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Toilet Trauma 

You will have heard horror stories and consistent negative rumours about the toilets at Festivals, but to summarise, the experience isn’t going to be a pleasant one. We spoke to Jessica McLauchlan who was one of the many members of the public stating that the toilets are just something you have to endure. 

“Honestly, the camping toilets are a nightmare! Especially for women who actually have to sit on the disgusting toilet seats while they’re doing their business.” Although on the plus side Jessica also claims, “The camping toilets are horrific but the arena toilets are different story! They have porta loos rather than a hole to squat over and are so much cleaner, so I would advise people go there instead. 

Travel light 

On your first festival, many tend to pack everything we think we’ll need for the following weekend; however this can sometimes make your journey there very difficult and inconvenient. “As soon as me and my friends started walking to the campsite (which is about two fields away from where we got dropped off) I realised I had seriously over packed,” Says Millie Newbold, as she continues to advise “Festival virgins” not to over pack! “You need to consider how your journey to the campsite is going to be with a heavy rucksack on your back! As well as that, you’ll have food, sleeping bag, tent so only take things you know for a fact you’ll need.”

Plus, departing from the Festival is often just as bad, depending on what you take.
“The one thing that is very convenient (as well as something you can leave behind when you leave) is a pop up tent. They aren’t the biggest tents, but they’re handy to put up quickly.”

Camp like A Pro 

Camping can be difficult for a lot of people who aren’t used to the smell of greenery and fresh air, but settling in will be your main priority when you get here. Additionally, it can often be difficult to find your way back to your tent due to the mass amount clearing the grounds; we got some advice from Jordan Nelson who has attended many Festivals in the past.
“If you’re scared of potentially “losing” your tent, try to camp near landmarks to make it easier to spot where you have camped,” Jordan states, “You also shouldn’t spend a lot of money on your tent because of the state it will probably come back in – I had piss and drink all down the side of my tent.” Many Festivalgoers take a pop up tent which is convenient for setting up…Not so great for harsh weather conditions.

Pace yourself 

We all know the typical Festival scene – Parting, drink, drugs and staying up late. But this will easily become exhausting after the first day (depending on how you cope with alcohol and other “essentials” you may be taking) we talked to Melissa Muncaster who recently attended Leeds Festival and had plenty of stories in the field of unwanted fatigue.
“It’s all about how you PERSONALLY cope with your consumption of alcohol or other stuff you’re taking, but at a Festival you just don’t care! The Saturday was when I felt seriously ill from too much drink and walking for far too long without having any water.”
Whether you’re drinking alcohol or not, you should always provide water for yourself as you will be walking miles upon miles every day without even realising. Melissa continues to explain where she went wrong with her negative Festival experience, “At the time, it felt like sun stroke but I think I was just seriously dehydrated! My best advice to someone who can’t handle drink is to know your limits!” 

Eenie meenie minie mo

Due to multiple different stages at Music Festivals with a large amount of artists performing every day, it is not a good idea to try and see everything; pick a few favourites so you don’t miss out! For some personal experience in this field, we decided to speak to Anthony Anderson who claims that you aren’t going to be able to see every band you want to, for several reasons…”Some of the bands you’re going to want to see will probably clash, but there’s no way around it really; just choose your favourite,” Anthony states, as he continues to claim that seeing a full set list of a band is probably better than running around trying to catch the end of another one. Additionally, there are also other reasons why you could potentially miss bands, “From personal experience, there are a lot of bands I have missed because of me and my friends getting too drunk the night before, then being SO tired the next day and lying in for the first two bands of the day.”  

Keeping Clean

Mud, camping and heat aren’t the best combination, especially when you are going to be restricted from a shower for over three days! This is when you should think about providing mini cleaning essentials for yourself, such as baby wipes, hand sanitizer and body wipes. Upon all of this, the heat won’t be the only thing making you feel dirty…Mud will be covering the grounds of everywhere you go. We spoke to Emma Craggs, asking her opinions and personal stories in this field. “I went to Leeds earlier this year and there were showers available, but I didn’t see the point…at the end of the day everyone else is going to be just as disgusting and sweaty as you are. Plus, if you’re a girl with long hair, can you imagine how long that will take to dry naturally!?” Emma Continues to state how the best advice she can give is to provide your own dry shampoo and hygene products, as showers a re a waste of time.