sand, wood chip/mulchy stuff, small stones. Mostly, though, the most disappointing part for me was not being able to enjoy the music. Whether the organizers failed to understand how a huge crowd like that means you need large speakers dotted along the perimeter--and NOT just rely on sound coming out from the stage--I don't know. But there was no getting into the music. Could not even hear MGMT on the lawn, and we were not far back. I'm usually having to wear ear plugs. I got bored during Tom Petty's set because I may as well have been listening on the radio. Left early. On that note, I probably should have just stayed at the 2 small stages. It's ridiculous to have a big name with no one else to compete--Bonnaroo staggers bands, and mixes up what they think appeal to different crowds so that it's not a mass rugby scrum at one end. The relaxation/extracurricular areas, e.g. The Vineyard, the Brewery, Forest Cinema were good. Very nicely executed, although for the forest--I heard that people would stand over you until you decided the hammock wasn't so relaxing after all, and leave. Maybe add a 2nd area of hammocks. The Woodlands are well laid out, although it's a shame that none of the camping had any shade, not even in VIP I believe. "The Backwoods" seemed to just mean parking lot quite a ways from the grounds. My friends were in VIP camping, and it was so packed that all the tents were touching. Really? $800 for that for three nights? No thanks. And an earlier reviewer says you had to pay extra for showers? Ca-ching! My advice for anyone not into an all-night party in the camping areas would be to book a hotel room early. There are plenty that are within walking distance. I much prefer the Bonnaroo set up with something going on all night long and no requirement to leave the festival grounds. Keeps people who want to stay up all night away from the sleeping people. As far as helpful staff or security? Absent. Someone really went on the cheap as far as staffing this event. Coming in to day parking, one sign said 'turn right' and then it all fell apart. A young woman with a cig hanging out of her mouth just waved us off left, and continued her conversation, laughing with her friend. At this point, you're supposed to have ESP about where festival parking is, because the signs (and people) disappear. Oh look, there's a guy. I'll ask him. 'Excuse m..." "Keep driving!!" he orders. Nice. The guys down by the actual parking area were much nicer, but everyone just assumed we'd know where the actual festival was. There were NO signs, and plenty of people walking off in the other direction--e.g. toward the Speedway. Oh and where were the alleged water refilling stations?! We gave up and paid $3 for bottled water. Not cool to deprive people of H2O at a festival in hot weather. You know no teen or young adult is going to fork out for water. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, with a nice breeze. As noted by others, the crowd was primarily 15-24 year olds, and that showed in the snotty Facebook comments regarding The Lumineers having to cancel for illness--with the wonderful Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper filling in. I'd say that whoever booked the talent did a good job, and that's about it. read more

Top notch line-up, great culture and great camping locations (if you get premier and arrive Wednesday night). For a festival so new you can't ask for more. Last year was a bit rough with the dust but hopefully they'll address that this year. With what they're pulling in spending a few hundred-thousand a day to spray down the area with water after each night to help keep the dust down would go a long way in my eyes. read more

