Fans have been flooding the Daisy Chain Fields Instagram posts, begging festival organizers to add more shade, especially for general admission attendees who have no shade options near the Dandelion Stage, which serves as the main stage where both Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo will perform. And you know there’s going to be kids and young adults camping out all day under full sun and high humidity in diapers. Yes, I said diapers.
And despite fans begging for parasols to be allowed, festival organizers still have “parasols” listed as a “prohibited” item under the “What items are allowed & prohibited at Daisy Chain Fields?” page of the festival’s website.
Conversely, last weekend’s Just Like Heaven music festival allowed parasols. They even had a signature TV Girl parasol, which was super cute, BTW, as exclusive on-site merchandise. So not only did they allow parasols, but they sold them. The festival also installed more shade throughout the grounds, misters, and water stations. Just Like Heaven is organized by Goldenvoice, the same folks that bring you Coachella and Stagecoach.
Daisy Chain Fields is a Live Nation event organized by its music festival subsidiary, C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Ohana Fest).
RELATED: 7 Things I Wish I Packed for Coachella
According to KTLA 5, a Daisy Chain Fields festival employee told KTLA 5’s Gene Kang that “they’re worried the planned resources won’t be enough for that kind of intense heat,” saying they raised concerns during a Zoom call with promoters this week and questioned whether the number of water stations and medical tents would be sufficient.
The employee also shared that they hope the festival takes more action before the shows begin.
At Just Like Heaven, the med tents were quite busy. One of our friends in our group got heat stroke and had to get medical help. She was not drinking or overdoing it. She was under the full sun, enjoying the music. Even one of the early set artists we spoke with fell victim to heat stroke (whose name will remain anonymous at their request).
Looking at the Daisy Chain Fields festival map, the event has five cooling stations (fans/misters), with one of those designated for VIP only. We also counted five hydration stations (water refills), one of which is exclusive to VIP. They are also offering cooling buses at the medical tent.
How many water faucets, fans, and misters are at each station, we don’t know. But we can only hope, after reading this here opinion article, that they find more money in the banana stand and increase that budget for heat stroke prevention.
I mean, after all, they sure did add more women in media to their approved press credentials list after I directly emailed The Lede Company and Interscope Geffen A&M about their lack of representation in the photo pit, after seeing several men gloat on social media about being approved. Isn’t that the antithesis of what Daisy Chain Fields is supposed to empower and support? WOMEN.
RELATED: A Powerhouse of Badass Womxn Fire Up YOLA DÍA’s Spicy Music Festival Debut
Naturally, several other women and I started speaking up on social media and private media groups, but more on that later.
Daisy Chain Fields is expecting some 45,000 attendees this Saturday, Aug. 29, at Irvine’s Great Park.
The Great Park is part of the former site of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which was decommissioned in 1999. While portions of the former base have undergone extensive environmental cleanup and redevelopment, the site’s history of contamination, closed landfills, and waste-management areas continues to draw scrutiny. In fact, according to the OC Register, a $2 million lawsuit alleges that consultants understated the extent of environmental waste at the Great Park.
Yikes.
To get some shade at Daisy Chain Fields, fans will have to take breaks from the performances and head to Palm Court, Daisy Lane, and Daisy Chain Reaction to get some much-needed respite from the sun and humidity. I hope all expected 45,000 attendees don’t take breaks at the same time; hell, not even half of that, or a quarter.
The National Weather Service has stated that Saturday will reach around 93 degrees, if not hotter than that. Those of us who attended Just Like Heaven last weekend experienced a projected 93 degrees that turned into a sweltering 98 degrees, with an average humidity of 29%.
Weather Underground has reported that humidity in Irvine, where Daisy Chain Fields is being held, will range from 52% to 76% (during festival hours).
According to AccuWeather, temperatures this Saturday in Irvine are expected to be mostly sunny, with temperatures that feel like 100 degrees.
Add that there are no shade structures, parasols, or trees at either stage that allow fans to take shelter while seeing the acts they paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to see — except for the VIP lounge, suites, and bungalows — attendees have every right to beg and plead for more heat-prevention measures, including allowing parasols.
Citing my experience at last weekend’s Just Like Heaven, once again, this festival had several shade options where fans could sit and enjoy while watching their favorite bands perform. Whether it was the added picnic tables with umbrellas or the many trees on the Rose Bowl grounds, there were various places for fans to escape the heat while still enjoying the concerts, but still, even that was not enough.
Between fans getting heat stroke during performances and photographers’ cameras overheating (ours did during an interview), it was incredibly challenging to endure. And we didn’t even have the level of humidity that is expected at Daisy Chain Fields.
That worries me.
Dr. Chris Fox, an emergency doctor at UCI Health, told KTLA 5 that he wouldn’t be surprised if the festival sees heat-related patients this weekend.
NWS San Diego meteorologist Casey Oswant advised people to “Avoid being outside if you can, especially if you’re going to be doing…a lot of dancing at the festival during the hottest parts of the day.”
So, what feels like 100 degrees and nearly full sun, with humidity reaching as high as 76%, is actually very concerning. For attendees, workers, artists, and anyone attending this festival. But what really troubles me, as a mother and seasoned festival-goer, is that Daisy Chain Fields attracts young people, young adults, and parents who may not be accustomed to music festivals, let alone this severe weather that is triggering heat advisories everywhere.
RELATED: Hot Weather Music Festival Packing Tips: How To Survive 90+ Degrees at a Music Festival
Daisy Chain Fields has yet to officially announce (at the time of publishing this article, Aug. 28, 3:57 p.m.) any additional heat-relief measures. Instead, the festival shared some recommendations in its Instagram Stories. As well as an in-feed post this morning announcing:
“warm, sunny weather is expected at Daisy Chain Fields! Make sure to hydrate early and often, take shade breaks, and eat throughout the day. Arrive well-hydrated and bring an empty reusable water bottle to refill at free hydration stations …”
Yada yada … that’s not what concerned attendees, doctors, meteorologists, employees, and more wanted to hear.
And to downgrade the “severe weather” advisories and “extreme heat warnings” that every city and weather station is alerting people to as just “warm, sunny weather” is silly. Festival organizers did not pass the assignment.
But I’m sure after reading this, they will. They always do.
Daisy Chain Fields celebrates women in music in a safe and inclusive environment. Net proceeds (money after all related costs are deducted) from the festival will be directed toward nonprofit organizations, including Planned Parenthood, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Baby2Baby, and many more.
ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
RECENT BEST NEW MUSIC
