Top Festival Camping Tips From The Festivals Themselves

Young people camping at a music festival

Camping is one of the best things about going to a music festival, and recently we've been giving you plenty of advice about camping at festivals to help you enjoy yourself even more. Check out some of our articles below...

However, for this post we thought we'd give our voice a rest and go straight to the festivals themselves for some camping tips and general festival advice. We spoke with Creamfields, Green Man and Noisily festival, and here's what they had to say about camping at music festivals...

Creamfields

creamfields-logoDo you have any advice for anyone camping at a festival for the first time?

Once you get inside the festival arrange a meeting point with your mates, so if someone goes awol that’s the first place they’ll come looking for you!

We’ve got 70,000 people at Creamfields this year, most of which will be camping and no doubt all have the same tent as you – so make yours stand out, paint it, put a flag on it, tie a ribbon on it and remember its location. Remember to bring a pair of ear plugs… you’ve got a lot of neighbours within close proximity but when you need to sleep, you need sleep. Invest in a personal phone charger and make sure its fully charged!

Pitch your tent uphill… if it rains you’ll be glad you did! It’s a huge site so set a few hours aside to explore and step outside your comfort zone, we’ve got lots of really exciting pop ups this year which might just be the highlight of your trip.

What are your top five camping tips for music festivals?

  1. Pack for all weathers (and makesure you have a waterproof) – this is the UK after all!
  2. Use Lockers provided on site for any valuables
  3. Bring your own toilet rolls, wet wipes and bin bags (the bags will double up as a make do mac if you need it)
  4. Take a screenshot on your mobile phone with a friend's number, that way if you lose your phone the finder knows whose it is and can contact you - you can buy them a drink when they return it!
  5. Make full use of the free water points and make sure you’ve got a full bottle to hand for when you wake up in the morning parched!

What are the most common pitfalls that festival-goers fall into & how should they avoid them?

Generally it's lack of planning, whether that be not packing waterproofs or warm clothing, etc. So always read the advice on the website beforehand, particularly the FAQs - this is full of invaluable info and will make for an easier trip.

Do you have any advice for when it comes to packing up to go home?

Respect the environment and use the litter bins provided. Also, due to the amount of tents left behind, this year we will once again be working with a local charity whose volunteer team will be on site on Monday to collect those tents left behind. These will then be issued to various charities around the UK and overseas. Also if you’re driving, remember where you left your car!

Head over to the Creamfields website to find out more about the festival.


Green Man Festival

green-man-festival-logoDo you have any advice for anyone camping at a festival for the first time?

Make sure you have as much fun as (is legally) possible and just enjoy yourself. Don’t be disappointed when you don’t end up seeing every band you planned to see. Don’t forget your wellies – you’ll be grateful for them in the early hours of the morning when the ground gets churned up. Sensible footwear will stand you in good stead! And make sure you drink lots of water.

What are your top five camping tips for music festivals?

  1. Pick up a unique looking tent. Finding a tent that stands out from crowd will help you find your way home when you’re a bit wobbly in the early hours or the morning!
  2. Don’t rely on phone signal to make plans. Try to switch off from your phone as much as you can.
  3. Pick up a programme! There’s so much valuable information in there, it will help and guide your festival experience.
  4. Respect the environment. Try and leave the campsite in the same way as you found it. Festivals are essentially mini-towns. Recycling is super important, help the festival to reduce it’s footprint as much as you can.
  5. Know the difference between waterproof and rainproof! Sensible waterproofs will be your friend!

What are the most common pitfalls that festival-goers fall into & how should they avoid them?

Make sure you bring enough cash with you to last the whole weekend – don’t end up waiting in an hour long queue for the cash machine when you could be having fun with your friends. Try to switch off as much as you can and enjoy the experience. Festivals are best when experienced and not just documented.

Do you have any advice for when it comes to packing up to go home?

Packing up is often the hardest part of the festival – you are probably very tired and a little hung-over. Try to recycle as much as you can and leave the campsite in the state you found it. Don’t leave your stuff for other people to tidy up.

Check out the Green Man Festival website to learn more about it.


Noisily Festival

Noisily festival logo

Do you have any advice for anyone camping at a festival for the first time?

Make sure you’re prepare, but don’t go in with a ridiculous amount of kit that will give you a hernia. You will most likely not use it all because you’ll be out and about at the festival, and when it comes to packing up, there’ll be that “should I, shouldn’t I” moment when you debate just leaving it all behind. Which is a big NO NO!

What are your top five camping tips for music festivals?

  1. If you want a comfy festival experience, then go boutique and have everything taken care of for you!
  2. Take a roll mat, at the very least. Oh and a sleeping bag of course!
  3. Check your pegs before you go, and do not take other peoples.
  4. Keep your spot clean.
  5. DO NOT leave your tent behind.

What are the most common pitfalls that festival-goers fall into & how should they avoid them?

Forgetting their pegs, you wouldn’t believe how many people do this! Plastic bottles, leave your glass at home. Bringing too valuables, sadly at the larger events there are people who go along specifically to rob people.

Do you have any advice for when it comes to packing up to go home?

Leave no trace!

Head over to the Noisily Festival website to find out more about the festival.


NASS Festival

NASS festival logoDo you have any advice for anyone camping at a festival for the first time?

Get there early and get a good pitch.  You don’t want to be too close to the festival entrance but you don’t want to be far away either.  Make sure you bring a towel... not only does it double up as an extra blanket if you get cold, it’s a great pillow as well.

What are your top five camping tips for music festivals?

  1. Always be aware of guide ropes.
  2. Identify your tent.  Do something out of the ordinary so you can find your tent either at night, or when you've had a few drinks.
  3. Find and claim your spot early.
  4. Try and camp with friends and make a circle.  It creates a great atmosphere for pre-drinks.
  5. Bring a bigger tent than you need… Then there is always room for the after party!

What are the most common pitfalls that festival-goers fall into & how should they avoid them?

There are the usual things of making sure you keep plenty of water and stay fully hydrated, but as good as advice that is, it’s a little boring.  Most pitfalls are around being too cold or too hot.  The biggest one is don’t become a liability.  If you are sleep deprived, hungry and dehydrated, it does not take much to step over that line and become a hassle to your friends.   Have an amazing time, but have a bit of common sense… go the distance and enjoy the festival from start to finish (in other words pace yourself).

Do you have any advice for when it comes to packing up to go home?

You might have to leave, but you don’t have to go home…… Why does the party always have to end?

Do you have any top festival tips? Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter.

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