In light of the rapidly approaching Bass Coast electronic music and arts festival, I thought I’d share my list of indispensable preparations I have taken in getting ready for my weekend of DJs, turntables, art installations, and everything else the 3,000-person festival can throw at me. Because, you know, failure to plan is planning to fail, and all that good stuff.

1. Sunscreen. This paste is the golden rule in avoiding any hint of a golden glow to my skin tone. As a ginger, reapplication of said sunscreen is vital to my enjoyment of any outdoor activity, as my sun-protective bee keeper’s suit is at the dry cleaner’s. Also included in the sunscreen category are a hat and lip balm with SPF, lest both the scalp and lips burn up in the sun and fall off.

2. Snacks. Snacks are a key part of any activity over 15 minutes long. In this heat, snacks foods that contain water are the best choice. Fresh fruit and vegetables are going to be the way to go. They’re easy to pack, require little packaging (if any – bananas come in their own cases), and are simply delicious.

3. Sensible shoes. Be warned: if you wear sandals, you will get hippie foot. If you’re unfamiliar with hippie foot, it’s when the bottom of your foot is totally blackened by dirt, grime, dust, mud and all that other goodness in nature. For me, a pair of those light canvas shoes are the way to go. They’re comfortable and won’t give you any weird sandal tans (or burns) and they’re light enough that if you do want to de-shoe and bare your soles, you won’t be lugging around a pair of totally hippie foot-proof Doc Martens or whatever. And the best thing about these shoes? Although they’re white and are bound to get disgustingly dirty, they’re made of canvas, so they’re easy to wash.

4. Something zebra. It’s Bass Coast’s Year of the Zebra, and with some kind of zebra-patterned surprise happening on the last day, it’s one thing to watch and take pictures, and entirely another to be part of this momentous occasion.

5. Open ears and eyes. I have never been to an electronic music festival and I’ve never seen a 30-foot-tall paper mache head. And while there is sure to be plenty to take in in terms of music and art installations, I’m sure the people-watching and stories I’ll hear will be a whole other animal. Then there’s how the fifth annual event goes in its first year in Merritt. I’ll be interested to see and hear reactions from attendees and townspeople alike during and after the 2013 festival.