As festivalgoers entered Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 29, most found themselves standing in line.
Lines formed immediately to get festival merchandise, to get up close and personal with art installations and vendors, to get food, but mainly to get water.
The free water stations throughout the festival grounds at the Great Park in Irvine had the longest lines by far late Saturday morning. Attendees weren’t allowed to bring filled water bottles into the festival.
Even Orange County locals Ava Adams and MyLien LyTrang were feeling the heat.
“We literally had to take our shirts off,” Adams said as the two laughed, pointing to the bralette tops they had stripped down to. “It was just so hot. We had no other choice.”
The pair had been at Great Park since 10 a.m. before gates opened at 10:30 a.m., after carpooling in with other festivalgoers. Both shared they were feeling good despite the heat, but admitted they hadn’t anticipated just how warm the day would get.
“We definitely weren’t expecting it to be this hot,” LyTrang said.
The official Daisy Chain social media accounts warned fans that weather may be an issue. “Please come prepared! Warm, sunny weather is expected. Make sure to hydrate early and often, take short breaks and eat throughout the day.”
Forecasts for the Irvine area and inland Orange County predict highs to reach into the low to mid 90s with lows dipping only into the 70s Saturday evening.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning until 8 p.m. for the cities of Garden Grove, Mission Viejo, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Fullerton. The warning notes that heat-related illness can increase significantly during such warm temperatures and suggests staying indoors with air-conditioning if possible.
Of course, at Daisy Chain that’s not really possible. While the temperatures may not seem that bad to some, the lack of a breeze and high humidity made everything feel warmer Saturday afternoon.
Fans took what breaks they could from the sun, gathering in whatever shady areas they could at the Great Park. Some lounged on giant cushions that were placed near large plastic daisy statues in the center of the festival.
“We encourage all patrons to take breaks in Great Park’s shaded areas, including Palm Court, Daisy Lane and near the Taco Bell activation,” the official Daisy Chain Instagram account posted to its Stories earlier in the week. “Cool down at Daisy Chain Reaction or at cooling fans and misters near the merch tents and hydration stations. Cooling buses are available at medical tents if needed.”
Despite the heat, most fans were just happy to be part of the first festival put on by Rodrigo, which includes all women-led musical acts and nonprofit partners that benefit women and girls.