// SPONSOR PERKS

Ball pit, Viceland truck, photo booth, 6-month Tidal trial. Need I say more? The symbiotic relationship between corporations and the music industry is curious, but also pretty cool when you get free stuff. Vitamin waters were up for grabs in big, labelled bins. Tidal was giving out drawstring bags, towels, and costless access to its music site for half of the year. Lyft-branded beach balls flew through the air during sets for all to see and punch. It was total shameless advertising, but also sick.

For those festivalgoers not as much into the music scene and more about the vibe, it would be easy to spend an entire day just walking around and getting roped into different side booths. A personal favorite of mine was The Bosco, a wondrous contraption which films you dancing for 10 seconds then spits out a slow-motion video that you can email to yourself.

Multimedia was definitely a Meadows highlight. A&E set up a shanty where you could see yourself on a big screen — and Snapchat it to your heart’s content — and Samsung joined the party by offering live demonstrations of the Galaxy Note8.

There was something for everyone. You could even register to vote if that was weighing too heavily on your conscience.

// FOOD

The only less-than-stellar part of my experience was the food. Prices were high — totally expected — but quality was not so much. Friday’s fare was a sus burger and sweet and sour chicken that couldn’t compete with Panda Express. On Saturday I got some dope ice cream from Davy’s but that was offset by a subpar chicken bowl and an equally mediocre Cuban sandwich. To the festival’s credit, I only explored a fraction of the available options. There was food from all cultures (Vietnamese, Indian Colombian, etc.), vegan cuisine, and even a Bareburger truck, though lines tended to run pretty long. People also touted drinks in pineapples which looked like good investments during the warm daytime.

I included food on this list because of the high standards of Instragammability that festival meals have now achieved. Take a look at the social of your friend who attended Outside Lands and you’ll see what I mean. To be honest though, the music makes up for any edible missteps, but do be warned if you’re one of those people who comes to festivals to blow up everyone’s feed with what you’re eating.