Get ready to camp at festivals. It is not like any other camping experience you have ever had or imagined.
The biggest and best festivals always involve camping. If this is your first festival, put aside any thoughts you have about waking up to the singing of birds and the smell of fresh air and greenery. Except you could use a sleeping bag and a tent, the festival camp is almost unrelated to the ordinary leisure camp. Consider these tips for stress-free festival camping:
Choose your shade carefully
Get there early for the best choice of pitches. Try to choose a place that is within sight of the landmarks that you will remember and that will still be visible when you wake up in a field covered with thousands of other tents. Whatever you do, stay as far away from the toilets as possible as it won’t be long until they stink. Don’t expect to get a lot of sleep, but if you want to camp in a quieter area, ask the stewards for advice. Some of the larger festivals try to reserve quieter areas and family camping areas.
Claim your territory
Do what you can to mark a small area of territory around your store. Some people even dig a small trench around their tents. If you don’t, you will likely unzip your tent in the morning and find the exit blocked next to someone else’s tent.
Circle the wagons
If you come with a group, set up your tents in a circle with the openings facing towards the center and towards each other for the reasons explained in point two, above. If you can, put up some kind of fence around your “compound.” It discourages people from wandering around and it also discourages opportunistic thieves.
Identify your store
People use flags and banners, pinwheels, symbols painted in daytime colors on the sides of their tents. Do what you can to identify your tent or your group’s “compound” so you can find it again when you stumble in the dark.
Make friends with the neighbors
Meeting the people who have set up their tents near yours can add to your festival experience by giving you a group to hang out and identify with. It can also make your camping area a bit safer.
Do not close your store
Don’t be tempted to put a lock or luggage lock on your store. Think how pathetic it looks, there is no tent made that can be safe, and how tempting to thieves. Announce to the world
I have something worth stealing . As a corollary, don’t leave anything in your store that you can’t afford to lose.
. As a corollary, don’t leave anything in your store that you can’t afford to lose.
Try to stay dry
We’ve all seen photos of music festival goers in the mud and thought what fun, what freedom. Forget this. It can get very cold at any time of the year at the big UK music festivals and if you can’t dry yourself off you’ll be miserable. Bring some waterproof bags or containers to store underwear, socks, and a change of clothes. Some towels too. Use large black garbage bags on the floor under your sleeping bag. Do what you can to stay dry, and if you can’t stay dry, at least blow dry.
