So, you just passed your GCSE’s and you’re off to Boardmasters to celebrate with your friends, or maybe you just aced your degree with a 2:1 and a firm job offer at the company of your dreams and decide to head off to Glastonbury to enjoy the last few weeks of freedom before the 9-5 rat race begins.

Whatever the occasion (or festival), you’ll need a firm game plan in place as there are SO many things to bear in mind. What to take with you, what to leave behind, do I take a new ‘pop-up’ tent with me or make do with Uncle Jim’s ‘Stormbuster 4’ from 1976, complete with broken poles and ripped groundsheet? decisions....decisions.

Well, you’re in luck, as we here at musomuso have been festivalling for a LONG time, I think our first foray into the wilds was in 1991 when our illustrious leader attended Reading festival for the first time to catch some incredible bands such as NIRVANA, NED’S ATOMIC DUSTBIN and SENSELESS THINGS. Granted, he was a bit wet behind the ears and assumed that he could kip down with some friends from Exeter who had also made the trip. Come the first night, it was clear that there wasn’t enough room in the tents and Steve had to sleep outside, clutching onto whatever warmth was left in the campfire. He woke at 4am, cold, damp and very dehydrated, his legs were in a black bin liner, and he was wearing four T-Shirts that he had purchased from the merch tent the night before, not a very good start to his first festival.

By drawing upon over 30 years experience, Steve has created ‘The Ultimate Festival Survival Guide’ to making it through a festival unscathed, no stone has been left unturned so please read it and learn from someone who has made all the mistakes there is to make (and probably a few that haven’t even surfaced yet!)

Tent

With so many options out there today, it’s a tough call on what type of tent you take with you, are you travelling alone or as a group, will anyone be sharing your tent? Is it big enough to take your kit as well as that of a partner or friend? Does it come with a waterproof ground sheet? is the tent waterproof? Is there a cute little porch area where you can leave your mucky hiking boots and not drag mud into the main area where you want to snuggle up for a good night's sleep?

You also need to consider the type of tent you take; a dome tent is a cool option, these give you a little more height, more room to manoeuvre inside and normally come with the porch option I mentioned a moment ago.

Another option is the ‘pop-up’ tent, simply unclip a couple of fastenings, throw it in the air and ‘hey-presto’, the tent is erected, all you need to do is peg it down to ensure it doesn't blow away and you’re good to go. You may want to do a couple of trial runs before you arrive at the site as these can be a little tricky to pack back up again and you don’t want to be one of THOSE people that leave their tents behind at the end of the festival do you?

There are some smaller options available which are ideal for one person, but you do need to bear in mind that you will have gear with you which you will want to keep dry inside your tent so make sure that you allow for adequate space.

Sleeping Bag

Whilst you’re not at the Arctic Circle in –40 degree temperatures, you do want to make sure that you’re warm and snuggy at night inside your tent. There are millions of options out there for sleeping bags, all I would say is that you want it to be lightweight, warm and easy to pack up and carry.

I wouldn’t spend a fortune on one either, there are plenty of online stores offering decent bags at very competitive prices, just shop around for the best deal you can afford. It might be an option to get one with a built-in hood so you can pretend to be a little bug (who doesn’t like to be a bug?)

Airbed / Roll Mat

These are GREAT ideas but often (okay, all the time) they end up fully deflated, leaving you with a sore back as you’ve spent the entire night on a rock. With the inflatable airbeds, you need a pump, this is something else to carry and quite honestly, not worth it as you’ll be inflating it every single night. Instead, why not opt for a self-inflating camping mat, these come in both single and double options and require no manual inflation, just release the valve and they magically turn into something that you can lie on for a better night’s sleep.

Pull Along Trolley

Unless you’re travelling by train or coach to the festival, I wouldn’t bother with an oversized rucksack, instead, bag yourself a sturdy trolley into which you can load all of your gear, beer, wet wipes and loo roll and head off in search of the perfect spot with your friends. Again, there are plenty of options available online, just remember to check the reviews to see how they manage in different terrain including mud, bumps, rocks and rain. Make sure to bring some elasticated ‘Bungy straps’ to ensure that your load doesn’t come loose whilst in transit. It may also be worth considering a nice sturdy plastic sheet to go over your load to ensure that it remains dry, regardless of the weather conditions!

Warm Clothing

I know, I know, I sound like your Nan but the last thing you want to be at a festival is wet. It’s not too bad for a short time but imagine going to bed wet, waking up feeling wet and then having to trudge around all day, being wet. It’s not a very good feeling. Instead, pack lots of lightweight layers that you can change into when you get back to your tent at night and feel a little fresher as you slip into your slumber. There are plenty of garments you can buy ranging from short and long-sleeved undershirts, comfy lounging pants and even joggers. It’s much easier to take more clothing with you during the day that you can slip in and out of as required, I say that it’s always better to go prepared with more than you need than not having it at all!

Comfortable Waterproof Jacket / Trousers

One thing that can expect at UK festivals is at least 3 of the 4 seasons over the weekend. Rain brings mud which in turn gets you dirty and wet, whilst the sunshine can do a great job of drying you off, it’s best not to rely on this shining for long! To avoid getting soaked to the skin on day one of your adventure, make sure you take a good quality waterproof jacket with you. A poncho is another option or maybe even a ‘Dry-Robe’ type device that those posh wild swimmers wear just about everywhere other than when they go ‘wild swimming’, you may get called a ‘wanker’ but hey, at least you’ll be dry! Waterproof over trousers are another option, they pack up nice and small and you can easily pack them into your day bag and pop them on should the wet stuff start falling. When shopping for a jacket, you want to make sure that it is 100% waterproof, the term ‘showerproof’ is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard in a good downpour and as soon as you’re wet, you can bet your bottom buck that you’ll stay that way, for a long time!

