The First festival I ever went to was V Festival back in 2012. The day before my friend and I headed on the bus up to Shropshire we received our A-level results and so in the evening I went over to a friends house to celebrate which meant that we were a bit tired setting off - not a great start. It took us what felt like years to find somewhere to pitch our little two man tent. We finally decided on a little patch of grass close to the fence right by a burger fan - convenient, easy to spot and the first free patch of grass we saw after about 20 minutes of walking in wellingtons with massive backpacks on our backs. From Saturday morning to Sunday evening (baring one trip to a different tent to watch Tim Minchin) we stood by the main stage. No seats, no moving. A terrible idea. We did see some awesome bands though including The Killers, Noel Gallagher, Stone Roses and Madness but it was definitely not the best way to do a festival. By Sunday evening we were ready to pack up our tent and head home.
2013 I headed to V festival once more and this is when I decided that I am too old for V festival. Is swear that the average age for V fest goers is 14, it is crazy. Different to the previous year I went to this festival with four other friends and we all stayed in one big tent. Yes, 5 people in one 4 person tent. It was tough at times but it wasn't too bad and in the end I had good fun. I think if I was to go with a group of friends again, I would definitely take 2 tents or at least a bigger tent just so that we could have a little space and some room to breathe. Also, make sure that you head to a festival with proper friends, like really good friends where you can be yourself and tell them how you really feel etc because you've paid £200 to be there so you want to have the best time you can. If you want to go your separate ways do. I went to see Seasick Steve on my own while 2 of my friends stayed to watch one act and my 2 other friends went to a totally different stage. You don't have to stick together at all times, just agree on a meeting place and time and you'll be fine.
This year's Reading I went with my mam and we stayed in a hotel. Yes, a hotel and it was the best thing ever. We woke up in a massive comfortable and warm bed, had a lovely shower, ate some Wagamamas or some hotel breakfast and at around 1/1.30pm we strolled down to the festival. We'd watch a few bands, have a sit down, watch the likes of Simon Amstell, Seann Walsh, Milton Jones and Bill Bailey in the Alternative tent and then made ourselves comfortable while waiting for the headliners to come on the MainStage. The best way to do it! We didn't have damp clothes, my back wasn't hurting and I didn't have constant anxiety that someone was going to fall on our tent or set the whole place on fire with a rogue fire. I know that you miss out on some banter with the other tenters (is that even a word?!) but I would much rather feel fresh and clean ready to conquer the day than fell like absolute shite after only managing 3 hours sleep and waking up in a damp tent.
Also since Reading 2013 I have learnt to relax at festivals. I used to think that you had to go go go and see as many acts as you possibly could but I have come to learn that it's a holiday and it should be as relaxing and fun as possible. So my mam and I, like I stated, would get down to the field at around half 1 then we'd see a few acts, open our deck chairs, watch a few more acts and just chilled. We also bought all of our food outside the festival, so we got our dinner from M&S everyday just because it was cheaper. There were a few Tescos and Sainsbury's about so if you are camping, make sure that you venture out of the camp in the morning to grab some food etc. We were staying in a hotel right near the centre of town and it only took us like 25/30 mins to get down to the arena. It's worth it and you'll save some money.
If you are camping remember to take a torch of some kind because the tent is dark when you get back after the headliners set finishes and you won't be able to find your clothes, food, toiletries etc without some sort of light. Put your clothes in plastic bags and then put them in your backpack, this will stop them from getting damp throughout your stay. Nobody wants damp/damp smelling clothes. Bring some snacks with you which will keep you going throughout the day - cereal bars etc. If you bring alcohol make sure that its in a plastic bottle/cans because they won't allow you in with glass bottles and I saw numerous people lose their 1 litre bottles of Vodka at the security gate. Sad times. Taking deck chairs is a great idea, even if you don't take them with you into the arena they are such good things to have outside your tent. My friend Nicola and I would sit for hours on our camping chairs outside the tent and we made so many new friends that way and loads of random conversations with drunk strangers. LEAVE YOUR IPHONE/SMARTPHONE at home. Bring an old school Nokia/brick phone because it won't be a big deal if you lose it and the battery will last the whole 4 nights so you won't need to pay an extortionate rate to charge it. Loads of baby wipes and hand sanitisers are a must. Try to bring as much cash as you think you'll need because taking money out at the arena is expensive as they charge you something like £2 to just take some of your own money out - where is the logic in that. If you do need to take money out go off site and look for a local garage/ATM. One last thing - a music festival is not a fashion show so take practical clothing such as coats and fleeces because it gets super cold when the sun goes down.
If I was to give one main piece of advice it would be to just chill and you'll have the best festival experience. You don't need to rush from one tent to another to watch everyone. Just grab a pint of cider, sit down and just enjoy the music and the atmosphere.
No comments:
Post a Comment