No, as long as one of you stays in the line, that's fine! Many people will go to concerts with a friend just to have someone to hold their spot for them, both in the line and in the actual crowd. You can absolutely go through people in the crowd to go to the bathroom, but it may be difficult to get through some people if they don't notice you or the crowd is very dense, so you might want to ensure that you use the bathroom earlier on while the crowd is a bit thinner.

You're technically fine on both counts but depending on the size of the venue and how crowded GA is you may not be able to find you way back to your friends during the show.

Folks always take normal bathroom breaks and food runs. Being gone for hours while 1 person holds 5 spots is what tends to create friction.

Once you are in the venue …the issue is the density of the crowd. It is best to get all your bathroom and drink sorted out before the opener (well before ideally but that could mean 5 hours without a toilet). Definitely limit fluids starting an hour before doors. Obviously monitor how you feel but it better to take small sips of Gatorade/sports drink than chug water which will run right through you.

Holding spots in line while one of while part of your group uses the facilities is completely acceptable. Once inside at your spot in GA, it’s also acceptable, however it may be harder to save the whole space as the venue fills and more people try and find their spaces. If it’s a large group going, try to leave as many as possible at your spot.

As others have said, you're fine while lining up to get into the venue, but once you're in the pit, if you leave to use the bathroom, you might have a hard time getting back simply because of the sheer number of people in the crowd. And yes, some will be irritated at you trying to squeeze past them to get back to your spot and may think that you are cutting in front of them.

Little Monsters can be a warm and supportive fan base, but even kind fan bases can go feral in the pit.

Also, if you can afford the time, do overnight stays instead of day trips. That way, on the morning of the second day, you are the first person at every attractions and you are done even before the day trippers arrive. This is best suited for places like Nikko, Miyajima, Hakone, Kamakura, etc.

Or you can just do the Kumano Kodo. I did it in 2023. No tourist crowds in sight. :)

Absolutely. Tourist crowds in Japan are very localized. Just walk 2 or 3 streets away and it will be empty or only locals. Oh, and for Fushimi Inari, forget about the tips on coming early/late. Just keep walking up the mountain, once you’re halfway there it’s much quieter. To put it a bit bluntly, most of the other tourists seemed too lazy to do the actual hike.

There are many underrated gems even along the classic route.

Relatively few, for example, go to Honganji temples, in Kyoto, even though is just a few minutes away from Kyoto Station.

Philosopher's Path is highly recommended, yet a pleasant uncrowded walk most of the year, except during cherry blossom season.

In Tokyo, Shibayama is a much less crowded traditional alternative to Asakusa/Sensoji.

These days Tsukiji fish market is almost all foreign tourists. You can avoid a lot of the crowds by staying away from the main tourist areas in Tokyo. Good thing is there are tons of places that are interesting to visit and not one of those main tourist areas

How to avoid crowds? 🤔 don’t go where the crowds are.

Just because the crowd likes to go to the right on Guardians doesn’t mean you have to. If it bothers you, just gravitate to the left and enjoy the pre show without the “rush”.

Had an interesting conversation with a friend who's a California local--Disneyland has considerably more locals than WDW

Friend: with how often you go to Disney I'm sure you're a pro at always getting the best spots for stuff, right? Like the shuttle on Rise--the APs at Disneyland are always fighting for prime viewing in the center; gotta be quick 😅

Me: ...I always assume most of the shuttle are first timers and move off to the side/corner so others can see better. I know the show already. I mean if I'm WITH a first timer I'll dart in for a good spot... And then once my friend catches up I tell them to stay put and then I move off to the side so another first timer can stand next to my friend 🤷🏻‍♀️

As much as I loved Guardians, it was the only ride where I found a lot of people acted like idiots in both the line and the preshow.

I totally agree with you. It’s always someone’s first time. You nailed the most problematic rides too! Phone use up in front of your face is also out of control.

On the one hand, the guardians thing is totally annoying.

On the other hand the pre show is way too long.

i agree w what the other person said - also in case you're anxious about finding ppl that are willing, often it ends up being kinda the same bunch of folks around the pit (like, the actual mosh pit, not just the floor section) that help people up all show!!!

so i'd head over there, see who seems to be helping others up, n then tap them & do the pointing up thing :p

I always go to like the edge of the pit find the biggest guy and ask him to help get me up it’s pretty chill

Most the time I wait until I see someone else surf, then I locate where they are coming from and it's usually a group of bigger guys putting people up. You can either ask or just point upwards with your hands if it's too loud to speak, that's what I typically do.