Torch

Traversing your way back to your tent after a few too many glugs of ‘Buckfast Tonic’ is never an easy task, take a good torch with you which may help you to identify some landmarks on the way. There are thousands of varieties available, battery powered, solar, wind-up, just make sure that it is nice and light and if you opt for a battery powered one, remember to take plenty of batteries with you in your day bag to power it.

Hat

“Where did you get that hat? Where did you get that hat?” - The UK goes crazy for hats at festivals, be it a pink Stetson or a bucket hat covered in cannabis leaves, you can’t be without a hat! I suggest that you get yourself a couple before you go but one thing is for sure, there will be many traders at the festival with hundreds of hats on offer at reasonable prices.

Footwear

Whilst you may want to take your brand-new white Nike Slam Dunk Air Max Pro’s or those killer strappy heels, I would have a good hard think about this and instead, opt for something that may make it through the weekend in one piece. I’m going to sound even more like your Nan now and suggest that you think about some nice stout walking boots or shoes, these are available from many retail stores, I would opt for waterproof ones to keep your feet nice and dry. Traditional ‘wellies’ are okay but considering your step count, your tootsies will be sore in next to no time so get yourself a decent pair before you go, wear them in and this should help reduce the number of blisters that you get. You might also want to pack some plasters into your day bag in case you need them. Take a break every now and then, take your boots/shoes off and let your feet bask in the glorious weather (assuming the weather is glorious!) Why not slip a pair of flip-flops or lightweight sandals in your day bag that you can slip on when you’re not yomping from stage to stage? (your feet will thank you!)

Socks

Good quality knee high socks are essential for festivals, obviously you don’t need to wear them pulled up to your knees, that would be silly, instead, get them on, put your boots on and roll them down, you can always pull them up later if your leggies get cold! I would take a few spare pairs with you as you’ll want a fresh pair every day. Make sure that you wear the socks when breaking your walking boots in to ensure that they don’t rub your feet. If this does happen, take a thinner pair to wear under the thicker socks and this should stop them rubbing.

Underwear

Unless you’re at the festival to ‘pull’, I would leave your G-Strings and Things at home and pack some comfy ‘apple catchers’ instead. The last thing you want is a sore bum or twinkle so think practically and you won’t go wrong.

Bum Bag – Fanny Pack

Call them what you like, these are a godsend when you’re at a festival. They allow you to keep your bank card, phone, charger, Identification, pain relief, pastes and gels to hand. Not only are they practical, but you can also get them in a range of Festival Friendly colours and designs, sequins? Not a problem, you’ll be the envy of every festival goer!

A Reference Point

Take an obscure flag and a 6m lightweight flag-pole with you, these are available from LOADS of online stores including on eBay and Amazon. Erect it by your tent so you can easily find your tent when you’re stumbling around at the end of the night. In the past, we used to take a flag and pole into the main stage arena and using a few cable ties, attached it to the barriers, this proved a really useful reference point, not just for us but for anyone who wanted to meet in that area.

Identification

If you’re over the age of 18 but lucky enough to look under the age of 25, you will need identification of you want to get served at the festival bars. There used to be many forms of ID accepted at festivals but owing to so many being forged, most will only accept a passport or a driving licence. If you do take either of these, make sure that you keep them with you at all times, do not leave with anyone as a deposit for payment for anything and if you lose them, make sure that you notify the passport office or the DVLA as soon as you can.

Odds n’ Sods

I’ve created a festival checklist of things that you may already have thought of, but I guarantee that there will be something that you haven’t, you’re welcome....

Item	Have I packed it?
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Roll Mat / Floor Mat
Trolley
Warm Clothing
Jacket / Trousers
Torch
Eye Mask / Ear Plugs
Hat(s)
Shoes/Boots
Socks
Underwear
Bum Bag / Fanny Pack
Festival Tickets
Map of the site
Battery Pack to re-charge your phone
Your mobile phone and charging wire
Small amount of cash in case of a power cut onsite
Bank card or credit card with PIN numbers
Wet Wipes / Loo Roll / Tissues
Deodorant for your sweaty pits
Small snacks that you can pack in your day bag
Lady things (Tampons/Sanitary Pads)
Condoms
Lip Balm
Sudacrem (for any chafing)
Lightweight waterproof poncho
Sun Cream (High Factor)
Sunglasses
Bin Liners
Water Bottle
Paracetamol/Aspirin/Prescribed medication/Asthma inhalers
Sticking Plasters (for blisters etc)
An Open Mind

Drugs

Completely up to you but please note that they are illegal and shouldn’t be brought into a festival. If you do, make sure that you know what you’re taking and stay with your friends just in case you have a strange reaction to them. There will be a First Aid tent onsite, make sure that you’re honest if you do need to pay a visit, these people are there to HELP you, not give you a lecture.

Alcohol

You may be allowed to bring alcohol into the site, make sure that you stay within the limits and remember, there are bars everywhere, so you won’t need to drag your trolley around with you all day with 36 cans of supermarket brand lager!

Lastly

I’m not saying that following our guide will ensure that you have a faultless festival, but you will stand a much better chance of it going smoothly if you have do. Remember, you’re at a festival for a couple of days, leave your worries behind, enjoy your time on site, make a plan but don’t worry if you don’t stick to it. Go off the beaten track, explore side stages and bands that you have never heard of before, you might just stumble upon your next fave!