First Time Festival Tips

Going to your first (or 100th) festival is a lot of fun, but there are always things you wish you knew in advance. As veteran attendees, we've complied some of our top festival tips to help you through this festival season.

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Let’s just get it out of the way. Bring packs of tissues. Now you will have to venture to a dreaded portaloo at some point, and there may not be toilet roll available. Many bring their own rolls but the true festival connoisseur brings packs of tissues. Why? Well, they’re more compact, taking up less room in bag and can be shoved into pocket. Additionally, they’re covered so no need to worry about soggy loo roll after a torrential downpour.
Practice putting up your tent BEFORE going to the festival. There’s nothing worse than finding out a certain pole is missing or your quick set up tent will actually take 3 hours to get up. That’s valuable time you could be seeing acts or locating the best campsite food options.
Layers are your friend. If it’s your first festival you might be inspired to treat it as a fashion show but one day in the Irish festival season can see every weather option possible, hailstones, wind, rain and scorching sun, and that’s just before lunch. Bring layers so you can add or remove for the appropriate climate of that hour. Make sure to bring some gloves for sleeping too!
Have a shower. Trust us on this, there is no better feeling in the world than a quick shower the Sunday morning of a festival. The best way to feel alive and refreshed.
Be flexible with your plans. Try not to plan every moment of the weekend in advance, go with the flow and off track. One of the best parts of a festival is the unexpected, discover a band or explore a new area.
Be like Santa Claus. Make a list and check it twice, you don’t want to be caught out without a torch, sun cream or rain jacket.
Switch from wellies to boots. Wellies are great for keeping your feet dry and away from mud, but they’re not the most comfortable to wear all day for a full weekend with a lot of walking. Waterproof boots provide the same dryness with more comfort. Just make sure to break them in first.
Charge your powerbanks. There’s always an option to charge your phone at festivals but why wait while it charges or be without for a few hours? Bring your pre-charged powerbanks so you never have to miss the fun or worry about losing your friends.
Find a meeting spot. There’s going to be a lot of people, you will at some point get separated from friends. While your tent is a great meeting spot it’s also good to have a place within the main arena to meet up if you get lost.
Accept camping isn’t for everyone. Camping can be tough, there’s a lot to carry and Irish weather can be difficult. Don’t let that put you off going to festivals though, there’s loads of alternatives to roughing it. Most festivals now have pre-pitched tents and glamping areas. That’s a lot of stuff to not carry. Still not tempted to stay outside overnight? Well, there’s always nearby hotels and accommodation allowing you to arrive fresh onsite each day.

Now you know our top festival tips, check out our Festival Guide here to help decide what festivals you’re going to try out your new found knowledge on this year.