I would NOT attempt if you see too many people get dropped, you will probably be dropped too. Learned that the hard way

J find some big dudes in the crowd and ask em to lift you up. Or sometimes j pointing up works too 😭

From my experience most of the time people are very willing to help you up, especially the big guys (they know that’s a role they step into haha). I’ve never had an issue asking people to go up at any show or festival I’ve been to. As people have said, find the big guys. Also make sure to cross your legs, if you have a bag put it on your chest (more so so you don’t risk a zipper opening and things falling out).

All great suggestions. DONT PANIC. Somebody WILL pick you up. If you are on top of somebody try getting on your hands and knees and just hang tight until it surges back.

On the other side of the coin, when it’s time for the wall of death. SPLIT THE PIT!

Also I always tell people this and I know sometimes people have a different opinion on the matter.

But if you have your spot and some random person decides they want to push in front of you to get closer and its gonna super crowd you/block your view.

You dont HAVE to let them.

Obviously it's better when everyone is nice but people can and will take advantage and attempt to either take the 1 inch space in front of you OR literally just shove themselves in front of you so you're pushed back/out of their way.

For the rookies and elders.

1. Dont go up front.
2. Stand in the back and let everyone else do the moshing for you.
3. Enjoy watching said moshing and crowd surfing.
4. Sing and dance in your own space.

Most of you arent old enough to have gone to early day warped tours, ozzfests, lolla, etc when it was way way worse for these things. Wont even list the times when crowds were insane even just in club and theatre shows 20 years ago to now. Just dont put yourself in the position to be at risk and youre good.

This is going to be my 24th concert this year and 3rd music festival… I appreciate the idea behind it but this post seems a bit like fear mongering. I’ve been to everything from metal and heavy rock to string quartets and twang country, I’ve only seen one crowd rush.

Band will have everybody in the pit split down the middle and create a big open space. Then when the song drops everybody runs like lunatics at each other. It’s a blast. Check out some YouTube videos of it

I was at MCR for Riot Fest. It was actually very chill ❤️ yes, every other son they said to move back but everyone moved - actually, halfway through (the 1.5 hour set) we created a path for people to walk out, and it was held. I wish I knew how to post the video because it was beautiful but I'm too Redditdumb .. and yes, I agree about him - I will say, every other song MCR said to move back and we all did and we held a path for people leaving (and it was beautiful- I wish I could post)

EDIT EDIT: I APPRECIATE THIS POST SO MUCH FYI PREFACE: I APPRECIATE THIS POST BUT HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY READ: I haven't had a chance to read but I will say, as someone who works Local Crew on shows, the Astroworld Sht was more about the artist than anything else... He has that issue every show and ignores the security, along with seeing him at ACL years ago and he always pushed people to jump fences ETC.. but in a local concert - he was asked to pause multiple times by security and he ignored... People don't realize how much of the situation was actually his call - I was surprised too

Edit: every experience I've had with THAT artist - he's had every option, every last call, and even every neg for him to save it... With that said, I also saw MCR at Riot Fest this year and yes, they asked ppl to back up every other song BUT, you know what? Everyone did.. and they didn't just back up but WE also created a walking path for people trying to exit and we held it clear as we danced - it was GD beautiful

Edit: Grammar stuffff 👯👯🕸️

Also adding that people joining others in line is a constant struggle. And it infuriates me every time it happens. I think the rule should be (besides not doing it), that you cannot have more people join than the number of people waiting already. So if two people are waiting, don’t show up with 5 other people. I was waiting for a ride and had 3 people in front of me and the suddenly 6 more appear. There are, however, many people who were holding back waiting for other to join them who were coming. Major props to them, and I did thank them for doing it that way. And for Radiators Springs Racer of all places.

This trip me and my parents did two weeks ago, we splurged hard and did Lightning lane premier. So we sat at the cafe seating just watching rope drop and your right—it looked horrifying. People just running and squeezing in. I don’t get how people do it.

The way I look at people doing castle shots. If you are off to the sides at angles, or doing the Disney photo pass photographer I will absolutely not walk through your shot as your being considerate.

