Whether it’s Glastonbury, Latitude or Reading there are some top tips you should know to get the most from your festival. It’s is so crucial to have a plan to make sure you’re safe and that your day goes smoothly without any worries. Once you’ve decided out of the many hundreds of festivals taking place this year which one you’re going to then make a detailed plan:
- How are you getting to the festival?
- Decide upon where you’re going to be staying
- If you are staying at the festival are you camping or staying at a hotel?
- Will you be going home at the end of the day?
- If you’re going home at the end of the day how are you getting back?
- If you are being picked up, make sure locations and times are pre-set.
Making sure you are safe is the best place to start to enable you to make the most of your festival experience, using the upcoming tips and advice will give you a great kick start so you are able to relax through it all and really enjoy yourself.
Festivals are a target place for thieves so think twice about taking your iPhone, iPad or latest camera- they could get easily broken too. Invest in a £10 phone, not only do these types of phones have the most amazing battery life but you won’t be so upset if you lose it.
You could take a disposable camera but, if you’re anything like myself and love taking photographs to post online, then take a cheap digital camera which holds an SD card- this saves you losing your photos if the camera becomes broken as the images can be transferred onto a USB device so your memories are never lost.
If you have driven down to the festival make sure you don’t leave valuables inside the car and be sure you leave your glove box open so potential thieves can see there is nothing inside your vehicle.
A great idea I came across is to leave your tent particularly messy, so thieves can’t just grab a bag and go. Don’t even put a padlock on your tent as this will make thieves presume there is something valuable inside and attempt to break in.
I always take all my valuables with me in a rucksack, just in case anyone does go in my tent. It’s also handy to keep a few essentials with you, from jumpers to keep you warm, to nifty little gadgets like the Travalo refillable fragrance portable sprays, to keep you feeling fresh!
If you’re going with friends, it’s a wise idea to stay together to make sure nobody gets lost- sadly, assault is common at festivals so it’s important to have a good group of friends with you at all times just in case trouble occurs.
If you’re camping and you’re particularly concerned about safety, try to find a location which is in a lit up area, near a fire tower or by the zone manager.
Introduce yourself to campsite members and make sure your tent is easily identifiable, this will help campsite staff to keep an eye on your tent. The Guardian have an article about finding your tent at a festival, making your tent distinct will work in your favour late at night when you’re searching for it.
As with anywhere you go the risk of having your drink spiked is a possibility. To avoid this be careful where you place or leave your drink- If you have left it unattended even just for a minute or two, buy a new one, just to be on the safe side.
Alcohol and drugs can make your judgement extremely poor so try and have your group of friends looking out for you and make sure you’re looking out for them too, know your limits and take care of yourself.
Most importantly, keep hydrated! But not skipping food is crucial too, you don’t want to be passing out in big crowds. With such big varieties of food and drink stalls all over festivals it won’t be a difficult task to find somewhere you like.
If something of yours is stolen, trouble occurs, you come across disruptive behaviour or you or a friend fall ill, there will be campsite staff, onsite police officers and health advisors which are more than happy to help in those situations.
You can’t stop these things from happening or presume it won’t happen to you but you can prepare for it, and if you have all of these points covered then you’re ready to go out and make the most of it! Enjoy yourself and keep safe.