This was my 3rd year going to Firefly, and I already have my tickets for 2015. Firefly 2012 was my first music festival experience and it did not disappoint. They had great headliners (The Killers, The Black Keys, Jack White). Unfortunately, I was sick that weekend, so I wasn't able to enjoy the experience as much as I would have liked. My only complaint was that there was no direct cut-through from one stage area to another, so you had to do a lot of unnecessary walking. There was plenty of parking at the Dover Downs speedway, but it was a long walk from the car to the entrance & back again. Also, traffic leaving the festival always backed up. Firefly 2013 was much better in terms of walking. I think enough people complained after the first year, so they put a cut-through pathway between the stages that are right by the festival entrance, to the Firefly main stage. This made it a lot easier to get from stage to stage. There were a lot of the same food vendors as the first year, but this year was the first time I had a chance to try them (since I wasn't sick). In general, the food was ok, but my favorite was the gyro place. It was the same deal w/ parking--a lot of traffic on your way to the festival, easy to find a parking spot once you get there, park far away from the festival, tons of traffic while you're leaving. Overall it was obvious that Firefly was getting bigger, not only in the size of the festival grounds, but in the number of people who showed up. Lastly, this was the first year that Firefly had lockers and I'm so thankful that I got one and didn't have to carry my stuff around w/ me all day. Firefly 2014 was the biggest so far. There were many more people there this year than in past years, and the festival grounds were much bigger. I feel like the festival made an effort to improve the location of the stages and food locations, and make it easy for people to get from point A to point B. Although the festival expanded, there weren't too many additional water locations. I never really found this to be a problem b/c I'd go during the middle of a show to a nearby water booth, but I saw how long some of the lines got and it didn't look like fun to be waiting on them. Some people said that there was a lack of porta johns and I find that statement to be ridiculous. There were plenty of bathrooms, and the wait for them wasn't that bad if you walked down the row of bathrooms to the other end...usually people walked to the nearest entrance to the bathroom area & waited in lines. if they just walked down a little further, they wouldn't have to wait at all. lockers were available again this year, and i'm glad i got one. Parking was the same as in previous years, but traffic was much better. there was relatively little traffic to get to the festival, and leaving the festival was fast and easy. The biggest complaint for this year was the amount of dust. It was like standing in a cloud of dust for 4 days straight. Overall, I highly recommend this festival. Come prepared w/ empty water bottles that you can refill. Bring a blanket or yoga mat that you can carry around w/ you and sit on. Bring sunblock b/c there aren't too many areas during the day where you can sit that have shade. You don't need bug spray (believe me...I'm the type of person that attracts every bug under the sun & I was never bitten). Bring something warm to wear at night time b/c it tends to get a little cool. And rent a locker if you can so that you don't have to carry everything around w/ you all day long + you can leave your stuff in it overnight. read more

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Great fun! Paul McCartney was awesome, 21 Pilots and Gary Clark Jr. we're also phenomenal.

Cons: - arrived thursday morning before 11 am and ended up sitting in traffic for an hour - for some reason we were put in the companion lot which was furthest from the event which meant a 55 minute walk to fest entrance - severe lack of porta johns in the camping grounds.. By 830am you had up to a 40 min wait - edm blasting out of the hub til 2am each night near the camping - camping wasnt monitored so where we were got blocked in with tents so ww were stuck the whole 4 days. - dust clouds in the fest because of the trails - the hammock area only had about 15 hammocks for 50k people Pros: - while the lines were bad for the bathrooms they did a decent job of cleaning them out so no overflows - the line to get into the fest while long did move at a decent pace - great lineup and decent sound systems - left early sunday before 4 and had no traffic - showers were a nice addition and no lines if you went at the right time - free water refills - felt safe enough with the security everywhere read more

