Like most other areas of life, music festivals have been completely disrupted over the last couple of years by the Covid-19 pandemic. But if you are a festival fan, the good news is that things are pretty much back to normal this summer.
Which means it’s time to get ready for festival season 2022!
In this article we take a quick look at some of the festivals running this year, and give you six useful tips to help you enjoy your festival to the full.
The short answer is pretty much all of them! For example, here is a list of some of the major festivals running this year:
Glastonbury – June 22nd-26th – Worthy Farm, Somerset
Isle of Wight – June 16th-19th – Newport, Isle of Wight
Reading and Leeds – August 25th-28th – Reading and Leeds
BST Hyde Park – June & July – London
Download – June 10th-12th – Donington Park, Derby
Camp Bestival – July 28th-31st – Dorset; August 18th-21st – Shropshire
Wireless – July 1st-3rd and 8th-10th – London and Birmingham
Latitude – July 21st-24th – Henham Park, Suffolk
Radio 1’s Big Weekend – May 27th-29th – Coventry
The Great Estate – June 2nd-5th – Redruth, Cornwall
Creamfields South – June 2nd-4th – Hylands Park, Chelmsford
Creamfields North – August 25th-28th – Daresbury, Cheshire
These festivals between them feature a wealth of well-known artists, and some also have other activities for both adults and children.
Inevitably, some of the above festivals are already sold out. But you may still be able to get in if you are prepared to volunteer as a festival helper. Many charities offer volunteering opportunities at festivals, so have a browse through charity websites, festival websites or volunteering websites such as My Cause UK. You would need to commit to work a certain number of hours for the charity but would then have the rest of the time free to enjoy the festival.
It is also worth checking smaller and more local festivals where there is still time to get tickets. For first time festival goers these can also be a better introduction to festival-going: you can enjoy the experience without the larger crowds.
But whether you are new to festivals, or a more seasoned festival goer, it is always worth doing a bit of preparation before you go. This can end up saving you a lot of time, money, and hassle during the festival itself, and make the whole experience much more enjoyable.
Here are six tips that will help you have festival fun this summer.
Savvy festival goers get their travel arrangements sorted well in advance. If you leave it till the last minute you risk either not being able to get tickets for public transport or paying higher prices.
If you are driving, check out the parking situation in advance so you know where you will be able to park and whether you will need to pay. Also set out either very early in the morning, or travel the day before and stay somewhere nearby overnight. This will avoid traffic jams, queues and parking problems on the first day of the festival.
However you travel, it usually works out cheaper if you travel with a group, either by sharing a car or getting group tickets for public transport.
Don’t scrimp on the size of your tent. Remember that it will be your home for a few days. Ideally you want a tent that is big enough to stand up in and move around. Even better if there is a separate compartment to store your stuff.
As a general guide, take a tent that is designed for at least a couple more people than will actually be in there. You may be able to borrow one from friends, but if you plan to attend festivals on a regular basis, it is probably worth investing in your own. Remember that Munzee offers online loans if you need a quick financial boost to do this.
Think carefully about the type of sleeping bag you take. Sleeping bags are graded in terms of seasons. For UK festivals, a two season sleeping bag generally works well. These are designed for use from late spring to early autumn. Unless it is an absolute heatwave, the nights can still get quite chilly even if the days are warm, so you may need something more substantial than a very lightweight summer sleeping bag.
Also think about how you sleep. If you are a restless sleeper you may find a tapered sleeping bag too restrictive, even though this style is the most compact to carry. It’s better to get something wider that you will be able to sleep better in.
When packing for a festival you are trying to minimise what you have to carry. But many seasoned festival goers always take a folding chair. After a long day either standing or sitting on grass to watch the music, you will really appreciate something more solid to sit on.
It’s also nice to have a proper seat for eating meals and for those late night sessions under the stars. And for some smaller festivals you may even be able to take your chair along to watch the show. Definitely worth considering.
Something else you may not think of taking is a decent mug, plate, and cutlery. Yes really! They don’t take up much space but it is much more enjoyable – and more environmentally friendly – to eat and drink with real crockery and cutlery than cardboard or plastic.
It’s also a good idea to take a little camping stove so that you can make a hot drink whenever you want one rather than always having to go to a stall to buy one.
With all the above camping items, there’s probably not much room left for anything else. But don’t worry, you actually don’t really need much at all.
We reckon that the essentials listed below will see you through in style:
Two or three changes of day clothes. If you have a car nearby, it’s a good idea to keep a set there just in case everything else gets wet or damaged.
Underwear and pyjamas
Fleece or sweater for the evenings. This could double as a pillow.
A large towel
Small sizes of basic toiletries
Toilet roll
A first aid kit
Matches
Torch
Phone charger
Rubber mallet and gaffer tape for putting up your tent.
We hope that the above tips help you to get ready for the festival season 2022, and that whichever festival(s) you go to, you enjoy every minute!
Check back here soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Munzee Loans.
Hints and tips on how to get started with volunteering