By Russ Thorne
Summer's here, and that can only mean one thing – it's time to go and spend some time in a field, bouncing up and down to bands and trying to squeeze a few drops of nutrition out of a diet of donuts and warm beer. Festival season has arrived!
Glastonbury retains its crown as the Daddy of Them All, not only because of the lineup but because it's the only festival big enough to give mad hippies, circus freaks, kids, dance nuts and rock loons their own separate fields. It's vast – if you're going, allow at least half an hour to get between any stage, and if it rains just find somewhere you like and hang out there for the day – you'll have much more fun!
As well as the big fests, there are more and more 'boutique' festivals appearing, with small capacities (5,000 - 20,000, compared to Glasto's 150,000+) but huge personalities. 'It's all about attention to detail,' says Simon Taffe, organiser of the End of the Road festival (www.endoftheroadfestival.com), 'creating a cool venue in a cool location instead of just a couple of tents and a toilet in the middle of a field.'
Small is beautiful, he reckons, because you can get closer to things. 'I like the intimacy of not standing half a mile from the stage. We get big bands doing really special performances in the middle of the woods.' There's also a playful element to the boutique fests that the larger festivals can overlook – Camp Bestival offers a Dressing Up Area, for example, and End of the Road has table tennis and mad Viking games.
On the other hand, there's also nothing like standing in a huge crowd singing along to Oasis, so wherever you go, you're in for a treat. The trick is knowing how to get the best from your fest. 'Keep an open mind,' says Simon, 'and don't just try to cram in as many bands as possible. Make sure you soak up the atmosphere as well. Oh, and toilet roll is always handy!'
Top Five Festival Tips:
If you're a seasoned festival-goer, you've probably got your rituals worked out. If this is going to be your first time, don't worry, it won't hurt a bit and we've prepared a few bits of essential advice...
1. Don't take anything you're not prepared to lose. Tents aren't the most secure things, and in the general chaos of festivals you can – and will – lose valuables if you're not careful. You don't need your hair straighteners, either.
2. Drink water. Sounds boring, but it stops you getting dehydrated, gives you more energy, and helps dodge hangovers. If the sun turns up your tent will become hell's own oven by eight in the morning, so keep some water by your sleeping bag for those sandpaper-mouthed wake-up calls.
3. Bring painkillers for mornings after, suntan lotion for protection (and contraceptives for the same reason), and baby wipes for instant showers. A plastic poncho with a hood is the best thing for rain, and you can sit on the wet ground with it too. BRING WELLIES.
4. The law still applies at festivals. Illegal drugs are still illegal there, and festivals can be huge and confusing – not be the best places to have a bad drug experience, in other words. If you do choose to take something, be aware of the risks (www.talktofrank.com) and make sure your mates look out for you.
5. Lose yourself. Festivals let you be whoever, and whatever, you want for a few days. If that means wrapping yourself in cling film or dressing like a lizard, go for it. See new bands, eat weird ethnic food, talk to trees, and hug strangers. It's all good. But if you're the person on day one who's having a mud bath? You WILL regret it. Trust us.
The Festivals
Big Ones
Glastonbury (24-28 June, Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset)
Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Blur, The Prodigy
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
T in the Park (10-12 July, Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland)
Kings of Leon, Killers, Blur, Snow Patrol
www.tinthepark.com
Latitude (16-19 July, Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk)
Pet Shop Boys, Nick Cave, Bat for Lashes, Editors
www.latitudefestival.co.uk
Truck (25-26 July, Hill Farm, Steventon)
Ash, Supergrass, Red Light Company, DJ Food
www.thisistruck.com
Big Chill (6-9 August, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire)
Basement Jaxx, Orbital and Mr Noel Fielding from the Mighty Boosh
www.bigchill.net
V Festival (22-23 August, Hylands Park, Chelmsford & Weston Park, Staffordshire)
Oasis, Razorlight, Dizzee Rascal, Pendulum
www.vfestival.com
Reading / Leeds (28-30 August, Richfield Avenue, Reading & Bramham Park, Leeds)
Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, Gossip
www.readingfestival.com / www.leedsfestival.com
Creamfields (29-30 August, Cheshire)
Tiesto, Mylo, Basement Jaxx, Friendly Fires, Paul Van Dyk
www.creamfields.com
Bestival (11-13 September, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight)
Elbow, MGMT, Lily Allen, 2ManyDJs
www.bestival.net
Boutique Ones
Hop Farm (4-5 July, Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent)
The Fratellis, Pigeon Detectives, Doves, Florence and the Machine
www.hopfarmfestival.com
Secret Garden Party (23-26 July, Huntingdon Mill Hill Field, Cambridgeshire)
Jarvis Cocker, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Noah and the Whale
http://secretgardenparty.com
Camp Bestival (24-26 July, Lulworth Castle, Dorset)
PJ Harvey, Mercury Rev, Tinchy Stryder, DJ Yoda
www.campbestival.net
Croissant Neuf Summer Party (14-16 August, Usk, Monmouthshire)
The Beat, Steve Knightley, The Baghdaddies
http://partyneuf.co.uk
Beautiful Days '09 (21-23 August, Escot Park, Devon)
Levellers, The Pogues, The King Blues
www.beautifuldays.org
End of the Road (11-13 September, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset)
Explosions in the Sky, Fleet Foxes, The Horrors, Blitzen Trapper
www.endoftheroadfestival.com
Free!
Godiva Festival (3-5 July, War Memorial Park, Coventry)
Idlewild, The Twang, Newton Faulkner, The Yeah Yous
www.godivafestival.co.uk
