We love a festival, and are on our way to our third this weekend. Having said that, we are bigger fans of day festivals over camping ones. There's something about going home to your own bed each night that is such a comfort and luxury over sleeping in a tent (I'll happily be proven otherwise, but until I am, I'm sticking to it!).
Going to a day festival however leaves you with a whole other bag of dilemmas. With no tent to return to during the day, no changes of clothes readily available and no where but home to go when you're stuck for something to do, a day festival can be just as daunting as a camping one.
I've asked some of my blogging friends for their input about some of the top hacks and tips for surviving a non camping festival. I hope you find some of these tips useful and whilst some may be obvious, sometimes the obvious is the easiest to forget!
- Remember the essentials. I don't mean packing a suitcase for the day. But remembering the small things such as plasters, Calpol sachets and spending money means that you are set up and won't be rushing back to the car for anything you forgot. We tend to take one rucksack for the three of us (normally my trusty Fjallraven Kanken Classic) and it fits more than enough inside.
- Be weather prepared. As Becky from Mommy and Rory says "Good wellies and waterproofs all round! Nothing worse than mardy, soggy children!" and I completely agree. Last year at Victorious it had been raining sporadically so Max wore his wellies. We always have some disposable ponchos or pack-a-macs in our bag too for any downpours (like at Camp Bestival!).
- Plan your day. It might seem like a silly thing to remind people of, but we always sit down the night before and plan the day ahead. Whether that be bands we want to see or just looking at the site map to see where the toilets are, knowledge is key and saves your feet too.
- Glam up before you go. I don't mean wear an evening dress, I mean remember that those little things at festivals add up and cost a whole lot more before hand. Jen at My Mummy's Pennies suggested "A funky band tee and wellies, hair mascara or face paint and glitter tattoos so you don't get nagged into spending £15 for them to have it done there!". And she's completely right! Save that money for something else, like food or a sneaky drink.
- Be prepared for compromise. We all go into a festival thinking it's going to be amazing and you will do and see everything you want. But it's not always the case, so be prepared to compromise either as a group or with your children. Luckily Max prefers to watch the music to doing activities, but we make sure there's an equal balance.
- Take a trolley. Whilst a buggy might be the most obvious choice, in bad weather it is definitely not a practical one. Vicki at Tippytupps said "We take a trolley with us for when little legs get tired or just to carry all the stuff around so we don't get tired!".
- Take some healthy snacks. Whilst there will be lures of ice cream and hot dogs, it's worth taking a handful of healthy snacks. "Loads of snack types that are easy to carry food like cereal bars, packets of dry fruits" suggested Lianne from Anklebiters Adventures. We love to bring things such as Bear Yoyos and Go Ahead bars.
- Throw the routine out the window. It's easy to start fretting at 8pm that the kids are tired and you should really be thinking about bed time, but for one day throw the routine out the window. We think of festivals as such immersive and amazing experiences that letting the kids stay up late is all part of their enjoyment. They will sleep when they are tired.
- Pack the pj's. "If it's a long day pj's to travel home in so you can pop them straight in bed!" suggested Sophie from Soph-obsessed and I completely agree. We tend to either park on site use use park and ride services and always have a pair of pj's and a blanket in the car to make the journey home peaceful and smooth.
- Enjoy yourself. Don't spend the whole time worrying about things that aren't a big issue. Enjoy the music, let your hair down, have a boogie and make memories. Going to festivals have been something we have done since Max was born and it's a long standing tradition that will probably last us a lifetime. It's what you make it, so make it fun!
No comments