Pitchfork Music Festival Providing Misting Tent, Free Bottled Water To Help Fans Beat The Heat This Weekend

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off Friday afternoon in Union Park on the Near West Side, and organizers are taking extra precautions to prepare for the intense heat in Chicago on Friday and Saturday.

The festival will provide three cooling buses for the crowds to get out of the heat.

Organizers also have set up a first aid and hydration area to provide free bottled water.

The festival also will have a misting tent where fans can cool off, and three free drinking fountains.

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Pitchfork is one of 80 festivals being held around the city this weekend.

Dr. George Chiampas, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said, wherever you go this weekend, plan ahead for the heat.

"Probably a combination of water and a sports drink is probably the best; and even in the sports drinks, maybe mixing that with water or diluting it a little bit," he said. "You can get an ice tub and potentially put your hands in the ice buckets. It allows you to rapidly cool, because your blood vessels are kind of running through your wrists. You can also do the same thing with your feet."

Whatever your plans during the heat, staying hydrated is the best thing, according to Chiampas. He said the best way to know if you're staying hydrated is your urine color, which should be clear or a light yellow, but if it's dark yellow, you need to drink more water.

Another reminder: alcohol and heat don't mix. Alcohol can actually dehydrate you, so if you're going to have a few beers, cocktails, or glasses of wine while you're out in the heat, make sure to also drink some water or a sports drink.