What to Do at Dayglow

One of college students’ most loved events is leaving a trail of neon across the country. The Dayglow Tour: Life in Color has been taking on hundreds of cities and colleges campuses as “The World’s Largest Paint Party.” Before you purchase tickets and pick out the perfect all-white paint-worthy ensemble, make sure you know how to have the best experience possible.

Don’t…

…wear nice clothes. This one is pretty self-explanatory. There’s a pretty good chance you will be covered in paint — it is a paint party. If you don’t want paint all over your nice clothes, don’t wear them. Nearly everyone in the crowd wears all white or neon colors. You can create some bold inexpensive looks by just ripping up an old white t-shirt and pairing it with neon underthings.

…go with a large group unless you are okay with getting separated. Maneuvering through the crowd can be difficult for one person, let alone a group of 10 girls with boyfriends in tow. Small groups are easy to keep track of and will have significantly fewer problems throughout the night than a large group. If you do chose to go with a large group, make a general plan for splitting up into pairs or smaller groups. Remember the buddy system!

…go if you have a large personal space bubble. Hot, sweaty and body-to-body contact is almost guaranteed for the entire time that you’re there. If you shudder at the idea of being pushed up against another person covered in paint, think twice before you buy your ticket.

…go if you dislike loud techno music. The party beats will be pumping through your body as soon as you step into the party. If you have no interest in hearing it for multiple hours, you might not want to attend.

…think too much. Dayglow is a giant party where you get sweaty and paint-covered with a giant crowd of strangers all looking for one thing; a crazy night. The most important thing is to go with the flow and enjoy yourself.

Do…

…go with friends who you trust and are just as excited as you about getting sweaty, paint-covered and wild.

…wear as little clothing as possible. Dayglow is the perfect formula for a human oven: thousands of people dancing to pounding music in a confined area. Any unnecessary clothes you do have on will either be sweated off completely or thrown off in order to keep as cool as possible.

…wear sneakers. Flip flops may seem like a logical choice, but when you’re in close proximity to a large number of people, they will be lost before you know it — leaving your feet to be left trampled by every 200-pound guy in clunky basketball sneakers. And don’t even think about wearing heels; the slimy, paint covered ground, hours of intense dancing, and battling the crowd will leave you with feet screaming in pain and a twisted ankle or two.

…look at the stage once in a while. It’s easy to become absorbed in whichever guy you happen to be dancing with at the moment, or to keep your eyes glued to your best friend’s head so that you don’t lose them, but you’ll miss out on half the show if you don’t look past your immediate surroundings. Hallucinogenic graphics splash and twirl across the giant screens and smoke oozes and paint explodes from the edge of the stage. Best of all, there are people in giant light up suits, acrobats suspended by giant pieces of fabric and contorting themselves inside suspended hula-hoops, giving the event a tripped-out Cirque Du Soleil effect. You don’t want to miss it; these little touches are part of the whole experience.

…get there at a reasonable time to pick up your VIP stuff. If you took the leap and decided to pay an extra $20 for your ticket in order to get a t-shirt, bag, sunglasses, paint bottle and other goodies, you don’t want to show up too late to get it. These items will not only add to your experience, but also serve as great reminders of the truly insane night you had.

…embrace your wild side. No one goes to “The World’s Largest Paint Party” to stand against the wall with their arms crossed, wondering what time it is. The night is all about getting dirty, crazy and completely out of your comfort zone. After all, you know what they say: “what happens at Dayglow, stays at Dayglow.”