The festival essentials and products you wouldn’t want to forget.

OK, a confession to start with, most of the things I am about to bring up will not actually save your life. This is merely an expression of the reliance I put upon those items/factors that can make or break your ultimate festival experience that I am going to share with you. Who knows, there may be something you had never considered before amongst all of this, and I could save your life this summer. Even if it’s not literally…

The mighty one that is dry shampoo –  Whoever created this miracle stuff must be very proud because the expression “don’t forget your toothbrush” has now been altered to “don’t forget your dry shampoo” for anyone making their way to a festival. I think the main thing about it is that we cannot believe that it actually works. True, it can become overload by the fifth night but it is more than we would have dared hope for before we were using it, I’m sure.

Toilet roll and baby wipes - Don’t yawn! As boring as it is to pack and carry, unlike that big crate of beer there is no chance that you will regret taking it in the end I promise. Baby wipes will make sure you don’t lose your friends because hygiene is always a winner. Toilet roll seems to do disappear within a few days so bringing your own is definitely forward thinking you will be grateful for. And something you will seriously regret if you forget it.

Wellies - If someone told you they owned something that can plough through mud, be unaltered by rain and be a fashion accessory in a variety of colours all at the same time you’d wonder what that something could possibly be. The answer: a good pair of wellies. I honestly cannot imagine not wearing a pair of these at any festival; they are mighty.

A torch - Yes, we’re back to the traditional camping gear again, but no, that does not mean it isn’t essential. You never know when you’ll have to look for something/someone in the pitch black darkness, and finding your tent after a toilet stop at night will be so much easier and safer. Again, it’s one of those things you don’t appreciate until you don’t have it, but at the risk of sounding like a dodgy horror movie in the sale section you should never underestimate the power of darkness.

Waterproof poncho/mac - I always admire the optimistic types that refuse to accept that the weather will turn for the worst on such a happy event, but at the same time you never want to be that one person who is caught off guard in torrential weather with your hair and clothes relentlessly sticking to you. Whilst not being the sexiest item in your wardrobe, a waterproof poncho will do the trick, with the extra added bonus of weighing next to nothing. It’s a winner.

A good line-up - Let’s be honest, as silly as this may seem written down, any festival can be saved no matter what happens – and I’m talking the worst weather, tent destruction, you name it – by good music that is worth listening to and being there for. Any band you watch and instantly know you will remember as being one of the best moments of your life is what it is all about at the end of the day!

Good company - If you have your best friends there, then the world (or festival in this case!) is your oyster. I really believe that friends save your life anyway, so it only makes sense to have them with you at a festival, where you can share some of the most amazing times. And as an extra plus, whatever happens – good or bad – you know that you will never have to face it on your own.

A camera - Some of the best photos ever taken have come from festivals, because they are events where it doesn’t seem allowed to be unhappy and not have an amazing time, so there are happy faces everywhere. If you capture the memories, it won’t necessarily end when you leave because you can re-live them again when you get home by looking through them all. Snap.

Hopefully this will help you in some way when you’re packing your things up ready to go to some of the awesome festivals that are going on this summer! Of course there will be personal things that you yourself couldn’t go to a festival without which you regard as life-saving, such as for me it’s my glasses because without them anything at a distance would simply be a blurry mess. That would be truly gutting. And blurry. But you can contemplate what’s most important for you, and if you wouldn’t want to forget whatever it is, make sure you don’t!

Becky Martin.

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