We all have one friend who just seems at home with the festival life. Where else can you find such a diverse melting pot of personal expression through fashion, art, music and culture? If you’re reading this, chances are you’re probably that friend.
You also have that friend who takes the festival life too far – an absolute wildcard who will disappear from your side at 10am only to reemerge from a crowd of glitzed-up partygoers 14 hours later, their face covered in glitter and wearing a pair of pyjamas you never knew they had.
The world is as deep into the app craze as you are into the festival life, and now’s the time to cross the two over with happn.
No doubt, festivals are an amazing place to be. There’s few other places you will feel so alive and connected to those around you, but unless you’re a special kind of renegade, flying solo at Beyond the Valley this summer will be tough ask.
Hanging out with strangers can be as dubious as it can be amazing; the potential for the time of your life is there, sure, but if you’ve lost your only buddy somewhere in the King Gizzard mosh pit – they’re as good as gone. Whether you like it or not, it’s time to make some new friends.
Yeah, you could try the classic approach: staggering through the city of tents, gazebos and badly constructed dining areas with utter disregard for people’s privacy, making a fool of yourself wherever you roll.
Or you could use an app. There’s plenty of them out there to necessitate finding new friends, but some are much better than others. When you’re confined to a festival ground one really starts to shine amongst the rest, and that app is happn.
And no, we’re not just saying that because Happy and happn are one letter away from each other.
Generally based around meeting strangers you’ve crossed paths with, happn is an on-the-go social network that will help you find new friends anywhere. While the app creators never explicitly designed the app to be your go-to festival companion, they may as well have. Here are the features that make it the best app around for flying solo at your choice of festival this season:
Crossing Paths
The backbone of the happn experience, you’ll only see other users you’ve crossed paths with. While at a camping festival, this basically ensures you’re meeting up with someone who keeps finding themselves at the same acts as you – so no need to worry about finding a friend with a shitty music taste.
You also might find a way to introduce yourself to your camping neighbours. You’ll be sharing the same main drags and sneaky shortcuts through the tents – not to mention the same set of toilets.
If you have your favourite spot at a festival, whether it’s a designated meeting spot in front of the sound booth or the hippy’s own laxed-out chill zone, with happn you’ll start to see who’s sharing your trails the most.
See You There
Once you’ve a new potential mate, you’ll obviously need to find a way to meet them. Earlier this year, happn introduced their new ‘See You There’ feature, a way to let others know you’re keen to grab a snack, meet at the bar or get down to your favourite DJ who’s on in 45 minutes.
Simply selecting whichever activity you’re in the mood for will have like-minded future friends flocking. It’ll be a party in no time at all.
Sending songs via Spotify
The absolute icing on the cake as far as we’re concerned. happn has an integrated feature which let’s you send a Spotify track to somebody you’ve crossed paths with. If you weren’t absolutely sure your new mate (or date) loves the same music as you, consider this the ultimate test.
Or the ultimate recommendation. What’s a better way to make friends than with music? Combine this with a cheeky ‘See You There’ to get a party going at the act you’ve been waiting for all festival.
With the festival season inching closer and closer it’s time to start your prep. Buy your outfits, make sure your blow up mattress has no holes and head to the app store to download happn. It’s a lifeline for anyone who’s lost their friends, and the number one way you can find some new ones while you’re getting up to no good all summer long.
Download happn for free on iOS, Andriod and Google Play.
