This week Markus Schulz will be hosting a stage at Tomorrowland, one of the world’s most well known dance music festivals. There have been a lot of DJs that have hosted stages at festivals around the world but the one thing that makes this unique is that he’s the only one playing on the stage and he’ll be playing for 12 hours, from 1 PM until 1 AM. There won’t be any bathroom breaks. He has said he may arrange to have a light meal near the stage but don’t expect to see him eating a slice of pizza or cheeseburger behind the decks.

Markus Schulz has played numerous sets over 12 hours long but this will be the first that’s going to be mostly during daylight hours. The biggest challenge facing him is the heat and humidity expected during the daylight slaying hours.

Markus Schulz will make it, will you? If you have any doubt we’ve put together these 12 steps to surviving 12 hours at Tomorrowland.

1. Get a full nights sleep the night before. If this was a typical solo set going from doors open until doors close going all night we’d suggest a disco nap before heading to the club but with these 1 PM until 1 AM hours you’ll want a full night of sleep the night before. We’d also suggest avoiding any alcohol the night before to avoid any potential hangovers. The temptations will be heavy to party the night away in DreamVille but you’ll have a long weekend ahead, rest up.

2. Eat breakfast that will digest easily. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s not a cliche, it’s the truth. The meal in the morning gives your body fuel for the rest of the day and it can also leave your body in various ways depending on what you eat. In simple terms: don’t eat anything that’ll have you searching for a porta potty.

3. Stay hydrated. Standard festival tip. Before his set begins make sure to have a full bottle of water or two and if those run out take the time to get some refills, you’ll only miss a song or two.

4. Think about time and your alcohol consumption or drug usage. Alcohol will make you tired and drugs only last for so long. Be mindful of the effects of these things on your body so that you aren’t ready to crash as the sun is setting and there’s still over three hours left in his set. During a solo set at a club the dance floor will often begin to empty out as the time nears 4 AM as those who had been drinking a lot begin to tire out. There’s no denying that these things happen at any time of music event but for something like this you’ll want to think out your actions more than usual.

5. Follow the lead of Markus. The solo set will take you on a long journey and Markus will guide you right through until the end.  The solo set is broken into a few different sets starting with the warm up. He’s not going to go into full slaying mode from the start so relax and enjoy the build up and save your energy. After the warm up he’ll take you into the slaying mode where you’ll want to let loose. In a typical solo set after about six or seven hours he’ll guide the crowd down the rabbit hole. Follow his lead and energy in the music and you’ll go the distance. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

6. Comfort first and fashion second. Everyone wants to look their best and express themselves at a festival but do you really think you’ll be able to go the distance in flip flops or heels? Wear comfortable shoes and clothes that you’ll be able to dance, sweat and relax in.

7. Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and rain poncho. Don’t risk a sunburn on the first day of the festival out in the sun. Keep the sun out of your eyes and skin protected. Weather update:  There is an  60% change of rain and thunderstorms on Friday. Be sure to pack a rain jacket or poncho and some plastic bags to keep your digital devices and other personal items dry.

8. Try to avoid sitting down. Instead of sitting down just stand in one spot with your knees bent and slowly moving back and forth. Once you’re down it’s harder to get back up so try and resist sitting down if you can. You’re the only one who really knows your body but our professional tip is to avoid sitting if possible.

9. Don’t let your friends influence you to leave. You don’t want to get split up from your friends but if you’re intention is to stay for the entire set don’t let anyone drag you away. You’ll regret it later on hearing about what you missed and will likely hold a small grudge. It may sound petty but we’ve heard it numerous times from people who have left solo sets before the end.

10. Go with the flow. It may be hot. It’ll likely be crowded. There’ll be annoying people. There’ll be people who will step on your foot. There’ll be people who’ll spill a drink on your, blow smoke in your face or even worst burn you with a cigarette. Those things all suck and hopefully none of them happen but at least one is bound to. Don’t get upset about it, just go with the flow and move on. Do not let one person or one incident take down your day.

11. Don’t watch the time. When you start to look at the time the thoughts will enter your mind that there’s still 7 hours to go and that’ll seem like a long time or you’ll get sad realizing there’s only two hours remaining. Let the music take you on a journey and be confident that Markus Schulz will guide you from beginning to end and will make it apparent when time is running down.

12. Get to know your neighbors. Everyone has a different way of experiencing a dance floor whether it’s finding a great spot and staying there or wandering around the entire time. For those who like to find a spot and stay in the same area make sure to get to know your neighbors because you’ll be spending a lot of time around them. This doesn’t mean carrying on in depth conversations but the simple hello’s, where are you from, etc. When you need to run to the bathroom or go and get something to eat or drink recognizing who you were around will make it easier to find your way back. It’ll also give everyone a chance to look out for one another.

Have fun, good luck going the distance and make sure to tag any social media you share with the #SchulzArmy hashtag for us to find and share. For anyone interested in writing a review of his set send an email to info@schulzarmy.com.
Markus Schulz’s 2 hour set from Tomorrowland 2011