The 15 Step Guide To Surviving A Festival
Camping at one of the big festivals this summer?
Follow our survival guide to have a top festival experience.
- Once you get to the festival site, take a few minutes with your mates and locate essential spots. Most big festivals now provide basic maps detailing things like the nearest toilets, first aid stations, food areas, security or police stands.
- Camp on high ground – essential if it rains! If you have to camp somewhere lower, keep an eye out for dips and ditches that will quickly fill up, and camp as far away from them as possible.
- Make a note of the name of the field you’re camping in, as well as memorising other landmarks – much easier when trying to find your tent at 4am.
- Tie a balloon, flag or something else bright and noticeable to your tent that you’ll be able to see from a distance away.
- Pick a point where you can meet up with your mates if one of you goes astray during the festival. Knowing you’ll be meeting up again at the bar at 2pm saves you having to walk around for hours looking for your group. Don’t rely on mobile reception at all times.
- Travel light. Bring extra clothes and shoes and warm clothes for night, but don’t bring anything you don’t want to lose. Avoid bringing credit cards.
- Unpack your rucksack inside your tent as soon as possible, and spread your stuff around. If someone does go in to try and steal something, it won’t be as easy as lifting your packed bag.
- Bring a tripod seat so you’ll have somewhere to sit if the ground ends up as a sea of mud.
- Buy a spare battery for your phone if you need to stay charged. Most festivals now have charging stations, but there’s usually a queue.
- Bring a smaller bag along with your main rucksack to use during the day, and put in everything you might need for the whole day. You don’t want to be trailing all the way back to your tent for sunscreen once the sun comes out.
- Bring a torch, and extra batteries, or two torches. You can get keyring size torches at pound shops – keep one in your day bag in case you’re coming back to the tent after dark.
- If you only have a cheap sleeping bag bring a bed roll for underneath, or a blanket for the top – it gets chilly at night unless you have a properly insulated bag.
- Sleep with your wallet, phone and any other valuables at the bottom of your sleeping bag.
- Stay hydrated – buy plenty of water and drink it throughout the day. Also use sunscreen and get time in the shade to avoid sunstroke.
- If you’re travelling to the festival by car, pack a spare set of clothes and pair of shoes in the boot – you’ll be glad of them if there’s a downpour and everything you have gets soaked.
And finally – enjoy the festival!
If you are heading to a festival in the UK take a look at Pitchup.com to find the nearest and top rated camping pitches.
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