Capital Summertime Ball 2024

[Jono]

What tips do you have for someone who has never been to a festival before. Particularly for a festival that involves a long weekend of camping. I'm going to Latitude in about two weeks time, so need to think about what to take.

[Ema]

Wet wipes

[Guest CancerForTheCure]

Shower whenever rubbish bands are on. People will still be seeing them so shower queues won't be that big. Otherwise, it's impossible to have a shower. And if you can, get a locker. Oh and eat as much of your own food as you can on the camping site - there isn't much point in spending a tenner on a burger in-between concerts.

[Emma]

Aww, poor you, Jono! Take bin liners, they're easy to sit on, and, if it starts to rain, you can wear them too.

Take loads of cheap food, you can probably live off biscuits and water for 3 days.

Don't bother with a pillow to sleep with, use the little bag that your sleeping bag comes with, and fill it with clothes.

Don't take decent clothes, they'll only get ruined.

Take a hoody, they're more comfortable than a coat and easier to tie around your waist....that's it for now, I'll have a think of more.

[DC]

take a shotgun.

[Lucinda]

Take:

- some deodorant (spray is probably better)

- some bottles to keep water in (otherwise long queues for water in the morning and evening, but not much at other times),

- toilet paper

- a hoody to wear at night because even when it's hot during the day it's cold at night,

- a torch (I had a good one which clipped onto my belt so I had it on me all the time)

- wet wipes/baby wipes are definitely a good idea, as Ema suggested

- don't take too many clothes, apart from clean underwear, socks, maybe t-shirt, you won't use them

- cooking equipment can be useful but you can probably eat enough cold stuff, so take biscuits, cereal etc.

[Andy B]

Meh, all of those ideas are rubbish, take nothing that you won't miss f you lose it. Buy a cheap mobile phone and put your sim card in that. As for washing I'm going to V festival this year and my mates and I have come up with 1 of 3 ideas as to cleaning

1) Get up really early and take a shower - never gonna happen

2) Take wet wipes - a possibility

3) Drink constantly morning noon and night till we're all so drunk that we don't care anymore

I think we're probably gonna go with number 3

As for cool festival gadgets there is a thingy which you put on the top of your tent and then you call it like a mobile phone and it flashes and beeps so you can find your tent!

Sod all forms of cooking equipment, tried it once and it's a bloody nightmare after the first day so just buy food on site. Either that or eat massively beforehand and then smoke constantly to fight of hunger pains! I lost a stone last year!

Best thing to do at night to keep warm is have someone in bed next to you. That's what I'm doing this year!

Shame Phil isn't too happy about the idea.

[Lucinda]

I'm surprised no one has suggested taking condoms yet.

As far as washing goes, hardly anyone actually bothers taking a shower. Just go with the wet wipes and some deodorant. Particularly for when you're travelling home, since there are likely to be people around who have washed recently.

Yeah, cooking food is a bit of a hassle, but you should take some biscuits and stuff because you never know when you might want food and the nearest food stall might be a bit far away/you might be too drunk to find it.

If you actually want to see any bands, don't drink too much, because as the 30-something-year-old blokes in the tents behind us found at Leeds, you tend to sleep through the bands you wanted to see. It was amusing hearing them complaining about how they'd missed Kate Nash because they'd been up all night.

Oh and a roll mat for under your sleeping bag will make life more comfortable.

[Danishgirl]

I've never been on a festival myself, so I can't really help you. It's a shame you don't understand Danish because there is a Danish newspaper that is following a festival virgin on Roskilde Festival...

I can tell you this: It's not as bad as he expected after all.

[Mike]

Rockslide festival?

I was trying to read dutch the other day... it's actually quite easy when you say it aloud.

[Danishgirl]

Rockslide festival?

I was trying to read dutch the other day... it's actually quite easy when you say it aloud.

Not quite It's pronounced a bit like "Raws-killeh"...

Roskilde is just the name of the place. Actually Roskilde Festival is the biggest festival in Northern Europe.

I love reading Dutch, my favourite language ever. But what is even better is hearing Dutch people speak English. The Chinese are almost as good as Dutch, but only almost.

