It’s hard to think about a music festival without thinking of British summer time, and a part of British culture to go to at least one music festival, whether that be one of the big ones like Glastonbury or Reading, or perhaps a smaller one, maybe even a local one. With this right of passage in place, it’s essential you’re ready and prepared! So here is your guide to getting festival ready this summer.
Getting to the festival
This is obviously one of the biggest challenges when planning your festival antics, for those who have been to a festival before you’ll know the cost and inconvenience of finding the best transport and carrying around all the essentials you’ll be bringing. So, a good idea could be to get a lift sorted or maybe even borrow a car for the weekend. By bringing your own vehicle it gives you the freedom to pack whatever you need and get there and back very simply. If you’re borrowing someone’s car make sure that you’re protected against anything that could happen, get some temporary insurance for the duration of the festival and travel home safely with Veygo!
For whichever festival you’re attending, their website should provide you with all of the adequate information about getting to the festival by car. The website should also provide you with the information relevant to parking and permits. It’s also good to check it out for yourself, use maps to find a quick route there and back. For both journeys it’s a good idea to have a look beforehand at which service stations are on the route so if a stop is needed you’ll have a good idea of where to go.
What will I need to bring to a festival?
Essentials
– Tent
– Sleeping bag
– Some kind of pillow
– Sunglasses (practical and quirky)
– Some form of fancy dress
– Small shoulder bag (check policy)
– Enough socks, plus more!
– Clothes (arguably should be higher up the list, but fancy dress is way more fun!)
– Baby wipes, or some form of cleansing wipes
Worth while
– Alcohol, check festival policy on bringing your own drinks (also drink responsibly and NO
DRINK DRIVING! Please familiarise yourself with the drink driving limits)
– Spare footwear, i.e. sliders, flip flops or sandals.
– Camping chairs
– Towel
– Portable chargers
– Rain poncho
– Wellington boots
All these items on the lists are suggestions as you will have to check the specific festival guides for a list of what is allowed and what isn’t allowed. For example, some festivals say sound systems aren’t allowed in, but others will be fine with you bringing one to listen to around your campsite.
Planning a festival trip
When planning the festival you’ll have likely picked one where you and your friends like a certain type of music or artist that’ll be playing, so beforehand or on the first day of the festival it might be a good idea to find out set lists and times. Doing this you can arrange where to be and at what times, it’s a good way to plan so that everyone gets to see someone they’ll enjoy!
British music festivals
According to Festiticket and other sources these are the hottest UK music festivals, these go off of popularity and attendance. In terms of which ones are the outright best you’d have to do some exploring around as everyone has different music tastes. Glastonbury is probably the biggest and most known for its outstanding headliners and capacity, however, you may not be feeling a mainstream festival and may be more swayed to a dance based festival like Creamfields or NASS.
Glastonbury
Download Festival
V Festival
Reading & Leeds
Creamfields
Isle of Wight
Boom Town
Wireless
Boardmasters
All Points East
Hyde Park
Y Not Festival
Boundary Brighton
Field Day
TRNSMT
Terminal V
Neighbourhood Weekender
MiNT Festival
Beautiful People
Strawberries & Creem Festival
Tips and Tricks for music festivals
– When driving to and from the festival, make sure the journey is planned well. It’s going to be busy getting there and a nightmare leaving so you will want to be prepared. For example, making sure you have plenty of water in the car with you to stay hydrated.
– Bring some kind of snacks, this is a great way to make sure you’ve always got something to keep you topped up, especially as the cost of festival food is always rising.
– Check what the festival’s policy is on bags and similar accessories, if you’re able to bring a smaller bag to strap around you then it’s a good way to make sure all your personal belongings are safe and with you.
– As it is a music festival, you’re likely to be enjoying a few drinks. Find out what the
festival’s policy is on bringing your own, as festivals are notoriously expensive for drinks, this could be a good way to save on costs.
– With regards to expenses, find out what facilities and shops are located in the festival as some have little supermarkets in them and provide food and drinks for a reasonable price.
– Bring a cool bag/box, by doing this you’re able to use ice and ice packs to keep your
food and drinks cool.
– As mentioned in the list above, under what bring, look at getting a large collapsible water bottle, 5 litres will do the trick, it’s a great way to keep water near your tent, or even use to pour over yourself to either keep cool or rinse off!
– Again, for your own health and safety, make sure you stay hydrated the whole time, it’s
easy to get caught up enjoying yourself, but in the summer heat make sure you’re drinking plenty of water!
– Phone signal is always terrible at music festivals, so maybe have a time and location for meeting if you get lost, having to go back to camp all the time (especially if you end up on your own) can be frustrating and boring, so have temporary meeting spots or have a buddy system so you’re always with someone else.
– If driving to the festival make sure you’re aware of road safety, there’s a couple of things to look out for…
However, that’s just a guide, some people may want to be further away from the stages
to avoid noise and crowds when trying to sleep, and some may want to be super close to be constantly involved. Others may want to be closer to food stalls, toilets, and showers, that way they’re not having to trek to find these things. Lastly, some people may find it easier being closer to a footpath, as avoiding tent ropes in the evening and night is super difficult, especially when it’s dark, it’s a much easier way to avoid getting hurt.