There are many factors to be taken into consideration when going to a Music Festival. These can range from which toiletries to take, to where you're going to pitch your tent.
In this Article I'll try to give you a basic run down of what you should take and what perhaps you should avoid. I'll then go on to explain some things in more detail, and will give some advice based on personal experiences of going to Music Festivals for the past five years.
What do I take Camping?
- Tent:
This is obviously quite an obvious essential to take when camping - especially at a Music Festival! What you should do is confirm how many people are going to be in one tent, and then take both personal space and storage space into consideration. Often three of us go together so we normally take three single/small tents and then a fourth to put our storage in. This is a good method as it is cheap and light. Another is to take a huge five-man tent, allowing room for all three of you plus two more, which you can use for clothes or food and drink.
- Sleeping Bags:
Sleeping bags are once again quite an obvious item to take with you. There are however several different types of sleeping bags out there. If your Music Festival is in the Summer like most are, you'll need to take a very thin lightweight bag so you don't cook during the night and in the mornings.
- Air Bed/Sleeping Mats:
Some people love to take Air Beds with them when they go to a Music Festival. Others don't bother as they think they take up too much room and time. A cheaper and much preferred way to get extra comfort is to take a simple Sleeping Mat. They're incredibly cheap and serve the purpose perfectly (inflatable mats are available too). This isn't an essential of course, but is highly recommended, especially if you're fussy about being comfortable when you sleep.
- A Cool Box:
Cool Boxes are very helpful to take with you on any camping trip. You'll find that at a Music Festival however you'll be spending the majority of your day in the arena and therefore as a result, you'll probably be buying lots of food from Vendors and Stalls. Only take a Cool Box if you're planning on cooking any food. (Some cool boxes are collapsible).
- A Torch:
It will get dark at Festivals, especially in your tent. Take a torch just so you can find your way. Maybe also take something that will light the inside of the tent sufficiently.
- Medicine/First Aid Kit:
Even though there will be First Aid and Medical Personnel around at the event, it's always a good idea to take some Aspirin in case you get a headache and plasters/bandages in case you hurt yourself in a mosh-pit for example.
- Fold Out Chairs:
These can be a pain to carry but will be a god-send once you've finished setting up your tent. It's always nice to be able to have a sit down, so I recommend you take one of these!
- Clothes:
DO NOT TAKE YOUR FAVOURITE CLOTHES!
Everyone makes this mistake. It's common for people to always want to look their best and to show off what clothes they've got whilst at a Festival. Please don't take anything expensive though - it will get muddy, it will get ruined and in some rare cases, it will get stolen.
You should only take clothes you're happy to get dirty and possibly ruined. Make sure you take a jumper in case it rains or gets cold. The majority of the time though, you'll need light clothing as it can get incredibly hot!
- Thick Socks/Wellies:
Festivals tend to get extremely muddy. There are thousands of people all walking across the same paths and this creates a horrible muddy slush. I advise you to take some wellies and make sure you wear thick socks with them so you don't cause blisters on your feet or ankles. Thick socks can be football socks or rugby socks.
- A bag for dirty clothes:
There is nothing worse than rummaging through your tent trying to find a clean shirt or clean underwear. Keep dirty clothes in a separate bag so you don't get clean/dirty mixed up (try a lightweight cotton stuff bag). This will also keep your clean clothes fresh!
- Toilet Roll:
This is an essential. There is NO TOILET ROLL AT FESTIVALS! You'll need to bring your own - and make sure you constantly have some folded up in a pocket. There is nothing worse than needing the toilet and having to ask a stranger for toilet roll. What's worse is buying it for a stupid price from a Vendor.
- Baby Wipes:
I know this is particularly disgusting but there are lots of people who don't shower at Festivals.
Not very many Festivals provide lots of showers - and this means that queuing can take hours.
Take Baby Wipes so that you can keep yourself clean.
- Bottles Of Water/Towel: It's always a good idea to take water with you to a Festival. It's incredibly important to keep yourself hydrated at all times. Drinking Fizzy Drinks and Alcohol all the time will definitely not hydrate you.
If you're not comfortable with not showering for a few days, an idea is to take lots of water.
I've seen several people do this at Festivals: someone pours water over their friend and it acts as a shower. Don't forget to take a towel so you can dry yourself!
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Deodorant/Sunscreen:
Just as if you were going anywhere, bringing bathroom supplies are essential. Don't forget to pack up your toothbrush and toothpaste. Sun cream is also important to keep you safe from sunstroke and sun burn.
Where do I pitch my tent?
This question gets asked quite a lot and it's a difficult one to answer. All Music Festivals are different so it's impossible to recommend a good location unless you know it inside out. What I can tell you however is what you should avoid and what you should look out for. To start with, you're going to want to pitch near a toilet. Do not pitch too close to one though, because the smell will become unbearable. If possible, avoid pitching right beside a path or walkway. People will fall into your tent and throws things beside it. Not to mention the fact that rain will accumulate here and no doubt flood your tent. This is something you definitely do not want to happen.
If you're looking for a quiet place to be able to relax after seeing all the bands, you're going to want to pitch up as far away from the arena(s) as you can get. This means you'll have much further to walk, but you will be in a nice quiet area which no-one tends to travel to. This is often the case for families with young children.
Do I need Sun Cream?
Lots of people don't bother with Sun Cream because it takes time and effort. I've seen men in particular not wearing it because they think it's 'girly'! Please make sure you cover yourself in Sun Cream. You'll be spending the majority of your day walking around in the heat and no doubt wearing little-to-no clothes because it's just so hot. The last thing you want to do at a Festival is make yourself incredibly uncomfortable by burning yourself, or worse, fainting from the heat and developing Sun Stroke.
Should I take my mobile phone?
If you can, take an old mobile phone. I normally take my old Nokia 3310 when going to a Festival as I'm only going to be using it to ring or text friends when I get lost. You'll find that these phones also have a much better battery life and therefore won't die on you. There are normally charging points, but these are quite costly to use.
How do I find my friends if I get lost?
The first thing you should all do on arrival is decide on a meet-up point. Festivals normally provide giant poles with multi coloured flags attached to them for such emergencies. I would strongly recommend that you and your friends all decide where to meet if you get lost. Another great location to meet is always at your tent (if you know where it is of course)!
Have an open mind!
Not everything will go to according to plan. You will forget something. The good news is that you're at a Music Festival, you're surrounded by thousands and thousands of people who just want to have a good time and who will be more than happy to help you in any way they can. Get separated from your group? Not actually a huge deal at all. All you have to do is one simple thing: talk to people. Some of the most interesting people any of us have ever met were those encountered at music festivals. These will be people who are totally different from you in pretty much every way except for the fact that you are both there to have a good time. That one common bond is all you need when you're at a Music Festival. Remember, fun with others is much better than fun alone.
There we have it. I hope you can take most of this on board and have a good time at your next Music Festival.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I shall answer them as soon as possible.
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