Festival Survival Guide

Last year we brought you the Gig Survival Guide, this year we’re going one step further with our Festival Survival Guide. As you know the festival season is approaching and for some people has started already, so for any festival virgins we thought we’d bring you the best advice that we’ve learnt (the hard way).

Don’t forget the small stuff
There’s nothing worse than arriving at the campsite and realising you’ve forgotten the hand sanitizer, or didn’t pack enough toilet roll. Other important stuff that can be easily forgotten is

• Duct tape (surprisingly good for tent leaks)
• Extra tent pegs (they’ll either break, get stolen, or someone else may need some)
• A torch (nothing makes those midnight trips to the toilet worse than blindly tripping over other peoples tents)
• A waterproof (because it will rain)
• Painkillers (for the dreaded hangover)

For a fully comprehensive list of things to take this guide is pretty good.

Avoid luggage with small wheels
This one was definitely learnt the hard way. Although a wheeling holdall may seem like an ideal way to carry around a bag full of booze, but when you get on the site the mud will congeal on the wheels and all hell will break loose. Best bet is to stick to the backpack or grab something with big enough wheels to survive the mud, like a wheelbarrow.

Be careful where you camp
Where you camp will depend of the festival and the kind of festival goer you want to be. If you’re the kind of the person who stays up all night constantly partying then you’ll want to camp as close to the action as possible. However, if you want a calmer, no one pissing on your tent kind of experience then you might want to camp a bit further away. It can also be good to camp close to a noticeable object or bring a flag, just be careful camping too close to the toilets.

Don’t pack too much
It may seem like a good idea to bring plenty of options, but don’t forget you’re going to have to transport everything to the camp site and back so unless your taking a car, pack lightly.

Forget about hygiene
Pack lots of baby wipes, and dry shampoo. That being said, by mid way through the festival you’re still going to feel disgusting. Just forget about it, part of being at a festival is the camping experience so just go ahead and enjoy the filth.