Guide > Festival

So you want to go to a festival then? Only one problem. You have never done one before, never been camping, never been out of your village (only kidding, I hope). How do I get tickets? Will I get tickets? How to get there, What to take, What not to take, What to wear. How much money? Yes the list goes on and on just like a Pink Floyd track. Rather than run through a whole lot of text droning on and on about things, this guide will take the form of a FAQ section in which the major issues of losing your festival virginity will be addressed. Of course we do not profess to be experts in the subject, but as there is a wealth of festival knowledge within this site we want to share at least a little bit with you, in order to make your organising and planning easier and of course make the whole experience a fun one. Which of course is the aim in the first place.

Naturally we won't cover it all, it is as you will find out a very broad subject and I have a life (just) outside of this website. What the FAQ format allows is for additional questions to be tagged on at our leisure, addressing anything that happened to be omitted beforehand. To this extent from time to time keep calling back to this page and you never know, your query may be answered.

A: Jeez how long you got?! Seriously, a festival in my eyes is a gathering together of people to enjoy cultural activities, entertainment, and good living. Now I know there are in this world religious, literary, drama and beer festivals amongst others, but here we will concern ourselves with music festivals. Even here though the term is a misnomer and many of these feature, circus, comedy and film amongst other stuff. Its probably easier to state that the festivals we take an interest in incorporate music as their main themes but allow for many other forms of culture within them. As you will see they can be mega or tiny, established or new, near or far. The key word in all of this is probably diverse, and its a theme that will crop up again and again. Small festivals are just dandy, but if you want to get a good start then a visit to one of the major festivals is really a must.

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Glastonbury - The market leader

A: The daddy of all festivals worldwide is Glastonbury, a 3 day extravaganza of performing arts set in the spiritual Vale of Avalon in Somerset, in late June. For pure musical indulgence take your pick from the established Carling Weekends in Leeds and Reading, V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire, T in the Park north of the border, The Isle of Wight bash in early June, and the Oxegen Festival in Ireland. More specialised tastes are catered for with Creamfields near Liverpool for dance music fans, Download in the East Midlands for metalheads, WOMAD for all things world music, and Cambridge for folkies amongst us. Venturing further a field we have Roskilde in Denmark, Werchter in Belgium, Bennicassim in Spain, and even further away, Cochlea in the Nevada Desert US, and Big Day out in various locations in Australia. So there's a few to choose from.

A: A strange one to answer at this point in time. Festivals are really taking off in the UK at the moment and a festival regarded as small one year suddenly moves upwards into the mainstream the year after. Examples include the Guilfest, based around the town of Guildford, and the Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham. Other notables are the Wakefest in Wales, pagan delights at the Wickerman in SW Scotland and all things biker at the Bulldog Bash near Stratford upon Avon staffed by Hells Angels. In reality though there are hundreds all around the country, check out a good music paper like the NME or use the excellent Efestivals site. In addition our Calender will show as many forthcoming events as possible too.

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A: Of course due to the climate of the UK, the 'Festival Season' runs from May to September inclusive with most events in the months of June July and August. In other countries the peak time for festivals will also coincide with the summer months. The interest in festivals however starts from the New Year when the line ups take shape and rumours abound about who is playing where. Tickets for the major events also go on sale early in the new year too.

Firstly the prices. Expect to pay around £120 - £140 for one of the major festivals. These fees usually cover such things as camping and car parking, though its best to check on that particular festival's website just to make sure. Smaller festivals can cost anything from £30 through to £100. Quite often you will get 2 or 3 days full entertainment for your buck, as well as a couple of days more camping should you require it. When you consider these prices against the value of individual gig tickets, most festivals represent excellent value for money.

Advice to potential ticket purchasers is always the same. Get 'em early to avoid disappointment. For the major festivals this means the moment they go on sale. Newspapers, music papers, the internet and radio will all keep you informed on sale dates. Regarding the mechanisms of buying, there are 2 methods; Online or over the phone. A couple of years ago having broadband was a definite advantage for getting tickets for the big events, now as more people have access to it the process is harder. In face in may now be easier over the telephone, an unthinkable fact not long ago. the buying process is pretty easy though obviously you will need some form of plastic to pay. The big ticket websites are Aloud, See Tickets, Gigs and Tours and Ticketmaster. They all offer tickets at face value and will deliver them on time for the big day. You will of course have to pay fat cat charges such as handling fees etc. but often there is no choice.

If you are successful you can put your feet up and browse the next section. For others you can either try again the next year or get them from less official websites. As PeaceandLove does not support touting no links will be made to any sites. The position is this if you want tickets above face value it's your choice. They are not hard to find on the internet so away you go. Oh, and to everyone wanting tickets, good luck.

