With festival season coming in hard and fast, I thought I would put together a little guide for anyone who was heading off to their first festival.
Read the festival rules.
Don't be that person standing at the front of the queue complaining because staff are taking something off of you that you shouldn't have. Most festivals don't allow you to take in any food or drink and they usually have a limit on the size of bag you can take in. Always check the festival website to check their rules.
Check the weather forecast.
The last thing you need is to wear the wrong type of clothes at a festival as there isn't anywhere for you to change unless you go back to your tent if you are camping. You don't want to end up missing your favourite band because you got heat stroke and end up in the medical unit like I did twice because I didn't learn the first time. I passed out 10 minutes before Iron Maiden came on stage at Download 2003 and then in 2007 when I was pulled out the crowd before Korn took to the stage because I felt really light headed and then passed out. Not done it again since though so I did finally learn from my mistakes haha.
Be prepared to spend a lot of money on food and drink.
The sooner you realise that you are going to spend upwards of £6 a pint at a festival, the sooner you won't begrudge buying anything. Little bottles of fizzy or water are sometimes £3 or more and cans can up £2 or more. There is a huge range of food available at festivals but it can be expensive so take your time to have a look around before buying food. If you are going to Download, it is worth opening a Barcleys bank account to get the slightly cheaper prices. If you don't drink alcohol, look out for stalls that do deals on drinks, I've seen a Pepsi stall before that did £4 for a pint of Pepsi and then £3 if you went back with the same cup.
Take a fold up poncho
If it rains, you have something to keep you dry, if it doesn't rain, you have something to put on the ground so your backside doesn't get dirty. Win win
Don't automatically think you will get signal.
I have found that sometimes at festivals, I have had a brilliant signal and then others I have had nothing. Remember to tell people who may try to call you while you are there, it will be easier if they message you so you can call them back once you have signal.
Arrange Meeting Points
If you are going with a group of people and you know you aren't all going to see the same bands all day, arrange a meeting place for the bands you are going to see together so that you don't spend half your time trying to find each other. You could pick one of the food trucks, a bar, the sound desk for the stage you are going to, anywhere that you will all remember and make sure you set a time as well. This is great just in case you are at a festival with no or little signal.
Plan your day.
Make sure you know what time your favourite bands are on stage so that you don't miss them. Most festivals have an app where you can pick your favourite bands that are playing and it will tell you when they are going to be on stage. They also send you a notification when they are about to start their set.
Take a camping chair
If you are ok with getting up and down from the ground or standing around for ages then this doesn't apply to you but if you aren't ok with it, take a camping chair. It's so much more comfy to be able to sit in a camping chair, plus, they have drinks holders so you don't have to keep holding your drink. Another win win
Get a power bank
If you are like me and like taking lots of videos and photos, your battery is going to go down quickly, so invest in a power bank so that you can keep your phone topped up throughout the day and be able to capture your special and fun festival moments.
Take sun cream
As most festivals are in the summer months, there is a very good chance that it is going to be sunny and hot, make sure you have sun cream so you don't get sunburnt. I like getting the small bottles of sun cream spray as it fits nicely into my bag and I prefer spray as it's easier to apply.
Drink plenty of water
I'm not saying to just drink water, although that would be the healthy option, I'm saying that you need to drink some water to stay hydrated. Drinking alcohol is fine but every now and then have some water. No one wants sun stroke. To save some money, take an empty bottle that you can fill up with water at the water stations. There are some great collapsible bottles you can buy so they don't take up to much room in your bag when you don't have water in it.
Know how you are getting there
Seems like a simple one but not fully knowing has caught me out before. I got a weekend parking pass for Download in 2022 thinking the car park would be close but it wasn't. It took us an hour and a half to walk from the car to the arena, that was not fun and it was the last time we parked that weekend. The rest of the time, we got a taxi to and from the festival because the walk from the drop off point was only a half hour walk. There are separate car parks for camping and arena only so make sure you check the festival website to know which one you need to go to.
Take wet wipes
At festivals it can be dusty so having wet wipes can be quite refreshing. Plus, if like me you are a messy eater, it's good to have one to clean up haha. There are some great small wet wipe packs you can get for festivals that are super handy and are small enough that they don't take up too much room in your bag.
Check out the marketplace
I have found some serious bargains in the marketplace at festivals, like my alien and predator rings that I think you will agree are super frigging awesome!! There is some things that can be expensive but there is some seriously good stuff too. It always amazes me what you can buy in the marketplace so take your time to walk around and I am sure you will find some bargains.
Ask people that have been before
People that have been to the festival you want to go to are your best source of information. They will be able to tell you things that caught them out and if there is an alternative. Some festivals have a forum that you can join and you will be able to go through loads of threads of questions, tips and general festival chat.
Be yourself
A festival is the perfect time to be who you really are. I love going to Download and seeing everyone dressed to the extreme because they look so amazing! The outfits and make-up are outstanding and I am so jealous because I don't think I will ever have those make-up skills. Wear what you want, be as crazy as you want, just don't be a dick haha.
And last but not least.... Have an awesome time 😀
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