Dover Delaware: Never Stop Dancing

I had been wanting to go to the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware for a few years. The artists, the atmosphere and the idea of going to a festival all appealed to me — it was just a matter of getting a group together and buying a ticket. It was a text from my friend Molly that made me realize it was time:

“I want to go to a music festival with you.”

Molly, my friend Emily and I bought tickets and a camping pass and eagerly awaited the four day weekend.

We read up about festivals beforehand, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we’d be spending four days in the wilderness listening to music and camping, but that was all. Would we be at the festival all day? Would we meet people to hang out with? Would we be utterly exhausted?

Dover Delaware: Never Stop Dancing

I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for something. We packed the car up and started our drive early on Thursday morning, and it was pouring. By the time we got to The Woodlands, where Firefly happens every year, the rain had let up. We set up our campsite with little to no issues and ended up meeting up with mine and Emily’s friend from high school, Bryan. We’d end up spending almost the whole weekend together.

We’d already befriended the people camping around us — I didn’t meet one person throughout the weekend that wasn’t smiling and looking to make friends. After heading into the festival and hearing some amazing acts (AlunaGeorge was incredible), we went back to our campsite for the night.

It wasn’t until Saturday night that we discovered the silent disco. After an amazing show, Deadmau5, none of us wanted to stop dancing — and we didn’t have to. In the silent disco, everyone gets a pair of headphones and can choose from a few different channels to listen to.

Part of the fun in going to a music festival is being able to wear whatever you want without being judged. We’d spend the mornings decking ourselves out in fun clothing, makeup, jewels and flash tattoos. It was July, so we stayed cool with braids in our hair. I loved seeing all the unique outfits people wore. One of my favorite parts about Firefly was the free-spirited vibe all the people gave off.

It wasn’t until Saturday night that we discovered the silent disco. After an amazing show, Deadmau5, none of us wanted to stop dancing — and we didn’t have to. In the silent disco, everyone gets a pair of headphones and can choose from a few different channels to listen to. You’re in a fenced-in area jamming out, but there’s only music playing through the headphones. You can change the channel and find people listening to the same channel as you, and it’s incredible. We stayed until they kicked us out.

It was hard to believe that our weekend was coming to a close. Using nothing but porta-potties, not showering for four days and losing our voices was worth every minute. I’ll never be able to hear music again without wanting to dance.