I'm not a festie. I don't go to Bonnaroo and being a California girl I never was able to drag myself out to the desert for Coachella or Burning man. I don't wear my Mountain Jam bracelet along my other stick on bracelets you accumulate through the festival and I don't paint my face with glitter or bring a blow up doll into the festival grounds. However, I'm pretty adventurous and travel quite a bit, camped plenty of times and gone to plenty of concerts. I was super excited to head to Firefly! I'm sure 2012 was great. 2013 was completely terrible. Shit show. TRAFFIC - My friends and I did the usual camping/festival preparations and packed the car and headed out from Boston to NJ the night before to get an earlier start. Friday morning we left NJ at 8-8:30am and got to our camp site at an unholy time of 6:30pm. It took 7-8 hours to drive down Route 13 - the last 10 miles. That is not an exaggeration. We got to Route 13 at 11:30am with 10 miles to go and it was stop and go the whole way. A few hours through each intersection, people peeing on front lawns and eventually people started getting out of their cars and just walking the streets or entertaining themselves which ever way they can. Completely unacceptable. One lane to get into the festival parking/camp grounds and no real police or traffic control at all. It was completely unorganized and missed most of the first day's bands. BANDS - the lineup was ridiculously amazing. the only worthwhile part of the whole thing. loved it. FOOD - Not bad, and supposedly to volunteer, the volunteers paid $40 just to volunteer. That's right, they paid to help out, pick up trash, make your food, pour your water for you at the water station, stand around and do nothing. They hired a bunch of high school kids so ... organization again was a complete mess. The girl at the coffee house asked what I ordered 3 times and then used the excuse "it's been a long day". A large iced coffee is not a complicated order to write down. CAMPING - Due to horrendous traffic, we got the tail end of the campsite in Lot 1 for general folks. We had a decent size space for our car, our 3 person tent, and rest of our set up. The port a potties were always disgusting and the water/hand sanitizer stations never worked. Make sure you bring your own TP roll and hand wash. No water stations anywhere to be found. You had to walk to "The Hub" for $5 showers and such which was about a 15 minute walk one way. There were some running water between the fence of Lot 1 and Lot 2 which people used to take quick free showers - so that was worth it, about a 10 minute walk one way. Essentials: Tent, Canopy, Light source, Grill (go propane), Table, Cooler, Water, Chairs. WATER STATIONS - seriously maybe 3-4 in the entire grounds and they were not easily accessible or seen from a distance. sponsored by Klean Kanteen and lines were long. It's water - so important. should be near everywhere that serves alcohol .. why?? well because, "BAR" and "Cocktails" were so damn easy to spot. No water signs just some vertical black flags that say "klean kanteen" because when it gets dark, black is always easy to spot. Security also made you dump out your water before you entered each day like the TSA at the airport so you always had to find one once you got in and ... No, they were not near the entrance so you can fill up what you dumped when you got in. STAGES - Sound quality was perfect. The stages were nice and big and you can hear the bands with no distortion at all. The problem was they were so far from each other. You had to hike so far to get to the bands and with over 60,000 people up on your goodies while you walk the narrow pathways that separated them was pretty awful. DRINKS - $7 for 16oz.beer, $8 Cocktails. $10 for loaded nachos - so worth it. $5-6 lemonade. $4 Gatorade. Pretty decent prices. Overall, I will probably never go to Firefly again unless they fix the traffic issue. Secondly, maybe I'm just getting old, but screw the hassle of camping on sub-par grounds with no running water or organization. I would rather stay in a hotel near by and just walk into the park each day. The festival is filled with people from the age of 15-25 years old and I think I missed the boat when I should have gone to Coachella or Burning man at that age instead of re-living my 20's in my 30s. Headphone disco (www.headphonedisco.com) was absolutely outstanding. Bands were mind-blowing awesome. Free old school Arcade with pinball, skeeball, punching bags, racing games, pac-man, primal rage, etc. That was my three highlights. The rain, the walking, the traffic, the lack of organization, the piss poor job of Red Frog or Firefly volunteers and the almost non-existent security presence makes me never to go to a festival again. Maybe camping and bands just don't mix well for me like a friend of my once said, "black girls and blonde wigs - lookin' like duracell batteries". Fo' sho. Never again Firefly!! read more

