61 Festival Tips You NEED for the Best Festival Ever

All these festival tips are hard learned from over 24 years(!) of going to festivals. Some will help you to make friends at festivals, others to not make enemies, and others to cope with those festival toilets / queues / camping, that make us love festivals so much.

I love a festival. As proven by my festival CV covering over 60 festivals in 22 different countries. I want to share all my learnings with you, to help you have the best festival experience possible at your next / first one.

The festival tips below will cover what to do pre festival, during, and post festival. Obviously you want to pack right, look right, see your fave acts and share the good vibes, but what else can you do for the most festival fun ever?

Hope you enjoy these tips for festivals – just let me know if you’ve got any to add in the comments below!

61 Festival Tips You NEED for the Best Festival Ever

Read these tips for your first music festival to make sure you’re properly prepared.

1. Don’t take a flag, you’ll block the view for the people behind and that is NOT how you make festival friends. Although, if you do want to take a flag, here are all the best flagpoles for festivals to consider.

2. Look at the weather before you go and pack accordingly, and a few degrees either side. Have you seen my almighty festival packing list for all the festival packing tips you could need?

3. Use Tiger Balm under your nostrils to cope with the smell of the toilets when you go in.

4. Bag up each outfit in a separate bag in your backpack before you go – helps to have everything you need in one place when you’re rustling around in your tent in the morning.

5. Know the booze rules of the festival, so you know whether you need to bother sneaking alcohol in or not.

6. Warm beer and cider is horrible. Don’t bother with the chore of carrying it and just bring spirits instead, or bags of wine. Here’s the best alcohol for festivals, if you’re thinking about packing some. And you might want to check out the best festival cool boxes too.

7. Don’t expect your phone to work. If you really need to, you could buy a signal booster.

8. Never camp near a toilet, or a fence. People use both in the wrong way when they’ve had a drink. Here are a few tips on where to find the best places to camp at festivals.

9. Only ever take to a festival what you’re prepared to lose.

10. Make sure you have insurance for your phone and camera. Here are a few tips on how to avoid losing your phone at a festival – from someone who’s lost a few!

11. Only ever put things in zipped pockets at festivals – anything can happen.

12. Always carry a torch, to check out the toilets, at night. For more tips on using toilets at festivals, click that link!

13. Carry a water bottle and use the public water on site. Drink lots of water while you’re there.

14. Wear your wellies in the morning to fill up your water bottle, guaranteed the site will be waterlogged. Want to know about the best footwear for festivals? Obviously I’ve covered that too.

15. Take a big bottle of water to fill up in the morning and have back at the tent for cleaning teeth etc. It’ll definitely help you to stay clean at a festival anyway.

16. Take a swimsuit so you can shower from a bottle outside rather than joining the queues.

17. Take a bunch of power banks to keep you charged. Here are all the best power banks for festivals reviewed.

18. Use a bum bag for easy access to your festival essentials. You can see all my recommended festival bum bags and bags for festivals here.

19. Get a tent that’s high enough to stand up in and wide enough for you, your friend and all your stuff. Check out my favourite waterproof festival tents here.

20. Always carry toilet roll, or at least tissues.

21. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

22. Wear comfy shoes – personally I’m more of a hiking boot kinda woman than wellies.

23. Drink berocca every day to keep your energy and vitamins up.

24. With every decision, remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

25. Don’t spend your time filming the bands on your phone instead of watching, guaranteed it’ll look and sound shit. Focus on enjoying the moment instead.

26. Bring the spare key to the car and keep it in a different and safe place.

27. Meet your neighbours and make friends with them – who knows what could happen! I’m thinking at least you’ll have someone to keep an eye on your tent, but you never know what else.

28. Lock up all your valuables in the car, or use the onsite lockers, if they have them.

29. Wear a watch to avoid using your phone battery for the time.

30. Look after your friends and don’t go too crazy.

31. Be nice.

32. Always remember, pop up tents are shit. Yes, they’re easy to put up, but they’re not waterproof or comfy in any way. Get a proper one. One of the most important festival tips out there.

33. Practice putting up your tent beforehand so you’re quicker on the day.

34. Take a queue drink. You could be there for blummin hours. Accidentally got very drunk on Jagermeister one year, queueing to get into Glastonbury.

35. And a roadie. For when you leave your tent to get into the main arena. Same problem could stand!

36. In fact, for whenever you suspect there might be a queue in your life.

37. Glowsticks are great – attach a few to your bag so you don’t lose it, and your friends don’t lose you, in the dark.

38. Don’t just go to the festival for the music but see what else is going on. Take a look at the other cool things to do at Glasto for starters.

39. Take time to chill.

40. Join in.

41. Take clothes you can easily layer up – think tights and long sleeved tops, and a hat. Remember to look at one of my festival packing lists for a few pointers.

42. Wash your hands, at every opportunity. This is one of the most important festival tips – festivals are a breeding ground for germs!

43. Don’t go for a number two in the morning – you’ll see everyone else has too.

44. Don’t book your day up, let yourself have some free time to explore the festival and go where the mood takes you.

45. Look for landmarks near your tent so you can find it when you come home a bit pissed and very tired, or the other way round.

46. Split your money in different places.

47. But don’t put it in weird places, like bras and shoes – you’ll lose it.

48. Hate to say it but flip flops are a bad footwear choice when you’re on your feet for that long.

49. Have a snooze in the day so you’re not ruined by night. I like to park myself under a tree and have a little rest there while the music plays. Take a look at my guide to sleeping at festivals for more inspiration, and you might want some festival ear plugs too.

50. Take a medical kit – plasters, ibuprofen, ear plus, sore throat stuff.

51. Don’t put a lock on your tent – makes it look like something valuable is inside.

52. Look for the campfire at night, it’ll keep you warm and is the best way to meet people and make friends.

53. Camp stoves are way too much hassle, I don’t bother any more. But, if you do want to take some food to festivals, it can help you save some money.

54. Use showers in the afternoon while everyone else is watching the main stages, you’ll queue for a lot less time.

55. Take hand sanitiser and use lavishly.

READ MORE: How to Avoid the Germs at Festivals 

56. Use a wheelbarrow or trolley to take all your stuff to the camping site.

57. Take cash – queues for ATMs are never fun.

58. Have a designated place to meet between you and your friends, so if everyone loses their phones etc you always know that at 9pm every day you’ll be at that cider shed, on that bench, to regroup.

59. Print off the map of the grounds so you don’t have to keep looking at your phone.

60. Read the info on the website so you’re clued up on what you can and can’t do.

61. Have your face as your phone wallpaper, and your mate’s number, so if you do lose your phone someone can find you again.

Any favourite festival tips I’ve missed?

Let me know below – share the festival tips knowledge!

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