Festival Camping Tips & Advice
Having spent many years and lots of different festival’s worth of experience we thought it would be helpful to pass on some of the knowledge we have learnt ( often the hard way) to ensure you don’t make the same mistakes. We have listed down our top 10 tips for festival camping and hope it helps those of you who are festival virgins through those muddy fields , missing hours and sleep deprivation to enjoy your experience just a little more.
1. Choose a bigger tent then you need
This is probably the biggest mistake people make, a 2-man tent is for 2 people lying side by side in sleeping bags it does not account for the mountains of stuff you will be bringing along with you! Always go 1 bigger as a minimum after all you can never have enough room and it means you can give a space to the random you’ll meet along the way.
2. Choose your spot carefully
Arrive early for the best choice of pitches. Try and choose a spot that is within site of landmarks you’ll remember and will be visible when you wake up to a field full of tents as far as the eye can see. Whatever you do stay clear of the toilets and anything down hill of the toilets unless you like the smell! Also steer clear of the security towers and lights unless you like the constant noise of a generator and bright light shinning through your tent all night.
3. Claim you spot
Do whatever you can to mark out your territory if you don’t want to wake up to the side of someone’s tent in the morning. Remember this is festival camping so the usual rules don’t apply people will pitch anywhere and everywhere in desperation.
4. Form a circle
If you go as a group then the “circle” is a good approach it worked for the cowboys so it will work for you. Make sure all your openings face inwards that way if it does chuck it down you can sit in your tents with the flaps open chatting to each other. I would also suggest using windbreaks or tape in between the gaps to try and deter people strolling through your “camp”.
5. Identify your tent
It might seem stupid after all you know what your tent looks like right? Wrong! After a day of cider they will all look the same so try adding a flag or a spinner on a pole or anything you can do to make your tent stand out. Writing “free sex, see inside” will do the trick but you might not like the people who come knocking, then again maybe you will (let me know how that works for you).
6. Make friends with you neighbours
Getting to know the people who have pitched their tents near yours it will add to your festival experience and also to the amount of eyes that will watch over your camp when your not there.
7. Don’t lock you tent
Don’t be tempted to put a lock on your tent whilst it might seem like a good idea it simply highlights to any would be thieves that you have something worth stealing inside. Lets face it a knife will cut through the side of any tent so your also wasting your time. To be safe don’t take anything with you that you are not prepared to lose.
8. Hide your valuables when asleep
Don’t make it easy for thieves by stuffing your wallet/money or valuables in your boots by the front of the tent put them inside you sleeping bag or by your head so they are the furthest away from the entrance.
9. Plan for disaster
Drunk people tend to fall over and tents don’t offer a lot of support so when the 2 meet poles tend to get broken so take some Gaffa tape with you to try and patch up any broken poles.
10. Enjoy yourself
Lets remember your there to enjoy yourself so do just that, drink lots, meet new friends and party your arse off!
