A Guide to Music Festivals

Expensive, draining and filthy are three of the most common words associated with most music festivals. You're in a field (granted some are much much bigger than others - Glastonbury is 3/4 the size of my hometown!) camping with a number of other people who haven't washed, eaten or slept properly for days. So why do people go?

Filthy, Fantastic and utterly fitting for a festival

Firstly, the expense is totally worth it when you consider how many bands you have the ability to see. At bigger festivals, you pay more but you will never be short of things to see. Sadly, with that, comes clashes. If you're going with a group of friends, it's unlikely you'll all want to see the same band every time. Don't be scared to go and watch something by yourself if your friends don't want to. You may not get another opportunity to see what you want to again. 

Secondly, festivals are draining but you're there to have a good time as are the other thousands of festival-goers which gives a festival a vibe no party can ever hope to have. Be prepared to be tired for a lot of the time as you will hardly get any sleep (if you're doing a festival properly) because the best places to go in the festival come out post-midnight usually in a far-flung corner of the festival. Trust me, it's totally worth it. For Glastonbury, follow the thousands of people on the trek to Shangri-La after the headliners (Block 9, The Common and Shangri-La are the bets place for you ravers out there). Similarly, if your night is drawing to a close and the sun is coming up, bigger festivals will have somewhere you can go and welcome the day. The Stone Circle is the best place in Glastonbury for this. Here, you can recharge and continue your night or calm down getting ready for 2 hours of sleep. Once you have had your nap, don't skimp on any source of caffeine to get you through otherwise you really will struggle.

You don't have to do this but he looks like he's enjoying himself ;)

Thirdly, yes, you are going to be a filthy mess during the festival but the beauty is that you certainly won't be alone. Mud becomes an essential festival accessory but most people do tend to keep it all over their wellies. You can bring an amount of wet wipes to rival Mothercare's stock but you will still feel festival filthy. It's a fact. If you aren't comfortable with it, may I suggest not going to a festival. Nobody likes to be reminded how dirty they are. You just have to get over it. If you are having a problem with the filth, one thing you can do is bring plenty of clothes to change into. There's nothing worse than smelly, dirty clothes to give you away and make you feel even worse. 

Lastly, the motto "Go hard or go home" is one that should be stitched onto all wristbands as it is one you will live by for the festival. Go to a festival to see bands, dance and enjoy yourself. If you go with that mindset, you won't be disappointed.