How to Stay Cool During EDC Orlando

Florida is hot. There is no dancing around the truth, and even if the alligator state dips into the 50s during those winter months, this weekend, the highs will reach 80 degrees. Combine that humid heat with thousands of dancing bodies and electric live music, all centered in the dead center of Florida, and you’re going to sweat. 

But, if you take proper precautions, you can dance (and sweat) throughout the weekend, safely. Here are the best items to bring with you to EDC Orlando to maintain a safe internal temperature while the external temperature flirts with fire. 

1. A Misting Fan 

One of the easiest places to find a misting fan in Florida is Orlando due to their ever-presence at the neighboring amusement parks. You can pop into a drug store or a general store and purchase a misting fan with an empty water chamber. When the outdoor heat starts to drag you down, spritz some water on your face, the back of your neck, and your hands. 

You certainly do not want to experience any heat exhaustion or sickness symptoms, so mist yourself regularly throughout the day. If you don’t fancy direct contact with the water droplets, use the fan to generate a calming airflow. 

Make sure the fan’s bottle compartment (up to 1.5 L) is empty upon arrival.

2. A Cooling Towel

Like misting fans, cooling towels help regulate your body temperature and cool you down during hot days. Since EDC has water stations planted around the grounds, if you start to feel woozy, faint, or need to take a break, head to a water station with your cooling towel, wet it, and apply it to the back of your neck, your inner elbows, behind your knees, your wrists, or your ankles. Applying cold sensations to those areas when you’re feeling hot will quickly restore your body temperature and cool you down. 

Whenever the towel loses its cool, return to the water station and repeat the process. 

3. Hydration Packs

An essential item for a southeast festival is a hydration pack. Hydration packs resemble backpacks with respective arm straps, so you don’t have to worry about carrying a bottle around all day or, worse, losing said bottle. 

Hydration packs also have suction straws attached, so your liquid remains intact until consumed. Festival regulations allow hydration packs with up to two large compartments and one smaller compartment as long as they’re empty upon arrival. 

4. Water Bottles

Bringing a water bottle anywhere is always a great idea. You can fill up the bottle at any of the refill stations, as frequently as you’d like, for free. Maybe you’re not a fan of the hydration packs, or you’ve decked out your water bottle in so many stickers it’s practically a laptop. Dance with the bottle, stow it in your or a friend’s bag, and just remember to stay hydrated.

The festival doesn’t have any regulations about water bottle size; the only rule is for it to be empty upon arrival.