Why you need a VPN at a music festival this summer

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Don't get caught when the music stops

Crowd of people at Bonnaroo Music Festival
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The sun is out, the days are long and music lovers everywhere are having the time of their lives listening to their favorite artists at some of the biggest music festivals around. Yes, the food is expensive and it might be a bit muddy but is there anywhere else you'd rather be? 

Whether you're camping, staying in a local hotel, or simply visiting for the day, there's one thing you should be bringing to any festival with you - and no it's not an acoustic guitar (leave that to the pros). I'm talking about one of the best VPNs.

What is a VPN?

It's not an Indie band you've never heard of, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. They are a fantastic tool for keeping your personal data private and protecting yourself online. 

Not only do they encrypt your data, making it difficult for hackers to decipher, but they also mask your IP address, making your location appear in a different country or even continent. 

Why do I need a VPN at a festival? 

Obviously, when the big artists play, there are big crowds. This is great for a party atmosphere, but not so good news for cybersecurity. Where big crowds of people go, hackers follow. 

Cyber criminals have been known in particular to set up fake public Wi-Fi networks at public events as a trap. You might be desperate to upload a clip of your favorite song to your Instagram story, but it's not worth a cyber attack. If you're equipped with a VPN with solid encryption then it will be much harder for hackers to access your data. Those up to no good will move on to easier targets.

Festivals are expensive and all too brief, the last thing you want to do is spend the whole time worried about your digital privacy. A reliable VPN can be switched on at the touch of a button, leaving you free to live in the moment without a care in the world. 

The other great thing about having a VPN at a festival is for those more relaxed moments. If you're at a festival abroad and find yourself with some free time and want to watch your favorite shows then you should use one of the best streaming VPNs to tune in like you were at home. Most streaming services have different libraries of content in different regions so a VPN is important to find what you're after. 

A group of people at a music festival

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Monkey Business images)

Which VPN should I get?

Well, the easy answer is to go with the best, and right now we think that the best overall VPN is NordVPN. 

What makes it the best? Well, it's unmatched when it comes to unlocking a multitude of streaming services, is super speedy, and boasts a host of excellent additional security features. On PC and Mac, its new Threat Protection Pro system is an absolute game changer for online safety, combining the strengths of both a VPN and top antivirus software. 

That's music to our ears. 

Andy Sansom

Andy is a freelance writer with a passion for streaming and VPNs. Based in the U.K., he originally cut his teeth at Tom's Guide as a Trainee Writer before moving to cover all things tech and streaming at T3. Outside of work, his passions are movies, football (soccer) and Formula 1. He is also something of an amateur screenwriter having studied creative writing at university.