What truly elevates a music festival experience is living it, literally. Imagine being able to watch the magnanimously enormous festival stage, right from whereย you’veย set base, and retiring for the night, with many other festival goers for company?
Camping at music festivals, while an old phenomenon, has been growing in popularity over the last few years. To be able to move, bags in tow, to your temporary tent during the festival weekend is a far cry from travelling around the city, hoping to make it to your bandโs act in time. Especially with growing awareness to make the experience as earthy as possible, right from allowing people to set up their own tents, to letting them sleep right near the stage, under the stars, the growing buzz around the process is hardly surprising. So we at Festival Sherpa have compiled for you a list of things you must keep in mind when preparing to camp at your next festival.
1. Book a tentย the soonest:ย
If the festival you want to attend allows for readymade tents to be booked before hand, you might want to book one as soon as possible. Most festivals that allow camping happen during the summer and bookings happen at an alarming pace. With limited tents up for grabs, you might want to jump on at the earliest.
(image source: Jeethendra Saran)
2. Pitching your tent:
Most festivals also allow for festival goers to pitch spots for their tents within the camping zones. These camping zones span huge areas, with some sweet spots giving someone the best views. You might want to catch on to these, before they slip away. Also, look for the spots most conducive to tenting. Flat, even surface would be the safest bet if you are a first-time camper.
(image courtesy: Neurum Creek Music Festival at Weekend Notes)
3. Setting up a tent:
The obvious precursor to pitching a spot for your tent, is knowing how to set up a tent. Putting up a basic tent in place is quite the easy task, and a number of internet solutions will tell you exactly how to get around with it. Having a go at your tent-kit before heading to a festival would be a good option to save time, but there is no denial that a happy festival-goer would definitely offer you some help.
(image source: giphy.com)
4. Travel Light:
It is a general prerequisite when youโre attending any music festival. As limited the number of utilities you have, the better. But with camping, the need to travel light may not seem as essential as you have a place to bunk your stuff, right? Wrong. When you are at the stage, you would not want to constantly worry about having left expensive commodities back at the tent. Plus, a tent at a festival is meant for you to sleep in and live large, with minimum. Enjoy the change. You wouldnโt want to be tagging along a huge amount of luggage while on your way to set camp at the festival.
(Image courtesy: Buckets and Spades blog)ย
5. Toiletries are underrated:
Most festivals try to bump as many portaloos as they can for the number of people coming in, but they almost always fall short. Especially with campers staying in, you will find them falling short of utilities, if not perpetually occupied. Carry enough hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and a towel to keep yourself going for the festival period.
(image source: Buckets and Sands blog)ย
6. Itโs easy to be economical:
Setting up a tent may sound like an expensive affair, but it is hardly so. The only basic investment is the tent kit, which is reusable. Use light clothes as tapestries, for shade. An Inflatable bed mattress is another comfortable hack you can pack in. Trekking blogs will have tips on how to create your own electricity free fridge or a hand-made tissue roller, and theyโre great to get crafty with.
(image courtesy: Katherine Cole at VOAnews)ย
7. Or, you can splurge away!
Not all camping at music festivals must be minimal. These days, festivals also offer luxury camping options, letting you camp royal-style. Just a mere appearance, with barely any utilities of your own, will see you through.
(image courtesy: Beyond the Valley Official Facebook)
8. Let go, and have fun doing so:
Itโs no five-star resort, and thatโs probably the best thing about it. Having been accustomed to easily available comfort, itโs a great change of pace to experience the joys of camping, along with watching your favourite band live. So let go of any hang-ups, and be easy with people around you. Your temporary neighbours make for great friends after a musical night. Let that ring!
(image courtesy: Festival Survival Guide)
9. ..aaaand it gets better!
A tent that taps onto all the available solar energy during the day to provide power inside, to you, and your various devices sounds just what the camper in you needs, right? And it’s here. The Orange Solar Tent is ridiculously the best thing to have happened to the tent-loving festival goer in you. Don’t believe us? Read it here.
(image courtesy: alittlecampy.com)
ย (Cover image courtesy: Jeethendra Saran)