Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion 2016: Ultimate Survival Guide

Last year, I compiled a list of everything you NEED to know and granted it was a good list, it missed some key points that needed to be covered. So I'm back with EVERYTHING you could possibly need to know about the Carolina's biggest rock festival.

(Before we continue, everything I'm about to tell you is what I learned from last year and things I wish I did before. None of this is sponsored, this is purely my opinions and thoughts.)

Before you plan out your flights, hotels, and all those shenanigans, it's important to buy tickets. These things will go fast, and the longer you wait, the more expensive it'll be or they'll just sale out all together, so buy the tickets then worry about everything else.

If you don't think you want to go all three days, that's totally cool. Not all the bands are going to be everyone's cup of tea and why waste money to just sit around in the heat all day? 

Here's a list of all the bands performing and you can choose if it's worth it (I think it will be *wink wink*):

FRIDAY, MAY 6

• Scorpions
• ZZ Top 
• Lynyrd Skynyrd 
• 3 Doors Down 
• Sixx: A.M. 
• Collective Soul 
• Pop Evil
• Between the Buried and Me
• Parkway Drive
• Black Stone Cherry
• Hellyeah
• Sick Puppies
• Filter
• Candlebox
• Aranda
• Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown
• New Years Day
• Avatar
• Lacey Sturm
• Glorious Sons
• From Ashes to New
• I Prevail

SATURDAY, MAY 7

• Five Finger Death Punch
• Shinedown
• A Day to Remember
• Lamb of God
• Megadeth
• Ghost
• Anthrax
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Clutch
• Sevendust
• P.O.D.
• The Sword
• Escape the Fate
• Saint Asonia
• Trivium
• Wilson
• Red Sun Rising
• Texas Hippie Coalition
• Audiotopsy
• Monster Truck
• Failure Anthem
• Wild Throne

SUNDAY, MAY 8

• Disturbed
• Rob Zombie
• Deftones
• Alice Cooper
• Bring Me the Horizon
• Cypress Hill
• Pennywise
• Yelawolf
• Asking Alexandria
• The Struts
• Babymetal
• August Burns Red
• Turbowolf
• Enter Shikari
• Thousand Foot Krutch
• Hands Like Houses
• Code Orange
• Raveneye

Isn't it such a beautiful lineup?

Keep in mind that if you and your friends, family, or whoever else are going together, it might be more convenient to buy a 4-pack - it's well over a $100 cheaper that way.

I highly suggest figuring out who you're going with/who you're bringing with you. Remember, festivals are always more fun with friends!

Once you've figured out the whole ticketing situation, now you can pick a hotel. I would HIGHLY suggest booking ahead or you'll be looking for a hotel all night (trust me). I'd suggest checking out all the Concord hotels, and if those are all filled, head more towards downtown Charlotte or just outside of that. It all depends on how long you wait - you could get a kickass hotel right near the raceway but if you wait, you might end up 30 miles away. Just saying. 

Wondering what you can and cannot bring? Here's the official list of all the allowed and prohibited items:

APPROVED ITEMS

• One sealed bottle of water, 24 ounce maximum.
• Binoculars
• Small digital cameras
• Cell phones
• Sunscreen in a plastic container
• Blankets, limited to one per person
• Draw string bags and small purses

PROHIBITED ITEMS

• No instruments
• No weapons or firearms of any kind
• No colors, no patches
• No chains, chain wallets
• No umbrellas, no hula hoops
• No back packs or duffle bags
• No camel packs or bota bags
• No drugs and/or drug paraphernalia
• No video cameras and/or audio recording devices
• No glass containers
• No outside food/beverage (with exception of water bottle)
• No powdered substances
• No folding chairs / lawn chairs
• No coolers
• No drones
• No pets (with exception of service animals)

Another thing is that you may want to think about what you want to wear. This may seem like not a big deal, and it's not if you don't really care if you get your nice shoes dirty and your favorite shirt all gross and nasty. But if you are concerned about those things, I suggest wearing some of your older pair of shoes (ones that you wouldn't really care if they got messed up) that are comfortable because you will be doing some walking, and then just a basic pair of shorts and t-shirt (once again, one that you won't mind getting messed up). Also, keep in mind that the temperatures during the day can be pretty outrages so it's important to wear things that won't make you hotter than you already are. 

The last thing that you may want to think about before the actual festival is how much money you'll need. If you're the type to not really care about buying merch and you're just worried about food and drinks, I'd suggest maybe $50 for food and depending on if you'll be drinking through the night, maybe at an extra $30 so that'll equal about $80. However, if you're all about the cool merch your favorite band has to offer, I'd suggest bringing no less than $125 - shirts tend to be around $25 each and some bands have many more options such as bracelets, CD's, and bags. It's really up to you on how much your bring, this is just what I'd think would work best and what I've learned from experiences. 

Now to the day of the show. It's important to know that there really is no need to be there super early unless you are dedicated to getting to the front of the crowd for some unknown reason. There's this weird idea that you have to be the first in line to get a good spot, but that's far from the truth. If you take your time and enjoy the moment you'll have so much more fun than you would rushing around everywhere. Even if you end up in the back, you can still see the band's and hear everything. So why worry?

That's another thing, don't rush yourself. Give yourself enough time to get to the places you want and to do the things you want. If you don't, you'll get tired out faster and won't be able to enjoy the music. Carolina Rebellion is filled with amazing vendors that you should definitely check out when you get a chance. And not to even mention the food, it's heaven. Definitely check out everything the festival has to offer, you won't be disappointed. 

As for after the show, well that's up to you. Just be sure to share your photos so we can all see how much fun you had!

For more information about Carolina Rebellion 2016, head over to carolinarebellion.com.

Maybe we'll see you there. Until then, keep rocking. \m/