Festivals – great music experiences, wellington boots galore, barbequed wildhogs, port-a-potties, and free mud baths – we just love them! Summer has finally arrived and so has this year’s crop of festivals. But with a selection that is one of the largest in the world, the UK scene can be confusing. What festival to go to? What to wear? What do I need to bring to survive? We at the GWG have the answers, and we even comprised them into this handy little list for you. Happy festivalling! 

Go Outdoors
www.gooutdoors.co.uk


All things tents! You’ll need somewhere to sleep/pass out when you take a break from dancing/singing along to your favourite tunes/buying too many donuts/drinking like a fish. Go Outdoors have everything you need. There's even a specific Festival Tent section, perfect for those of us who have already gotten into that true festival spirit and started on the er - spirits… What’s more Go Outdoors offer such reasonable prices, you need not worry about losing it in the sea of tents!

Fresh Air Uk
www.freshair-uk.com

Do you love festivals, but hate going on public transport to them? We feel your pain! Sitting on an un-air-conditioned bus for six hours while a group of teenagers with a guitar sing Wonderwall on repeat is not our idea of fun. To avoid similar scenarios check out Fresh Air UK; a nice little alternative to the dreaded festival bus. It probably costs you more than the average festival pass, but how can you put a price tag on peace and quiet? And we guarantee that no one will arrive in better style than you!

Asos
www.asos.com

Second only to music, festival fashion is one of the main reasons to attend. If you want to be fashion savvy on this year’s crop of fields, head over to Asos for their festival session. They know what’s trendy, and what’s more, they have it handy for a cheap sum! With discounts as well, including the NUS student discount, you'll be hard pressed to find better value. You can also get your hands on all things practical – macs, dry shampoo, SPF sprays, cleaning wipes and tan enhancing creams. 

Solar Phone Charger
www.solarphonecharger.co.uk

Psst – this is the best festival advice anyone will ever give you. Forget running around the camping area trying to find a charging station, and instead, pack this little gadget! The solar powered phone charger is what you’ll need, as there won’t be a socket for miles – and where there actually is one, there is guaranteed to be a snaking long queue with prices to match. With a starting price at £18.95, it’s worth not missing your favourite band while queuing up to charge your phone. Get a group together and split the cost, your friends will thank you!

Ents 24
www.ents24.com/web/festivalguide.html

In the online forest of festival guides, it’s easy to get lost. Even when you think you definitely recognise that tree, you must be on the right track, you may soon realise that that’s just the same tree you’ve been circling for hours, and it’s getting dark. Ents 24 though, is like a flashlight and GPS combined. Whereas most other sites will either have the festival logo, or a short list of confirmed acts, Ents 24 provides both. They also give you the link to each festival’s webpage – trust us, you’d be surprised how many sites don’t offer this. It’s easy to find your way around, and their Latest Festival News section is very helpful.

Secret Garden Party
www.secretgardenparty.com

Looking for something a little bit different? This arts and music festival takes place in Abbots Ripton in Cambridgeshire in the last week of July, and it boasts of a lovely landscape as the canvas on which the festivities are spread – how about lush gardens, a beautiful river and even their own lake? Other than the music acts, Secret Garden Party also offers performances from a travelling theatre, organised theological discussions, storytelling workshops for kids, and arts and crafts workshops where you can do stuff like make your own trumpet. 

Bestival
2012.bestival.net

Bestival is always the best, but this year we think they’ve topped themselves – with a headliner like Stevie Wonder, how can it get any better? And as if Stevie wasn’t enough, other headliners include The XX, Florence + The Machine, Sigur Rós, Two Door Cinema Club and New Order. And if you couldn’t afford the helicopter transfer, have no fear, as Bestival has official shuttle buses that will take you there and back for a tenner. Are you thinking this all sounds nice, but I’ve already got my summer planned out to the full? Well, heave a sigh of relief and a squeal of excitement – Bestival is on between the 6th and the 9th of September.

V Festival
www.vfestival.com

Is Britpop the best genre in the world? Yes, you think so, but your partner only listens to hiphop and RnB? Or does he/she prefer American soft rock while you go crazy about 80’s electro? Well, V Festival will cater for both of you. Confirmed acts include Nicki Minaj, The Human League, The Stone Roses, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Tinie Tempah, Emeli Sandé, Olly Murrs, The Proclaimers and Professor Green. There’s not just something for everybody, there’s something for anybody who ever listened to music. Ever. 

As if that’s not already amazing enough, the festival is divided into two main festival areas – Hylands Park in Essex, and Weston Park in Staffordshire, so Northerners and Southerners alike can go and enjoy these acts. The artists play the South one day, and the other day they’ll go to the North – no divide or preference here!

July 2012.