Festivals: Pick Two a Year, Not All of Them

Field notes on Festivals — messy, usable, long enough to act on.

1. Energy budgets matter as much as ticket prices.
2. Recurring > one-off hype.
3. Test once while choosing indoor heat-season plans — not on a holiday schedule.
4. Keep proof (photos, chats, tickets) for anything with money attached.
5. Design for an early festival street energy, not brochure energy.
6. Revisit after thirty ordinary days.

Context

Here's a longer, practical take on Festivals — written for people building a life in Chengdu, not collecting weekend trophies.

The stumble I still see weekly: overloading holiday weekends.

Revisit the decision after thirty ordinary days, not after one viral tip.

Tourists can afford chaos. Residents need defaults — one primary option, one backup, and a note with the Chinese name.

If you remember nothing else

Defaults beat novelty. Near beats famous. Dated notes beat memory.

Talk to one person who's already living your version of this — then adjust for your streets and schedule.