Festival Tips

I attended my first festival, Indiependence, last summer
 as a mini Leaving Cert holiday. So much cheaper than jetting abroad and it was some craic! Here are a few tips and tricks I picked up along the way:





Purchase a proper tent.


If you are camping, a proper tent is essential if you want it to last the weekend. I'm not promoting going and spending a fortune on a tent that will realistically be dumped at the end anyway. A minimum of €40/€50 should be spent if you want it anyway waterproof. With Irish weather, anything cheaper will not last. Shop around online; there are always plenty of offers.



Practise pitching your tent before you go

Don't be those people that arrive onsite and are clueless trying to set up a tent in the pouring rain/wind. It doesn't work! Make sure you know what you're doing before you go. Before you leave home double check you have all poles, pegs etc.



Arrive early

You get to pick the best place to pitch your tent. Try and pitch it close to the amenities but not so close that you're next to the toilets. (You will get NO sleep with people constantly coming back and forth, and the smell. Just don't go there) Try and avoid pitching your tent next to the walkways/paths, they tend to get very mucky by the end and tents get destroyed.


Binbags

I cannot stress enough how crucial these were over the 4 days! Used as seats, to repair tents, as rain jackets, and at the end when everything is mucky and dirty, it was so easy to chuck all your belongings into black bags to be washed later!

Be Prepared.

Whether it's a festival here in Ireland or abroad, you will need sun cream, as well as a light rain jacket. Try and avoid bringing jeans, as these are heavy and take forever to dry if they get wet.

• Bring plenty of water, as drinking alcohol will totally dehydrate you and prices on site for water are usually not cheap.
• Bring whatever cash you need for the weekend; don't depend on ATMs as they usually run out very quickly. Items such as ID, phones and cash should be kept on you at all times.
• Try and make use of the onsite phone charging facilities. Incase of emergency, have a designated meeting point in case of being split up from your friends.
• Hand sanitiser and baby wipes are crucial. The shower situation is different at every festival but no doubt they will be expensive and very mucky after the first day.
• Make sure everyone watches out for each other. If anything goes wrong or you think someone needs help, there will be medical personnel on site who shouldn’t be hard to find.
• Make friends with the people around you. That way there’s bound to be someone on the campsite at any one time that will watch out for your tent if someone tries to open it.
• Last but not least, enjoy it! You’ve paid for your ticket so go out and discover some new bands/artists.