That being said, if you are blocking the main walk way on the actual draw bridge into the castle I’m not stopping.

I find that to be a fair balance.

Pre kid me also thought no way I’m never doing a stroller! Me with a kid, it’s a lifesaver! We’re able to get where we need to go without having to worry about a small child trying to keep up or get caught up in the crowd. Also nice to have the storage with you vs getting a locker for jackets/snacks. Just pop ‘em under the stroller! You get used to navigating the crowds with a stroller. Glad you had a great time!

Not really. I believe they exist mainly for the cast members who are managing the rope to give to kids, but you can test your luck and ask for one!

I know!! And people huff and puff like you’re ruining their day. Ma’am, if you didn’t book this set, you’re not entitled to it. I won’t make it a point to be in their way, but it’s impossible to be out of everyone’s background. It is what it is.

some stinky guy literally grabbed my head to move me out of the way last year. not cool. Please please be conscious of where you are touching people in the crowd too even if it's on accident. I get that it can get congested but don't be rude either.

a guy bumped into me last night and physically turned around to be like “i’m so sorry!” i was so caught off guard by his politeness i could barely answer lol - i hope that guy is having a great festival

PSA: this event is in a French speaking city and there's a lot of locals, be ready to hear people say "désolé" or "scuse" instead of sorry.

agreed 100% hoomans gonna hooman xo

Last time I went to Osheaga, a man picked me up and moved me aside to get by me. My tip: don’t do that. I’ll always move over for someone who says excuse me!

Hand off your stuff to a friend or make sure it’s absolutely secure. I’ve picked up countless phones from crowd surfers.

General plea for the crowd: please don’t crowd crush and be considerate of folks at the front and center. When you’re up front and it’s so packed you can’t put your arms up or down at all, getting a wave of surfers is a big painful ask.

If you’re not down to support crowd surfers, the respectful and safe thing is to move to a different spot. There is a social contract of expectations of one another at these shows. Dropping people isn’t cool.

If you have glasses and will be in a crowd surf area, make sure you're wearing a strap/rope to keep them on your head.

I broke mine at a Neck Deep concert, the crowd surfers foot hit my head&knocked them off my face, then the people in front took a step back, fully breaking them🙃

These are great tips! Another guidance/etiquette thing for crowdsurfers is that if you want to crowd surf at the show, plan to wear appropriate shoes. It's generally considered bad form (and dangerous) to crowdsurf in boots or heels. That's how people get concussions. Converse, vans, and other softer type shoes are the gold standard!

At Bristow too many people were crowd surfing while in a sitting position and recording themselves. Not many, but a couple were even put up in areas not expecting surfers and thrown on people. Lots of people in heels going up. It’s not a metal concert issue, but fan base issue.

My best friend was with me so she helped me, I was able to hold my glasses up with one hand so I could still see😭. Luckily I keep an extra pair (aka my last set of glasses) in my car tho

HEAVY on not flailing your feet. Ex gf got a black eye because someone kicked her in the eye while crowdsurfing.

I've had that happen too, it's SO painful. I had a headache for 3 days after 😭

Wait wait wait wait wait wait....

I've been rope dropping for YEARS. I universally recommend it to everyone. I'VE BEEN CHOSEN TO OPEN THE PARK. And I have never seen this sticker.

I need the details immediately. Why have I never seen it before? It isn't the prettiest sticker in the world, but like, I want it. Why am I so annoyed right now?!

By Castle Show you mean the projection show/Mickeys Mix Magic? If so, yeah it’s the “off season” projection show (fireworks on weekends and during the busiest spring break times). Wondrous Journeys will return for the 70th. I don’t like Mickey’s Mix Magic all that much but you’ll notice that kids seem to really enjoy it lol. I sometimes call it the Mickey Rave.

Did you get first visit buttons while you were there

I appreciate your thoughts that I didn’t ask for, so thank you.

Last time I was there I had to use the bathroom super badly and my boyfriend got in line for the Ferris wheel which had a 25 minute wait while I went to the bathroom. I felt guilty when I went to join him but I couldn’t imagine having a bunch of people join me later on. We had it with a photo spot 2 people in line then a huge group joined them and they had a huge photo shoot changing people out and took 5+ minutes and laughing at us as they apologized to taking too long. I don’t get how some people just don’t worry about it or feel guilty.