onefestival.org

As you know festivals are all about music and having a dance and a good time with your friends whist listening to your best bands.

The best way to get the most out of a festival is to be prepared so know what times your bands are on and get there early so that you can get a good place to stand where you have enough space to dance and can also have a good view of the bands.

Festival spirit is very important – if you have ever been to a festival you will know that the vast majority of people at festivals are very happy and everyone is nearly always friendly and eager to help.

Festival goers often take flags with them to show that they are proud of their roots. Flags are also a brilliant idea to put up near your test – especially if you can put it into the ground and have it on a large pole so that the flag is high up in the air and this makes it MUCH easier to view where your test is (especially when they all look so similar!)

When I went to my last festival, we made the major mistake of buying far too much alcohol. Dont get me wrong we did end up drinking the majority of it all, however the problem came when we were moving all the alcohol and the supplies and camping apparatus to the fields from the car park which was unfortunately MILES away from where we decided to actually pitch our tents.

There were about 10 of us and we all had to do two trips and my arms were killing me carrying all the alcohol.

There were some people there that had the right idea – some people had shopping trollies (no idea where they got them from), other people were using babies trollies and one person even had a wheel barrow to transport their alcohol supplies.

Before you go to the festival be sure to check the line up of the bands which are playing. The best course of action would then be to confirm with your friends who are attending the festival – which bands they would like to see. You can then confer and compromise so that you all get to see your most favourite bands.

When I went to Leeds festival a couple of years ago, we all got a program to find out when the bands were playing and I wanted to watch the Killers, where as the majority of my friends wanted to watch Kasabian.

We arranged a meeting point that we would all go to at a certain time after the bands had finished and met there afterwards. This is the best way to ensure that everyone gets to see their favourite bands and avoids any arguments.

The weather at festivals can be extremely unpredictable. One minute it will be sunny and lovely and dry. The next minute the skies will open and the fields will be flooded with rain and that is when you get the issue of MUD.

I remember a couple of years ago at Glastonbury it was absolutely pouring it down with rain and people lying in the mud and going for a swim in it (definitely not recommended) Also there are some photographs of tents in a field floating away in a flood. Here are my recommendations below:

• Set up your tent and camp on high ground – preferably at the top of a hill.
• Don’t forget your wellies and raincoat in case the weather takes a turn for the worse.
• If possible take an extra battery for your phone so you can get in touch with your family or friends in case of an emergency Pack your sun tan lotion in case the weather is hot and sunny.
• Take your sun glasses to protect your eyes from the sun
• Take a hat, this helps to protect your head from getting burnt and can also cover your greasy hair!

I have been to many, many festivals so you could say I am experienced in what to take with you to a festival. I have included a list of the most important essentials to take with you below:

1. Toilet roll! This is my number 1 because it is essential! You should never get caught out without having loo roll. There is a very short supply provided at the portaloos and you need to be prepared.

2. Anti bacterial hand wash. After using the dirty toilets, my advice would be to take some bottles of hand wash to keep the germs away.

3. Baby wipes – at normal festivals there are some showers but they are often skanky so I suggest having a wash in your test with some baby wipes.

4. Deodorant – keep your arm pits fresh and smelling clean with some antiperspirant deodorant.

5. Dry shampoo – the best one I recommend is Baptiste, my friend had a pot of “something” thrown on to her hair and she wasn’t able to wash it all weekend! yuck!

6. Fresh clean clothes – in case you get caught in the mosh pit and you have a energetic jump around and end up getting hot and sweaty.You will need an extra set of clothes especially in case of an emergency. (ie someone spills a drink on you by accident.)