Kristina Argentina

Creamfields: The before

After weeks of anticipation; multiple trips to Chinatown, Puerreydon and other cheap tacky places to find the perfect outfit (all before finding it in our own neighborhood); planning back and forth with large groups; and finally listening to hours of electronic playlists to make the perfect line up - it was finally here.

So Brett and I showered and began to meticulously put on our awesome neon outfits. We had been eating like we were going to run a marathon - big pasta dinners and a lot of water. Brett put some snacks in her fanny pack, and packed some granola bars, peanuts, and fernet + colas, in another bag. We put on tall boots, stashed a few nips of whiskey and speed (Argentina’s response to red bull) and waited for a few friends to come over.

Creamfields, for those that don’t know, is an electronic festival that originated in the UK in 1998. It started out as a party in a club called Cream, and then moved to the airport, and that’s how it got the name Creamfields. There are also festivals in Abu Dhabi, Andalucia, Australia, Buenos Aires, Chile, Columbia, Malta and Peru. It has occured in Buenos Aires since 2000, but has moved around the city a lot. The price has moved from 20 pesos to its current fee of almost 300. That does not include the transport, alcohol or drugs that one may need to fully enjoy it. Now it is located just on the outskirts of the Ciudad Autónoma in the Hipódromo, nestled between a few villas, or slums. There are about 60,000 people who go, so having transport pre-arranged is almost a necessity, unless you want to stand around and try to figure it out in whatever state you end up in at 6am*.

*credit to Estanislao for the history on Creamfields!

We were lucky enough to be invited to be a part of a large group of 50 people all going together. Organized by the people who run the Buenos Aires Pub Crawl, it was mostly study abroad students, and other friends or entrepreneurs living in the city. The bus left the north part of the city at 7pm, and we were to be picked up at the entrance to the festival at 6am the next day. 

Brett Estefania and I had previously prepared by purchasing glow sticks. We broke them out on the bus and immediately became the most popular kids. We gave a few away, but saved the majority for ourselves and our friends. It made it easier to keep track of each other while navigating through the crowds on the way into the festival!

Walking into the festival, there were three checkpoints: one to make sure you had a ticket, another to check bags, and the last with turnstyles for you to put the second ticket through like a metro. I got stopped at the second, because the woman felt me up. The conversation went like this (translated)

Lady 1: Do you have anything in your bra?

Kristin: Yes, a phone.

1: Can you take it out for me?

K: Takes it out.

1: What else?

K: Emmmmm, a camera?

1: Can you take it out too?

K: Smiles smugly, pulls out a nip of whiskey.

1: Un huh, and the other one?

K: Smiles more and pulls out another nip of whiskey.

1: You can’t take that in there.

K: OK, let me get rid of it. Drinks one, puts the other one in tall boots and goes to the next turnstlye.

2: How old are you?

K: Ummmm, 27?

2: OK, go on through.

Remember this was all in Spanish, and we had had a drink or two beforehand, so it was a bit difficult! But, I also found it very amusing, not sure these ladies did.

Anyways, through all the hoops, we were finally at Creamfields!