First time at a festival? Don’t fear, we are here to help you! Some people take to festival life like a fish to water, others find the experience daunting, so here are our top tips for a great weekend in a field:
Packing Well
Our ultimate festival survival kit includes:
- a tent (share with a friend if you can), air bed or roll matt, sleeping bag, earplugs & blow up pillow
- wellies or boots for muddy fields & comfortable trainers for the bar
- reusable water bottle & cup, breakfast & snacks (we only supply lunch & dinner and cannot cater to all dietaries or larger appetites!)
- waterproof jacket or poncho & warm and dry clothes (packed away in plastic bags in case your tent or big bag gets a leak!)
- peaked cap & sunglasses for sunny days & a warm hat for the colder evenings
- standard toiletries, wet wipes, dry shampoo, flip flops & towel
- phone charger battery pack, bin bag (keep your campsite clean!) and gaffa tape (a life saver if your tents goes down or gets a leak).
Sleep
This may seem like a no brainer, but you won’t sleep as well in a field as you will at home in your own bed! Make yourself as comfortable as possible, a warm sleeping bag is essential, as well as a roll matt or air bed, blow up pillow, earplugs and comfy pyjamas. If you can, try to give yourself more sleep than you usually need: it may seem tempting to go out all night, but if you don’t do well on less than 7 hours, don’t do it to yourself- you still need to work the next day!
Food & Drink
Make sure you are eating well and often, and that you are hydrated! It’s easy to forget to drink water, but it will literally save your life on hot busy days, and we often find that the staff members struggling are always the ones who are dehydrated, overtired or hungry! Not to sound like your Mum- but you should be drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, any less and your body won’t be performing to full capacity!
Hit it a little hard last night?! Our condolences! Unfortunately, only times heals this wound, but some salty food, pain killers and lots of water won’t hurt.
Toilets, Showers & Basic Hygiene
Most festivals we supply to have staff showers- however some don’t and some have massive queues in the morning. If you want to shower at the event make sure you: wake up early, be prepared to queue and bring a towel, toiletries & flip flops (trust us!). No showers? Bring wet wipes, dry shampoo, deodorant and a sense of humour, nobody is fresh after 4 days in a field!!
Toilets at festivals are cleaned daily, but this doesn’t mean they are always pleasant- bring your own toilet roll, wet wipes and a brave face, you’ll be alright!
In General
- Always give yourself longer to get somewhere than you think you need, festivals always include a trek or two, and you will get distracted by all the amazing things you see on the way!
- A good attitude goes a long way on site, even if things don’t go exactly to plan, you’ll still have a great time with an ‘it is how it is’ approach!
- Make friends! Everybody is in the same boat and you’ll have a much better time with somebody to enjoy it with.
- Struggling or have an issue? Let your supervisor, manager or member of HAP Ops Team know, we will always help you if we can!
- Chat to the festival lifers- we have a lot of staff who work all summer, year on year, because they love the festival life so much! Get chatting to them about how to get the most out of your experience and where all the best (and secret) festival spots are!