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A: Congratulations of choosing a festival, it's a life changing experience you will not forget. However to make sure you remember it for the right reasons take our advice on what to take with you. Sadly many festivals are a haven for the petty thief and incidents of tent and car burglaries are quite common. Advice of preventing such problems will come later. What is relevant now is this great piece of advice. 'Don't take anything with you that you are not prepared to lose'. Whilst it is tempting to take a lot of home comforts consider leaving valuables like mp3 players, laptops and video cameras at home. The other prime factor is the distance you will have to walk from your car or bus drop off to the actual camping spots, at several major festivals this is well over a mile. Travel as light as you can get away with. Remember bulky and heavy items like beer, food and water can all be bought on site. In fact just about anything can be bought, so don't be too distressed if you forget something.

So starting from the top you will need. Tent: There are load of makes models and colours, choose one that suits you but remember the lighter the better. Sleeping stuff: The sleeping bag, roll mat, air bed and pillow are all useful and 'travel' versions of all of these are available for the space saver. Rucksack: Put it all in, the larger the better. A good tip is to get some bungee luggage elastics and tie the sleeping stuff to the outside. Bin liners: Essential, take up no room at all, invaluable for keeping your stuff dry if (when) it rains, or just to put your rubbish in at the end. Clothes: A good idea. See the fashion section below, but some form of waterproofs is always a good thing to take. Torch or light: Tripping over guy ropes is an occupational hazard, light the safe way back to your tent at night. Bog roll: Because shit happens. Wet wipes: You will often go 5 or more days without a shower. Freshen up with this little beauties in the comfort of your tent. Condoms: Feeling lucky? take these with you and make sure your luck holds. Camera: Record the events for posterity. A digital is best but guard it closely. Disposable are widely available on most sites. Cash: Though some festival advertise cashpoints, the queues are horrendous and they charge a fee. Best advice is to keep your cash on you at all times and bring enough for the weekend (see the price guide below to work out how much to take). Ticket: Sounds obvious but you can't get in without it. Mobile: Could have been invented for festivals but watch your battery power.

That's the main stuff, things I believe you cannot really do without. Of course you can bring more than this and you will, but after one long walk in the hot sun you will soon learn to lighten the load. One final tip if driving is to get there early and do 2 trips to and from the car. That way more luxuries can be taken, such as food barbeques and beer. Remember too that the journey back will be somewhat lighter.

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Headwear - Essential festival fashion

A: Perhaps lack of fashion would be a better description of the festival crowd. This really means that popular trends are by and large left outside and people dress often very individually. Quite right too, we are not sheep. Some element of practicality too is the order of the day. This subject is huge and will get its own guide very soon but here are a few tips. Firstly boots are a must, but they must be waterproof. Wellies are bombproof but uncomfortable but if the forecast is grim they are the No.1 choice. Patterned ones are the current festival choice but plain ones work as well. Make the most of the summer by packing tee shires and shorts. Lots of zip pockets are a really good idea to put all your bits in and combats are trousers invented for the festival scene. Its cooler at night though so heavy duty shirts or even a light fleece will see you right. Complete your festival look with cheap shades and a silly hat. Girls tend to go for summery lightweight dresses (as do some chaps) and big socks, the louder the better. So overall the rules are there are no rules but be practical as well as different and you won't go far wrong.

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A: Well done on lugging all your gear into the camping area. You may be really lucky and have gone to a festival where you can camp by your car but these are not a common occurrence. The next thing is to decide where to pitch. Its tempting to head as close to the main entrance as possible but remember these areas will be busy, noisy, crowded, and possibly muddy. Camping further away involves a longer daily walk but its definitely more comfy. Places to avoid pitching on are near toilets, close to woodland (makeshift toilets), on sloping ground or near 24 hour cafes and bars (if you would occasionally like to sleep). If you are in a group try to pitch in a circle but keep it small, campsites get very crowded and don't be surprised if you wake up to find a new tent pitched in the middle of your group. Oh and don't expect too much sleep, the camps are very noisy and its better to have an 'If you can't beat them join them' attitude, rather than telling folks to be quiet. It won't work. Of course earplugs are a good investment too. Having said that the campsite banter is superb and once the first cry of 'Bollocks' springs forth it should be fun all the way.

Where not to camp (part 28)

Try not to keep anything valuable unguarded in your tent. Thefts do occur at night while you may be sleeping so hide things away and make it difficult for the petty thief. Whilst we are on practical advice, don't cook in your tent or light a fire if allowed too close. Tents will combust very quickly and spectacularly given half a chance. Finally a great tip is to take a flag, especially an individual one. Its a great way to find your way back to your tent through a crowded field.

