Where to find the best bathrooms at a festival, fair, concert or event?

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST BATHROOMS AT A FESTIVAL, FAIR, CONCERT OR EVENT?

Using the bathroom at large public events can be a very unpleasant experience.  People naturally find sharing the bathroom with hundreds of strangers to be a psychologically stressful experience.  In typical chicken and the egg fashion our fears of possibly sharing a toilet seat with a stranger makes some do weird things that make using the bathroom an even worst experience for the next user.  Techniques on using a public bathroom range from the classical hovering to using half a toilet paper roll to cover the seat to even standing on the seat and squatting.  These techniques often make a perfectly clean restroom into a pigsty in only a few minutes and promote other users from adopting the same techniques to avoid the mess the first person made.   Unfortunately there isn't too much that can be done to alleviate these bad habits but there is a possible solution to finding oneself with a nice clean bathroom experience.

The solution to this problem is exclusivity.  It's merely a numbers game, the more people who use a bathroom the more likely it'll be a gross mess.  So where can you find those coveted pristine bathrooms at public events?  

Bathrooms IN Undesirable/low volume areas.

When attending a public event there are bound to be hotspots and cold spots for people to congregate.   Look for spots without many people, perhaps an attraction has not started yet or that part of the venue doesn't have terribly interesting things to do.  Often times bathrooms on a second or third story are far less used than bathrooms on ground level.  Get a map out of the facilities and look for hidden restrooms out of sight for most people. 

Conversely, try to avoid high traffic areas, food courts, areas near large attractions.  If you want a good bathroom be prepared to walk a bit further.

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Picking the best porta potty in a large row

If you are at an event with several rows of portable toilets there are techniques to help you pick the best one.  Typically potties near the ends will have the most traffic due to their convenience.  But most people know that, so they'll pick bathrooms toward the center too.  I tend to find the best bathrooms look the worst on the outside.  What makes a porta potty look bad on the outside?  Sometimes it looks worn, faded, scratched up, perhaps there maybe toilet paper hanging out from the floor or is even just a bit wonky.  These bathrooms have likely seen some horrible gross things in the past but are clean and fresh now.

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Timing is everything

When attending a festival or event for several hours with thousands of other people it's a good idea to plan your day around other peoples habits instead of with theirs.  For example most Americans have lunch around 12 noon, this means the bathrooms at these events will be mobbed with attendees washing their hands before a meal or using the bathroom within 30min-1hour after their meal.   Nothing promotes your body to make room than consuming food so it's a good idea to eat early or later in the event and avoid the issue all together.   Another hotspot of bathroom activity is after the event has concluded (sometimes before as well).  Once the event is over and people are heading home they are very likely to attend the bathroom to prepare for their long journey home.  Avoid this problem by leaving early or later, pre-emptively using the bathroom or not consuming foods/liquids at least an hour before leaving the event. 

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Paying for the best bathrooms at an event

If the inconvenience of walking or the uncertainty of finding a good bathroom have you bummed out most large events these days have a premium/VIP area with exclusive bathrooms.   We at Fancy Flush are used at several of these venues and provide restroom attendants to ensure that all VIP access guests get the best experience possible.  The VIP experience varies by event and so does the cost but most event planners worth their weight in gold know that one of the key factors in providing their VIP guests with an amazing experience starts with their bottoms.