11 Top tips to make festivals less stressful

This is a guide to festivals for people who might want to see their favourite artists in one place whilst shirking the creature comforts of the modern world, this can come as an overwhelming experience for many. Here are a few tips to help smooth out those sharp festival edges.

These tips are particularly aimed at helping neurodivergent people, however, anyone can benefit from this list.

1) Lineup – 

a) there are bound to be clashes with artists you want to see, at Glastonbury there were times when 4 acts who I wanted to see were on simultaneously. There are a few things to consider when deciding who to go to, and if you are indecisive like me then hopefully you’ll find some comfort in these tips.

b) Who is the red squirrel act? – The red squirrel act is the person who is the hardest to see again, either due to infrequent visits to your country or expensive and difficult to get show tickets. 

c) The jack of all trades method. This method I tried and I think it’s best used for artists who you aren’t too fussed about seeing the whole set. If you are within close enough proximity to the clashing acts, you can split your time between the acts. For example, if they both cohabit a 1 hour slot, spend 30 minutes at each artist (don’t forget to roughly account for time travelling – if it is a 20 minute walk then you’re only going to see 10 minutes of the latter). Also, you can adjust the share according to preference – maybe instead of a 50/50 split do a 70/30 etc. There was one artist I had seen for one song but technically I have now seen them live. 

d) The reality of splitting with your party. I was in a dilemma, everyone in my group wanted to see another artist but I wanted to see another. The time slots clashed and I was torn between seeing a new artist with them and staying to see one I really wanted to see. I stayed alone for a 2hr set and I am incredibly glad I did. 

e) If you think you might regret not going then go – there is one artist i missed at glastonbury who I wanted to see but couldn’t really be bothered, it was probably a one of a kind set and now I’m regretting it. It is always easier to regret going than not going.

2. Crowds 

1. Crowd crush – There have been two occasions where I have been in what I’d describe as a crowd crush. It wasn’t major and a danger to life, but it was serious enough to make it very difficult to move. I found that just moving with the crowd until I could exit was the best option. However, prevention is the best cure…one can anticipate a scenario like this by knowing the size of the venue and the popularity of the act. Pyramid stage at glastonbury can have 150,000 people there and not feel claustrophobic. At the Glade stage, there was a relatively popular act, to add to the perfect storm it was Thursday, which means there were only a couple of acts on. It quickly became overcrowded and it started becoming dangerous as people continuously flowed in, but not out.

2. Where to stand at the act. – If you can’t get close to the front, then the back is better than the middle. This sounds counterintuitive but usually the height of the crowd matters less the further/closer you are. There is also a point around the centre of which you are close enough to see the act well, but can’t see due to heads, hats, arms, flags etc. By being in front of those you avoid that issue, by being far enough behind them they become smaller relative to the act and stage (a head can take up the whole stage if you’re behind one, now imagine zooming out backwards, the more stage you start to see).

3) Heat 

1. The ultimate cooler is cold water – 3 absolute lifesavers in the heat are 1) cold water taps 2) vacuum flasks for keeping cold/ice water (take this with you wherever you go)  3) a 5L water drum to keep in the tent, if you aren’t near running water source then this bottle will keep your trips to the tap to once a day at the most.

2. Tent type and creating a breeze – there’s a reason why white tees and white cars are popular when the mercury rises, they reflect a lot of the sun’s heat. Fresh and black tents from decathlon are the perfect tent for this, they also have ventilation in the sides and back which allows for a breeze and shade simultaneously.

3. Umbrella in heat? – Ok, so you might look a little insane, but in a wide open field in the direct sun an umbrella can be an invaluable portable source of shade – think of it as a parasol (bonus points for a white one).

4. Alcohol – more alcohol = more dehydration, I think that one is pretty self-explanatory.

5. Cold nights and rain – with all that said, it can get cold and it can get soggy so bring a raincoat (thin and waterproof, because warm and wet weather is a thing). I wouldn’t personally bring wellies, some perfectly good walking boots with ankle support will be 

6. Rechargeable hand fan – Rechargeable hand fans are very useful because they are often a lot more powerful than battery powered counterparts and they are more eco-friendly given that they do not use disposable batteries. and they don’t have to be desk fan-sized to keep you cool. I paid £10 for a battery powered hand fan and another £10 for a spare pack of batteries to last the length of the festival. All in all it’s probably worth getting a rechargeable fan because although it was useful it was a negligible breeze hitting me. 

7. Battery packs and other power sources – Obviously it depends on how much you use your phone and what other electronic devices you are charging such as cameras and other peoples phones. I found that a 30,000mAh battery pack with a digital display showing its remaining charge was plenty and a very useful commodity. The alternative was to trek to a mobile phone charging tent and stay for up to four hours to get 100% charge. if you are into making camp fires and you have quite a bit of spare money then you can invest in a log burning bin which converts heat energy to electrical energy to supply USB ports it is around £150 and I don’t have any experience with using one, but as long as you can find fuel for the fire you have unlimited charging resources. 