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A: Things vary but to get in you will usually need to exchange your ticket for a wristband, especially if it is a multi day event. Your band then becomes your ticket for the weekend so look after if. Most are well made and will stay on until quite forcibly yanked off so don't worry too much. There may be a queue at the exchange so try to go at off peak times. Security at the gate can be tight, usually you will not be allowed to take in alcohol, bottles and some food items. Cameras should be ok but always check your individual festival rules. Once inside it pays to get your bearings, at a new festival this is always exciting and can take a while so if you can get in the day before the entertainment starts, do it.

Things will vary a lot between festivals but as a very general guide this is what you will find. There is a main arena where the biggest bands will ply their trade. Usually this is open air and the associated field will be vast. There will be several towers which house the speakers and these can be great meeting places as can be the mixing desk tower. One main requirement is to find some places to meet up during the day so this is a good time to get this sorted. Then there will be the secondary stages where smaller and more specialist acts will perform. Some will be open air, but more likely these will be in large tents, a haven if the weather is bad. Some festivals have a lot of stages (Glastonbury has over 20) and having the choice is one of the attractions of a festival but can also at times be a drawback. It is inevitable that there will be fixture clashes between your favorite acts and you may indeed think the organisers have it in for you at times. This is where the neck guide comes in handy. These are often given out free but can cost up to £7 or so. They contain all the running orders for the main stages so you can plan your day. Get these in synch with your bearings and you wont go far wrong.

As well as the music stages expect to find some or all of the following. A dance tent, a comedy or cabaret tent, a funfair area, loads of market stalls and food vans selling a huge range of wares. At the bigger festivals there will be several club type venues such as the Strongbow Rooms so if you like you can just dance your day away. There is likely to be a signing tent where major bands do a bit of autographing, but be warned these are insanely popular, so be prepared to queue for a couple of hours. Facilities available inside will usually include a cashpoint or two, again be prepared to queue, medical tent, mobile phone charging points, meeting points, and welfare tent.

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A: Really this should read what haven't you got. Just about everything is available food wise right from the British favorites of Burger and chips, through baguettes and pies, to standard take away fare such as pizzas, Chinese and curries, and even some more exotic fare such as Nepalese and Moroccan. Quality will of course vary but on the whole it is reasonable and portions usually ample. Expect to pay higher than normal prices though, with a bowl of noodles and sauce for example retailing at about a fiver, sausage and chips costing you £3.50 or so.

Onto liquid refreshment, and most large festivals have a major brewer sponsor, so their products are really the only one found onsite. Carling tends to be the dominant beer of the festival circuit. Beer is dispensed at large bars throughout the site and retails for about £3 a pint. The paper cups it comes in are really poor and result in the beer going flat about half way down the glass, which probably accounts for the large amounts seen flying through the air. For the discerning drinker some UK festivals have real ale tents a proper oasis in a sea of warm lager.

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The fence toilet - Wonder why it's rusty?

A: This is the single one thing that most festival newbies are worried about. There are several misconceptions about festival toilets so let me put you straight on a few things. The standard festival toilet is the Portaloo. Now I recently found out that these were designed to accommodate no more than 8 people a day in order to maintain a standard of hygiene. At a festival the numbers are far far higher. However most festivals employ an army of toilet cleaners to keep things in good order. Generally this works well, the rule of thumb is to look for the cleaners and decent loos are not far away. Even without them around the standard is not too bad, and in 15 years plus of festival going i have only had a handful of bad ones. Even then it is only a case of moving to another loo. Loo roll too should be available. Due to several well documented attempts to blow them up, portaloos are no more at the Carling weekend's camp sites, and metal contraptions which are open air have been drafted in. These work OK but need some getting used to. Perhaps more pressing especially for the ladies are the large queues that can build up in the height of the day. For the blokes, the urinals mean little queuing and if that is too much, the good old perimeter fence is brought into operation. It is quite common to then see females also adopting the squatting at the fence pose usually surrounded by friends holding up coats as a deflector shield. Glastonbury has attempted to get round these problems by introducing the She Pee, which involves a urinal and a special funnel. Finally nearly all toilet areas will contain running fresh water and some even have gel hand wash available.

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A: Leaving a festival will generally be easier the smaller it is. However a site situated along narrow rural lanes may be a pain in the arse to get away from even if it is a fairly small one. The simple rule of thumb for most events is if you are going to leave at peak times then expect delays. Added in things such as bed weather or traffic accidents and breakdowns can add to the problems. Expect to face 3 hour plus delays at festivals like V and Glastonbury (if lucky). Peak times tend to be an hour after the last band has finished on the last night for 2 or 3 hours, and from 9 to mid afternoon the day after. Getting up early is a good way of leaving fast but it is not an option if you have overdone it so be prepared for delays. Getting away prompt on the last night usually works too, especially if you miss the last band. Some festivals have decent bus and rail links too, and of course the best way of all to leave is by foot, though if you live close enough to a festival site to do this all i can say is, you lucky bastard!

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