We attended in 2012 and 2013 was considerably more crowded. The Woodlands are set up nicely so everyone is relatively spread out. Saturday was clearly the most popular day. We enjoyed last year a little more only because it was new and less conjested. Getting there was tough. We live an a little over an hour away and it took us about 4 hours. We did not camp, but thats where the traffic issues came from. Once we passed the exit for campers to enter; we were there in no time. Getting to that exit was the worst. Leave early or go prepared to sit in traffic. A good suggestion would be for Firefly to open up camping on Thursday so those folks can get in and set up early. That would certainly leave the roads clear for the rest of us to get in on Friday with little or no hassle. Security was light; I would agree. However, it seemed as though they were simply not bothering anyone unless you were acting like an idiot. They were there a few times for some folks who appeared to have been overserved, but for the most part, they sat back and observed. Sometimes security at these festivals can be a bit overbearing; not at this one. Step in when necessary, otherwise, leave us alone and let us enjoy ourselves. I did find it funny that on Friday and Saturday the gate keepers hardly checked my backpack but made me nearly empty it out on Sunday to see what I was bringing in. I agree with another poster on the Heinekin Dome being very badly situated. While it was not too close to the main stage, it was close enough that it interfered with the sound when a band was playing. There are other locations it could have been placed. It seemed like they ran out of room so they just stuck it where it ended up. Someone mentioned the ground and feeling like quicksand. I have no idea what this area had underneath, but they are right on. It was difficult to walk and you felt like the ground was going to give out. It was definitely an odd sensation. I am not sure parents should bring their little ones to this festival. We only saw a handful, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea. The festival offers a Brewery with craft beers, which was nice. However, there is only one location so if you are all the way on the other side and need a refill, you're stuck. Same with the Vineyard and the Jack Daniels tent. The festival offers only one type of beer throughout; Heinekin. A bigger selection of beer throughout the grounds would be nice. All in all I thought the crowd was nice; I am in my mid 40's and we took our adult daughters. We all had a fun time. I personally would never camp at the festival because when I am ready for sleep, I am ready for sleep. We did the camping last year and it became very frustrating at 4am when people were still partying. I don't blame Firefly or the campers for this; I had no idea how late festival campers liked to party =) We will go back. I also agree with a couple of other posters on Tom Petty... he lost us in the first 10 minutes and we left. Surprised; he was rather boring. I didn't need to hear storytime; I wanted to hear music. Chili Peppers were awesome; fun seeing a band I've been a fan of since high school with a crowd of kids who were not even born yet, and we all enjoyed them the same. Foster the People closed it out nice; they were really good. read more

I went last year and it was great so I decided to buy this year's tickets during the first presale for $148. Awesome deal!! So the festival changed from July to June which is a pretty big difference. I don't like how now Firefly is so close to Bonnaroo, which I attend every year. Few points I want to touch on. Being a Festie these are my opinions. I am fully aware some of these things are not Red Frog's fault, but I am writing this to inform the potential firefly attendee Tickets prices- As stated, I bought mine for $148 during the presale, but that will never happen again. This years presale went up to $200. Full price wristbands were $258 for 2013. This is a very reasonable festival price. Good job on that. Camping- You have backwoods for $148 and front row for $198. Kinda sucks that you have to pay almost as much for camping as your wristband and you only get 4 wristbands for the spot. I know other major festivals do this like Coachella, but the camping pass is for a site and does not tell you you can only have four people per site. On an other note, there is absolutely no way for Firefly to police the camping we had our friends camp front row with us despite the fact they had backwoods bands. My group camped front row to be near the entrance. It was was cool being so close to the entrance, but we were so far away from "The Hub" which had showers, vendors, food trucks, coffee, and a water station. Also it was a lot further to walk to the Acme, which was the only place that had ice Saturday morning. We also had friends park in companion parking and walking all that gear over to front row really sucked. Stages-Firefly changed their stage configuration around. They also added a walkway through the woods to get to the main stages. This was a huge issue!! On Saturday there were so many people there, it was ridiculous. Everyone was pretty much there to see the same shows and it was obvious that most day passes were sold for this day. As you walked through the pathway, you were literally pressed against the person in front of you. On Saturday, I had to do this about four times, back and forth. I ride the NYC Subway quite frequently, and this walk was getting me a little claustrophobic. They also took two smaller stages and put them wayyyyy in the back in a new area they added. Not a bad thing just kinda frustrating to walk that far in the heat. Showers- $5 showers not a bad price. There was one shower spot with about 100 stalls at the Hub. They were only open from 8am-2:30pm and 8pm-12am. Lines were ridiculous!!! Showers were not bad though lukewarm. Vendors- I couldn't understand why the volunteers were working the food stands. One thing I really like about bonnaroo is the money it pumps into local business. This is not something Firefly has to do, but, personally, I just enjoy giving that money to the mom and pop shops. I was also super pissed about the Walgreens stand that was charging super inflated prices for stuff. I went to buy earplugs and they wanted $5 for one pair. A pack of 32 normally costs $3. One other note there was more food vendors with a larger variety then last year which was a plus. Water- Did they remove water stations? Last year it seemed there was more water stations and they were more accessible. The security made you dump your water and then, to refill it, you had to hike or fight a shoulder to shoulder crowd to get your water. Last year they had a water station right by the entrance. They also should have made them more noticeable. The beer and liquor was certainly easily spotted and accessible. Also, the water had to be done by a volunteer. That part didn't bother that much, but did they really need to have tip jars? Considering how water is the number one essential thing at any hot summer music festival, do I really need to tip you for giving me something vital for life? I know you didn't have to tip but it kinda sucks being "that guy." Security- Virtually non existence. I guess this is good if you are trying to smuggle party favors in, but there should be something done about glass bottles. I don't know if its a rule for Firefly, but it should be. There were glass bottles everywhere and broken glass. There were Dover Downs security people who walk around and police can be seen driving through and guiding traffic. The people- Overall the people who went this year were pretty much 18-24. There were a lot of underage drinkers, and I frequently saw people puking. My friend stepped in someone's said puke. I am a little older then 18-24 and don't enjoy getting completely wasted. Maybe that's why the crowd wasn't for me. The music stops around 1am, so the camping area is a huge party. If that's your thing, you would def enjoy that. All this being said, depending on the lineup, I would buy a ticket. I think I could tough it out, but only if I stayed in a hotel. I wouldn't camp. I only hope firefly fixes the water station issues, and if possible, widens the pathwa read more