4) Washing

a)  Wet wipes – the wet wipe wash is a staple of festival convenience. It might not be pretty, but it gets the job done (mostly). You can never beat a shower, but beggars can’t be choosers at the festival. However, wet wipe washes might not be a feasible long term solution, at some point you’re going to have to wash. One thing apparent to me with the wet wipe wash is that it tends to leave dead skin on you and this can be unpleasant after a few days. Also make sure that the festival policy allows wet wipes, biodegradable ones are the best option, make sure to compost them or bring a bin bag for the tent.

b) Festival showers – I don’t have any experience with these, but if you’re lucky enough to get one then props to you. They’re usually free, but have a long queue.

c) Outdoor taps – The outdoor tap we camped near was a godsend for showering, it meant that not only we had an unlimited supply of cold drinking water, we also had the ability to have a wash at any time (you might want to bring shampoo and bottle body wash, bars are a no-go because of storing them once they’re used is a nightmare at a festival).

d) Portable shower bag – the portable shower bag is the hybrid of the festival shower and the tap shower; it involves a collapsible bag with a long shower hose with something that resembles a watering can sprinkler on the end. These can be filled up at taps and hung up on a pole, fence or something tall and weight bearing. They are probably the best option all things considered, we were just lucky that we found a spot next to a tap. This also meant we had a large queue of bottle fillers at 8am every morning trudging through our camp and slowly adding to the swampy ground near the fence from cumulative overspill. 

5) Camping – 

1. Tent size and type – Personally, I find that the number of people staying in the tent plus 1 is the ideal “man” tent size. So, 4 people camping, get a 5 man tent.

2. Location of camping – go online and have a look at the different camping areas at the festival, there will usually be some guidance on which campground is most ideal for you based on its characteristics.

3. Camp flags – camp flags were surprisingly useful for campground navigation, but there’s always What3words to find your way back without landmarks, just in case a flag or 2 get taken down.

4. Etiquette – in quiet camps don’t blast music, minimise walking through the middle of people’s camp (when they are there), watch out for trip hazards like tent anchoring lines.

6) Food and Drink

1. Bringing food – In terms of bringing food, breakfast bars and things that didn’t require cooking and weren’t perishables are perfect for bringing. Some people go the whole hog and bring raw meat and cooking utensils etc but that just seems like a lot of messing and faff. I’d much rather pay for food there to save on cooking, cleaning and food storage in a camp site. Buying also allows you to have a much wider variety of food. Things like pot noodles or cup soup are fine if you have a way of heating water.

2. Buying food – This is my personal favourite option when eating at a festival. It does cost quite a lot of money, but the food is usually really good and think of the markup for the convenience of saving you the trouble of camp cook, along with not bringing equipment in. Bringing food wouldn’t be too bad if you were glamping at the festival, but then it would probably be for the novelty rather than to supply you with food; if you can afford glamping then it makes sense to pay for festival stall food as your sustenance.
3. Alcohol – some festivals do not allow bringing in your own booze, at Glastonbury you can bring in as much as you can carry, but it must be in plastic containers or cans as they have a ban on glass.
4. Soft drinks – just like stall food, there are plenty of lemonade stands, juice bars and fridges at burger vans for an ample supply of soft drinks for those who aren’t drinking. This was my first sober festival and I really enjoyed it.

7) Festival official info – 

1. Always be sure to check out the festival’s website beforehand, not just for the line-up but also to see what they officially recommend to bring, see, do and take. There will also be information on services they offer like resting spaces, phone charging tents, medical facilities, toilets and showers etc

8) Maps and getting around

1. What 3 words – If you have ample phone signal then what 3 words is a crucial app in finding your way around a new place, it is great for finding your way back to your camp. It works by making a grid map of the entire Earth and assigning a 3 word combination to a 3x3m square, each small area has a unique code. This code you can save and you can type it into the search bar, it will direct you towards your camp. 

2. Walkie talkies – Walkie talkies might seem a sensible idea at first but it can quickly get expensive if there are a lot of you. They are generally not as good in places with good phone signal purely because there is no need for them. Walkie-talkies are useful when there is no phone signal and you need an alternate method to communicate. Also, many other people will have a similar idea and the festival staff will also use walkie-talkies so be prepared for crossed lines and interference. 

3. Official app – The official app (if there is one) Can be a useful method for finding your way around the festival. The festival official app is mainly useful for finding out which artist is playing which stage at what time, it is also useful for locating resources such as medical tents, battery charging places, bars, toilets and showers.

9) Cost – 

There are a few costs involved with festivals. The main Festival cost will be the ticket, these tickets are usually around £300 for a multi-day stay plus or minus £100 or so. 

you will also need to factor in the price of transport and accommodation if you are not camping on site. The biggest cost for me was food and drink, it is unsurprising that this is the biggest expense as festival food vendors operate with a large price mark-up similar to Airlines.

I would also keep a small budget for gifts, medicine or spare camping accessories you might need to buy on-site like an extra blanket if it is colder than expected.

10) Leaving light – 

I would also recommend that you leave light by disposing of any spare large volume containers, like large bottles of water etc. 

Please do not just leave it on the field though.

11) Ear protection –

 Ear protection is crucial when exposed to loud music for an extended period. Hearing loss is concerning, but even worse is tinnitus. For the uninitiated, tinnitus is a constant hissing, whining, or screeching tone that is persistently heard in one or both ears. It can vary in frequency and volume. You may have experienced this temporarily when lying in bed after a night out at a loud venue.

Tinnitus is often irreversible, and currently, there is no cure or treatment to improve it. It means you may never experience silence again, at least until they find a cure. Fortunately, there are earplugs known as acoustic earplugs, commonly used by musicians. These earplugs filter out harsh frequencies while maintaining the music’s quality. Though they are more expensive than foam noise-blocking ones, they offer excellent protection for your ears without muffling the sound.

On the other hand, foam earplugs are better suited for sleeping when all-round sound blocking is necessary.