A Guide to the SnowGlobe Music Festival

Who doesn’t want to go to a concert on New Year’s Eve and dance their little hearts out?

The SnowGlobe Music Festival is a three day EDM festival in South Lake Tahoe that takes place in December with the final night being New Year’s Eve. The festival has been around since 2011, making it a fairly new festival. MTV bought it in 2018 and has plans to expand to other cities and dates in the future. But as of now (2019) the festival remains a one of a kind experience in Tahoe.

The big difference between SnowGlobe and other festivals is the weather, most music festivals take place in the warmer months of the year making them a little easier to plan for weather-wise. December in Tahoe can be freezing and snowy or temperate and dry, it really just depends on the year. Other than figuring out how to dress for the weather, I’ve got a few other tips for making sure you have a blast at SnowGlobe!

A Guide to SnowGlobe Music Festival

Dress for the cold

Chances are it’ll be cold, even if it’s mild during the day, when the sun goes down it’ll get cold real quick, I mean, it is December. Layers are your best choice for staying warm. If you get hot from dancing you can shed a layer or two and then layer back up when you cool down. Some essentials to have are thick socks, gloves, a scarf, and a beanie.

Onesies are fun

Like any other music festival, funky fashion is a thing at SnowGlobe in the form of onesies. They keep you warm, are easy to layer underneath, and are a great way to dress up in a fun way. Your regular snow clothes will certainly keep you warm and dry, but this is a music festival so get a little wild with your fashion!

Boots with grip

If there is snow on the ground you are going to want to wear boots. A) they’ll keep your toesies warm, and B) you’ll want the grip on the snow, slush, and ice. As people walk on the snow it gets packed down and can turn to ice making the ground quite slippery.

Transportation

Getting to and from the festival has always been a bit of a challenge. There is only one road in and out so everyone driving and ubering in only have one route to take and that causes some congestion.

There is limited parking at the South Tahoe Middle School and you’ll need a parking pass. You cannot leave your car there overnight either so you’ll have to make sure you’ve got a DD.

SnowGlobe also provides a shuttle service with two lines. The Blue Line runs from Stateline to the festival and the Yellow line runs from the Y (intersection of highways 50 and 89) to the festival. You will need to purchase a shuttle pass to ride.

If you are staying in a nearby neighborhood you can also walk to the festival. Both the Sierra Tract and Bijou neighborhoods are fairly close to the festival and if you don’t want to drive or uber, walking is an option. However, if you are going to walk make sure you have your accommodations and route saved on your phone. South Lake Tahoe doesn’t have many street lights so when you are walking home it’ll be really dark, and if you are inebriated in any way it can be easy to get lost walking across the meadows. No one wants to find themselves in that worst-case scenario of being lost in the dark and the cold. So make sure you know where you’re going. Another thing to note about walking is to stay on marked trails and paths and be respectful. Locals will not be happy if you are being noisy and cutting through their yards late at night.

Lights are always good

It’s a festival so everyone enjoys some glow sticks, the more colorful the better. Having a headlamp or even just the flashlight on your phone can be immensely helpful at the end of the night when you are leaving. Whether you are walking home or just trying to get somewhere to grab an uber being able to light your way will make life easier.

Water

There is a water refill station so you can bring in empty camelbaks or plastic water bottles to keep you hydrated. They do not allow glass or metal water bottles. It’s also worth noting that there is only one water station and it can get really crowded at the end of a set so plan your water refills accordingly.

Stages

SnowGlobe is a small festival with only three stages, two of which are large outdoor stages – The Main Stage and The Sierra Stage, and one is a smaller stage in a tent – The Igloo. I love small festivals like this because that means there is usually almost no overlap in artists. It’s not like Coachella where there are several artists playing at the same time and you have to choose between them. At SnowGlobe, you’ll never have to make that decision because there is hardly any overlap.

No ins and outs

This is pretty standard concert procedure, once you are in you are in, and when you leave, that’s it for the night. So make sure you’ve got everything you need before heading through the gates. If you’ve got some extra layers or anything there are lockers to stash your stuff. If you’ve found that you’ve overpacked you can always put your stuff in a locker until you need it.

Indoors areas

If you get cold or just need a break from all the lights and madness there are areas to go inside. The MTV Lodge has a bar and seating area to chill out for a little bit, and many of the food and drink stands have indoor areas to get out of the cold for a little bit and warm up with a hot drink.

The SnowGlobe App

I always download festival apps, they are so useful. From giving you a map of the venue to set times, and plenty of other cool perks. It’s free and can be downloaded from whatever app store you use.

Fun Onesies!

You know you want a onesie now!

Nattie on the Road

A Guide to the SnowGlobe Music Festival