Amazing!!! So hope this continues for many years to come! Guest friendly and great 3-day lineup!!!

This was my first time at Firefly. I've gone to quite a few festivals, camping and non-camping. Most of my comparisons were to Bonnaroo, since that is about similar size and has camping. Overall, I had a nice time at Firefly, but I would not say it blew me away in terms of offerings or organization. It's a good time, but not something I'd fly for (like I have for Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits). Firefly Pluses: - Driving distance from home (NJ). - Took no time at all to check in. - Good mix of bands. Pretty much anybody would enjoy the music. - Ice sold in the camping area. - Camping area was pretty quiet at night. - Craft beer tent/garden (thank you, thank you for providing some real beer!). - Proximity to local stores (could walk to supermarket, Home Depot). - Semi-secret "real" bathrooms on the way to the festival from the camping area. - Didn't take forever to go through bag check. Firefly Minuses - DUSTY. Like bandana over your face is a must, dusty. - Very few places to get shade. - Less artsy than Bonnaroo...more like, "Oh, it would be fun to get people together to sleep in a tent and maybe see some music," VS the artsy, hippie vibe at Bonnaroo. Definitely more fratty than hippie. - Proximity to local stores. Yes, this was also a plus for grabbing some food, using the bathroom, etc., it was also a minus in that you didn't really feel off the grid, being able to see a Home Depot and a hotel from the camping area. It took away the magical festival feeling a bit to see people streaming to and from the stores all day long. - Needs more water stations. - The good food and wares vendors were all outside, in the little mini areas between the campground and the actual festival (no ticket necessary). Cool crafty stuff to buy, as well as more food trucky and farmers market options, rather than the more sports stadium offerings inside the fest (chicken fingers, pizza, burgers, etc...very few places to get something fresh or original). But you don't want to leave the main fest once you are in, so you are more likely to skip the stuff outside. - Needs more corporate sponsors with freebies and activities. I think the only one there was Garnier. read more