What I've Learnt About Going To Festivals
5.10.16
So i've been going to festivals for 4 years now which is hard to believe considering how much i love talking about festivals on here. My first festival experience was at Isle of Wight Festival and it was probably one of the worst ones I've ever been to in my 4 years of attending IOW Festival in the terms of the weather. It was cold,muddy and rained every day. There was even a massive puddle by a tree that apparently someone did a poop in it was that bad. Ive also recently gone to Bestival which was ok as i got to see tonnes of bands that i got to see for the 2nd time or ones that I've wanted to see for a while.
Now I've suffered from anxiety for as long as i can remember. I've seen a lot of people on twitter saying that they wish they could go to a festival but they can't because anxiety is holding them back. I've gone to a few festivals and have been incredibly anxious every single time i go to one and yes i do have a panic attack here and there but once the bands are onstage i instantly forget about all my worries and anxiety. I don't stand at the front or in the main part of the crowd all day. I know you want to see the bands up close but honestly if your not a fan of being in squashy spaces you don't want to be watching the headlining act down the front. Its definitely more chilled at the back and as I'm not a huge fan of massive crowds this is something i find helps a lot. I hate massive crowds but when your there is a lot more space than you think there is.
If i do go to the front I've been down the front in the early afternoon when slightly smaller acts have been on. I did go down the front for Kodaline last year and did feel claustrophobic , anxious and terrified but once they started i felt a bit more at ease with the whole situation. This was the same year that i was sort of harassed by a man and thought i was going to pass out because of lots of people on shoulders during You Me At Six. Ok when i say i was sort of harassed by a man this idiot attempted to pick me up and run off with me which wasn't cool but in the end he put me down and ran off like a cackling hyena and yes i did try to kick him in the balls.
I'll say it again but I've already said this before but I'm extremely lucky to live near to major uk festivals that happen every year. I think its super important to go to a festival that's close by and that you can travel to so you don't have to camp or even buy a day ticket so your only going for a day and you don't have to camp at all. Ive never camped because I'm so close by and i don't think i ever would camp at a festival unless i was in a glamping tent but they are so expensive to stay in so there is no way that would ever happen.
Now this will probably be a little to much information but i avoid the toilets at festivals. Yup thats right i don't pee at festivals i only have twice and i never will again unless I'm absolutely desperate. My main piece of advice is don't drink a lot of alcohol or get drunk because then you will be wanting to pee constantly which means queuing up to use the port a loos and by the end of the day they're gross looking which is something you don't want to be using at all.
I don't like being around people that are heavily drunk as I'm absolutely terrified of people that drink so much that they will pretty much use you to stand up because they can't walk. Go with people that won't be that person that needs friends to prop them up.
If you've never been to a festival here is some advice I'm going to give to you :
- Don't take anything thats valuable either buy a back up or leave it behind. I take my camera but i keep it on me at all times .
- If your feeling anxious make sure your with people that are willing to chill at the back with you.
- Pick a smaller sized festival if its your first time going to one I wrote a post about the best small festivals to go to and i shall leave the link here !
- Stand at the back later on in the evening when the headliners are on if you don't like being surrounded by a lot of people there will probably be a bit more space.
- It will be stupidly busy so obviously be prepared for there to be a lot of people.
- If you are drinking don't drink so much that you get drunk there is nothing worse than acting like an idiot and embarrassing yourself.
- If you decide to camp be warned its not for the faint hearted.
Well i hope this post helped. I kind of feel like this was me ranting a little bit but i guess rants are what i do best. Festivals might come across as being this horribly daunting place and i mean it can be scary the first time you go because i'll admit when i was 14 I've never been so scared in all my life as there was some man that was literally off his face and a fight broke out which really frightened me as this was my first time going to a festival in general and ever since then i've not stopped going back again because i love live music and it costs so much to see some of the bands that do play the festivals that I've been to because i live on an island where travel doesn't come cheap. What are your thoughts on festivals ? if you've not been would you ever go to one ?
Speak soon ,
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