u/Savings-Difficulty21

I just booked my hotel for Summer Smash in Hammond, IN on a budget, but I’ve heard mixed things about the area safety-wise. I booked a Red Roof Inn and it’s about a 40-minute drive to SeatGeek Stadium with traffic.
The plan is basically just to sleep there for four nights after the festival and head back out during the day. For people familiar with the area, does this sound fine for the festival trip, or should I consider looking elsewhere?

When do you guys plan on getting merch? I’m going all 3 days Friday–Sunday. Obviously set times aren’t out yet, but there are some earlier Friday sets I wanna catch like Bleood and Lil Skies. I know the more exclusive merch usually sells out fast too, so Friday might be the best day to grab stuff. What do y’all think?