Top Ten: Personal Festival Rules

I’ve just got back from a 10 day festival, and as exhausted as I am I really want to get back into the routine of blogging. So, without further ado, here are my top festival rules.

1) The number one rule for all festivals is pretty much, when you go to the toilet, don’t look down. At night, this is okay, as you can’t see anything in those portaloos anyway. In the day time… its more ‘Shrek, I’m looking down!’

2) Bring a decent tent, sleeping bag, roll mat (or air bed if you can fit one in) and pillow. I didn’t bring a pillow and deeply regretted it. If you can fit a camping chair in too (or at least a waterproof floor mat) then do, as you’ll want something to sit on that isn’t the muddy floor. I forgot about this last one, and was super lucky that the other people I was camping with hadn’t!

3) Have a system for packing your clothes, including a separate bag/compartment for dirties. This way, you don’t crumple all your clothes when you’re searching for a certain item, and you’re not putting muddy/smelly clothes next to clean ones.

4) Pack lots of light layers. It will hopefully be warm and sunny in the day time, but as the evening goes on it can get pretty cold. Jumpers and leggings are super helpful as pull ons, and thick socks for sleeping are a good call too.

5) Pack a rain mac/ emergency poncho. No matter what the forecast says, it will rain at some point and you’ll be very grateful for it. Once you’re wet it can be hard to get dry again, and you’ll probably make everything else wet too.

6) Wear old, comfortable shoes. They’ll probably get super muddy and you’ll be wearing them all day, so they need to be supportive. I’m currently sporting a swollen foot because my shoes weren’t supportive enough and aggravated an old ballet injury.

7) If you can shower, do shower, but be prepared for mammoth queues and lots of nudity. It feels so much better to be clean. If you can’t shower, or you have to pay for the showers, then baby wipes and dry shampoo are a must.

8) Avoid wearing layers of make-up. I saw in Zoella’s festivalmake-up video that she put on foundation, concealer, blusher and bronzer. I would avoid all that stuff – the more gunk you have to put on your face the more you have to take off, and with only make-up wipes you don’t want to risk getting a breakout from sleeping in day old make-up. I pretty much only put on eye make-up (mascara, eyeliner, maybe shadow) the entire time I was at the festival. No-one really cares what you look like so long as you’re having fun. In her video, Zoey also wore light coloured clothes. Whilst this is a classic festival look, it will get muddy and mud is hard to get off whites properly.

8) Plan out what you want to see and do at the start of the festival. This way you know who you really want to see and you can avoid sudden realisation of clashes. Other than this, go with the flow and don’t be afraid of seeing new acts that you haven’t heard off. Don’t be afraid from splitting up from the group if you want to see someone and other people want to see someone else, just make sure you arrange a meeting point afterward and keep your phones switched on. Try and stay in pairs, though (particularly important if you’re a girl and it’s later at night).

9) Bring bottled water (or buy it on site). I don’t trust festival water at all, and never fill up your bottle unless it specifically states its drinking water.

10) Bring fruit – apples and oranges are great pick me ups. Chances are you’ll be abusing your body with alcohol, sleep deprivation, and junk food. A bite of fruit is not only good for you but it will provide a welcome change from greasy burgers and chips or dry biscuits.

Lastly, have fun. There will be ups and downs during your festival, particularly as you’re more than likely be in a tent with a couple of people and no matter how close friends you are, lacking personal space (and sleep deprivation) can cause friction. But try not to let these phase you. Just enjoy your time and try not to worry about missing acts too much.

I really enjoyed my festival experience, and even though there are some things I wished I’d done differently there are more things I wished I could do again and again.