By the way, Jono, I remembered something my uncle told my cousin when she went on her first festival last year.

If possible put your things in small plastic bags and let them hang from the roof of your tent. That way they won't get dirty and they won't be too hard to find when you need them. I haven't tried this out myself, but my cousin did and i turn out to be a good idea.

[Lucinda]

Yeah, I took some sealable sandwich bags with me (had them from when I went on a plane and needed something to put liquid stuff in) and they were useful, especially for things like keeping my toothbrush clean.

My friend took 2 wallets so he didn't lose all his money if something happened to one of them, then he put each one in a food bag in case it rained and put one in each pocket. The guy who searched us when we went into the arena on one of the days really didn't like it. He was convinced he was smuggling drugs in his wallets and he got quite a long search before they let him go.

[Sam]

if you buy some cheap thin shorts you can wear them under your trousers/shorts and use those pockets for keeping some money in. then your money will be under your shorts/trousers and and not accessible for pick pockets.

[Guest CancerForTheCure]

As far as washing goes, hardly anyone actually bothers taking a shower. Just go with the wet wipes and some deodorant. Particularly for when you're travelling home, since there are likely to be people around who have washed recently.

I showered every single day when I went to the Open'er Festival :oops: You just had to, it was about 40 degrees.

[Grace]

I'm a virgin...what tips do you have?

This whole thread has reminded me why I don't *do* camping. I like my 20 minute daily shower!

[bolinbenny]

As much booze as you can carry, a few changes of pants/socks, camp somewhere near a marker of some sort, flag or something, but no where near the toilets, a little battery powered radio/CD player can help the evening pass by once the bands are done

[superchris0110]

Dont camp next to a bin...

[Jono]

I'm a virgin...what tips do you have?

There's no hope for you.

[Lucinda]

Dont camp next to a bin...

Similarly, avoid the side of a hill. The top is ok, but the side of a hill tends to be used as a toilet. Don't camp next to the boundary fence either as people will trip over you/use your tent when they can't be bothered to walk as far as the toilets.

[superchris0110]

Similarly, avoid the side of a hill. The top is ok, but the side of a hill tends to be used as a toilet. Don't camp next to the boundary fence either as people will trip over you/use your tent when they can't be bothered to walk as far as the toilets.

Even the inside boundary fences are a no no. When you get angry mobs, the big metal fences are the first thing they go for. Big metal fence + Tent= Splat

[Lucinda]

I hope we're not scaring Jono. You shouldn't get big angry mobs at Latitude.

Lots of idiots were burning things at Leeds. They were all males aged 14-16 who had obviously never been away from home without their parents before and thought they were really cool, setting fire to people's tents. We were ok because we were far enough away from the centre where the idiots camped.

[Jono]

Well this is some sort of 'family' camping area, so I am assuming it won't be so bad!

[superchris0110]

I hope we're not scaring Jono. You shouldn't get big angry mobs at Latitude.

Lots of idiots were burning things at Leeds. They were all males aged 14-16 who had obviously never been away from home without their parents before and thought they were really cool, setting fire to people's tents. We were ok because we were far enough away from the centre where the idiots camped.

The worse thing is when those muppets put gas cans on the fire and blow up the surrounding 10 tents and think they are clever because of that!

Not sure what the layout of Latitude campsite is, but I guess the further you get away from the main area the quieter the campsite will get. If you want to be close to the main area, turn up early!

[KingTutsWWH]

What to take to a festival?: Hmmmm Ginseng tablets (you won't sleep), energy and meal replacement drinks eg Slim Fast, cereal/protein bars, water, wet wipes (I've never seen a shower at a festival), toilet paper, bin bags, alcohol, friends, a good mood, and me please?

[Danishgirl]

I'm a virgin...what tips do you have?

This whole thread has reminded me why I don't *do* camping. I like my 20 minute daily shower!

Yeah. I hate camping with a passion. Especially sleeping in a tent, it's horrible. My mum started talking about it the other day, about how she would quite like a camping trip again, but the rest of the family were like "No, thanks."