Firefly Spotlight: Community

My camp mates and neighbors from last year
One incredible and I think unique aspect of Firefly is the sense of community that exists both at the festival itself and year-round. Whether it's through camping, ambassador programs, or message boards there are always ways to get to know other members of the #fireflyfam. The first way I got to know other members of the community was through camping. In 2013 our neighbors were four friends in their 20's from Virginia and they were extremely excited to see Vampire Weekend. They helped us get settled and learn how to properly camp. Last year my group had some great neighbors and we hung out together all weekend. We played games, made a couple meals together and combined our campsites to make one big community area. I love getting to know new people and when we have something in common such as our love for music, it's really easy to become friends quickly.

Last year I decided to apply for the Brand Ambassador program since I wanted to help get the word out about the festival and also didn't mind the possibility of getting a free ticket. I expected to just submit my tasks and get my work done but it turned into a whole lot more. We had a Facebook group where we started talking between tasks and even started a group chat with a whole bunch of people in it. When it came time for the festival in June we got to meet up and finally see our new internet friends in real life.
The great part is that after the festival we became even better friends. Between Snapchat, the group chat, and other social media I talk to these people every day. Firefly has such a strong community that there is even a reunion event in February every year called Winterfly. People gather for a long weekend at Dewey Beach in Delaware to reconnect, make new friends and start planning for the next Firefly. This year some of the Brand Ambassadors from last year all rented a house together and had a blast. We got to meet a lot of other people in the Firefly community and the weather was wonderful. It was incredible to finally spend time in person with the people that I talk to online every day. There were about five houses that were rented out for the event and we made our way to most of them to hang out and make new friends. There was also an event at Dogfish Head which is a sponsor for Firefly. My buddies and I got there a little early and we actually got to meet the owner which was cool.
Another great way to get involved in the community is the Firefly Fan Page on Facebook. This is a group of about 10,000 people that is pretty active all year long. People plan for the festival, share tips, talk about new music and let people know of other exciting festivals and live shows. This is an easy way to get to know people before heading to Delaware in June. There are also the message boards which have topics ranging from camping essentials to "Shower High Fives". Be sure to check it out and sign up. Have a great week!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Milford Track!

Image
First day At 4:45 Sunday morning I started my journey back to the south island to hike the Milford Track . It is a four day hike through Fiordland National Park that ends at Milford Sound. I went there by myself since no one else really seemed by for the journey. By 2pm I was on the boat that takes the walkers to the start of the track. Only 40 people are allowed to hike independently per day. There is also a guided walk option but they stay at different lodges. Looking around the boat I noticed that most of the people hiking were couples. After taking some picture though I noticed that there were some people my age. There were two girls from Sweden that are taking a gap year between high school and college. I also met Tyler who is from St. Lewis. He graduated college and is traveling around for a year before settling down. We ended up hiking together the whole time and also hiked with the girls a lot of the time. The crew The first day was an easy 1 hour hike to the first hut...
Read more

Macklemore and Sam

Image
Last night was our spring concert. This year we had Macklemore which is the biggest act we have gotten in years. Needless to say everyone was really excited for the show and we've all been looking forward to it ever since it was announced. Sadly, my good friend and suit mate Sam was diagnosed with leukemia last week and has to stay in the hospital for a month for treatment. The doctors are fairly confident that he will pull though but it's still a really crappy situation. We all knew that Sam was looking forward to the concert so one of his best friends, Justin, said we should try and get Macklemore to visit Sam in the hospital. I thought it was a long shot but figured we could give it a try. I messaged my friend who is on the programming committee and in charge of the concert to explain the situation and he passed on the message to Macklemore and his people. On Monday we visited Sam and he mentioned the concert so another one of Sam's friends, Dana, decided to take the cam...
Read more

Firefly Spotlight: Top Five Most Anticipated

Image
There are tons of great bands playing Firefly this year covering a wide variety of genres. Every time I look at the lineup I seem to find an artist that I either forget was playing this year or didn't even know was on the lineup. I've been thinking a lot lately about who I'm most excited to see and I think I have narrowed it down to my top five (in no particular order since that was making it way too difficult). 1. The Weeknd- I've really been enjoying his Starboy album and he was on my list of people I wanted to try and get to see this year before the lineup was dropped. I think it's going to be a great high energy show. "False Alarm" is one of my favorite songs off his new album and I can't wait to dance like crazy when that song plays. 2. The Strumbellas - If you aren't familiar with The Strumbellas you should absolutely check them out. "Spirits" is a good place to start. They have a sound that is similar to The Lumineers and I th...
Read more