Top Tips from Festival Freaks

Article by: The Thorn Tree, May 2007

Don't forget your wellies!

Get there early to try and grab a decent spot for your tent.

Tie a helium-filled balloon to your tent to help find it during the day. Or try camping on the side of fields - preferably near a steward's help point for added security.

Walk up any hill you can see and camp at the top. Water flows downhill and tents can float away!

Take a high-powered torch to spot all the guy ropes when stumbling back at night.

Scruffy trainers will be destroyed, bring wellies. A friend of mine didn't when she went to Glastonbury and ended up with trench foot.

Take industrial quantities of loo roll.

Don't take your pet. It's not practical. Unless you have a donkey or elephant, in which case you can make a profit by charging for rides.

By: Fwoggie

The sweet smell of...clean undies

Baby wipes! Not showering becomes a lot more tolerable when you have a stack of baby wipes and the privacy of your tent to freshen up in.

Lots of clean underwear also makes life significantly more pleasant.

A hat is also a good idea since it can keep you warm or shaded.

Bring portable snacks such as granola bars and carry them so you'll have access to a quick snack instead of queuing.

By: Makybe_Diva

Paris would be proud...

Take little sachets of sunscreen that you can keep in your pocket. I saw a girl at a festival who had brought a big box of factor 15 sachets and was selling them for a fiver a pop when the sun came out - she must have made a fortune!

Wear a bikini top instead of a bra - there's nothing worse than the sun blasting down, everyone's stripping off and basking in the heat and you're worried about the grey frilly old M&S bra under your t-shirt.

If you're in a big group of people, arrange a decent meeting spot. If one of you gets lost, go there, have a beer, hang out - one or more of your mates will turn up there in a bit.

Never rely on mobiles, even if you can get a signal, your battery will invariably die just when you need to make that call.

Light combat trousers with loads of pockets may not be glam, but are so handy for carrying all those granola bars/plastic water bottles. A bag will either drive you nuts or you'll lose it.

By: CamillaRhodes

Rug up and prepare to get messy

Thieves don't like a messy tent, it takes too long to find any valuables you've been stupid enough to leave there.

Invest in a rug, ideally one with a waterproof backing.

Bring lots of layers of clothes to keep warm at night.

If you have a specific medical need (eg you are diabetic), let the medical team know when you arrive so that they can be prepared if necessary.

By: SpringfieldMonkey

What can't you do with a plastic bag?

Use an old tent (one you don't mind being damaged by drunk people stumbling onto it).

Get up just a little earlier to take a shower and get some coffee.

Bring a disposable rain poncho.

Find out before you go whether you're allowed to bring a single-lens reflex camera; no point in lugging it along if you're not!

Check out how much alcohol you're allowed to bring - at Lowlands in the Netherlands they will confiscate anything above their maximum.

Flips-flops may seem nice in hot weather, but think of all the army boots that will step on your feet in the crowds.

Bring a folded plastic bag, without print, to sit on damp/dirty grass. Coloured print on a plastic bag may transfer onto your clothes in warm/wet weather! (If you haven't got one without print, put it inside out.)

By: Cecilia

Elephants never forget, festival freaks do

Don't take anything that you can't afford to lose... I lost a boyfriend at Reading but he was pretty cheap.

Don't forget where you parked your car.

By: Kandinskys_cat

A girl's best 'mate'

Pmates are brilliant and truly liberating. Most festivals have dedicated female urinals to use them in. Or take the 'the world is your urinal' approach that blokes do!

If you wear contact lenses, get a free trial of the ones you can leave in overnight.

Get a cheap camping lantern and plenty batteries. Leave it on all night in your tent - any thieves on the prowl will think you are still up and leave you alone.

Don't have a fixed agenda of what bands to see - wander about, pop into the smaller tents, talk to random people.

Make sure you build in time to sit down, chill out and eat.

By: Dootsie