Tips for attending your first music festival

Tips for attending your first music festival.

Attending your first festival should be exciting, fun and an experience like no other.
When you add disability into the mix it can turn that excitement into anxiety, fun into frustration and experience into overwhelm.

with a bit of pre-planning and a handy checklist of what to take, you’ll be able to enjoy the experience like your able-bodied peers.

Which festival should you attend?

The key question is, which festival should you attend and what accessibility measures have they got in place?
Every festival within the UK allows you to bring a PA or carer along with you free of charge. In most instances you will have to purchase a standard ticket, and then contact the festival organisation and request a carers ticket. They will ask you for proof of disability in the form of a doctors letter, certificate of visual impairment or your blue badge.
Each festival does it slightly different Lee so you will need to check which documents and any further requirements you need.

Are you going for the genre of music or reputation?

There are numerous music festivals up and down the UK ranging from One day to 5 days.
Whether you are after rock/metal, indie/alternative, pops/mainstream, Afro beats/reggae or somewhere family friendly there will be a festival to suit all music lovers and age ranges.
Skiddle Ticket is a great place to find national and international festivals; you can search by genre and location.

Music festivals such as bestival, Lattitude, Reading and V Festival accommodate disabled festival goers bye having accessible and separate camps with staff patrolling for support and security.

Bestival , Lattitude and V Festival provide charging points for electric wheelchairs and scooters.

All festivals excluding Bestival have viewing platforms for disabled attendees specifically on the main stages.
There are also accessible toilets in close proximity.

Most festival accessible campsites are close to the music festival site and for those that are not, such as V festival, they provide a transport service with pick up points.

V festival in particular have put accessibility at the forefront by providing a lockable fridge to store medication and a changing places toilet.

How to get there?

Getting to your destination can sometimes be the worst part of your trip.
Once you have chosen which festival you’re going to attend you can use National Rail or national express to plan your roots
Wheelchair users are advised to call national express to book the tickets 03717818181 (lines open 8am – 10pm.

If you have the luxury of a car/driver to take you, there are specific disabled parking spaces which the festival try to keep as close to the disabled campsite as much as possible.

If you are arriving by public transport, particularly trains, there will be signage outside the station pointing you in the direction of the campsite, the locals are usually very clued up on directions, so do not be afraid to ask, and most likely you will notice the throngs of people heading in a particular direction, follow them and you will be sure to find the way.
Coaches will usually be able to park somewhere on site, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be near to your campsite, however there will be plenty of volunteers, usually wearing bright coloured clothing, that you can ask for directions. Festivals such as V Festival Have chaperones that can assist disabled festival goers by assisting you to your campsite.

What to pack?

Probably the most crucial element of attending a music festival, especially if you are staying on site is knowing what to pack.

Camping Rucksack

You will need a camping rucksack to hold all of your gear, getting one with separate compartments and attachments is also very useful.

Tent

You can go easy pop-up tents like this, or go camping style and get a four-man tent like this. It sounds big, but once you have two human bodies in there and all your luggage, it will start to feel pretty cramped.
Sleeping bag
Getting a sleeping bag with a hood is a must, not only will it keep your head warm during the freezing cold nights, but it’s a nice way to cocoon yourself in

Roll Matt

A good one like this will give you some stability and comfort, well you are sleeping on the floor after all!

Blowup bed

This may seem like a luxury to some, but for people with chronic pain, sleeping on a roll mat is a no go. A blowup bed like this will keep you as comfortable as possible.

Water bottle

Collapsible ones like these are great, giving you more storage space. There will be plenty of water Fountains that you can refill your bottle.

Mallet

Keeping a tent up right means you have to take the pegs far and deep into the ground… If you have arthritis or other chronic pain issues, the mall it will take away some of that burden… It could also be a great stress reliever 😉

Torch

It’s inevitable that you are going to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, trying to find your way in the pitch black is no fun. Taking a torch is always a clever idea!

Padlock

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, taking a padlock with you to keep your tent safe whilst you are away is a great deterrent. It can also give you peace of mind when you are sleeping at night if you choose to lock yourselves in.

Clothes:

Waterproof jacket, Wellies, 3x t-shirts, 2x shorts/ leggings, 1x Winter pyjamas/thick jumper/ jogging bottoms, 1x scarf, 1x woolly hat, 5x socks

toiletries:

Toothbrush, toothpaste, dry shampoo, baby wipes, hand gel, plasters, paracetamol, ibuprofen, personal medication, first aid kit, make up.

Snacks:

Serial bars, crisps, biscuits. Whether you are a morning person that always has breakfast, a person that grazes constantly, or you are suffering from a dreadful hangover, ingesting sugar will help keep you going until you find some hot food, and probably more alcohol to wash it down with! 😉

Electronics and chargers

If you’re a social media addict or just want to stay in touch with people from home, taking an old phone and Power Pack will keep you fully charged.

Money, money, money.

Festivals are expensive, consider taking out a mortgage just to Keep you fed and watered during your weekend!
Festivals take cash only, and although there may be a cashpoint for you to withdraw your money, it will charge and they are completely inaccessible to wheelchair users or visually impaired people.
You can of course take your own camping equipment to cook food, but for most people logistically this doesn’t work, especially for people with disabilities.

Things to keep in mind.

Attending a music festival and camping is a right of passage that I would encourage everyone to try once. Wind, rain and thousands of trampling footsteps can make the ground very uneven, this can of course depend on your mobbility, but aim to see a Music festival as an adventure rather than a disaster.
Take something distinguishable like a flag to attach to the top of your tent, this will make it easier for you to find on your return, even if you cannot see you can give descriptions to someone to look out for it.
Leave with plenty of time to get to each stage, battling crowds and cues can slow you down considerably.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from volunteers or the general public, people are keen to be of assistance and don’t let your pride get in the way of having a good time.
Taking a bumbag or rucksack to carry your valuables is a good idea instead of worrying about them being left in the tent. It’s an easy way to Carry your raincoat and water bottle with you everywhere too.
Your raincoat will keep you dry, or at least give you a dry place to sit if you need a rest and your water bottle is invaluable because all the walking, dancing and moving about gets you hot and dehydrated very quickly.

If you feel like camping is not accessible, there are always alternatives with most music festivals, you can upgrade to VIP status which will give you a glamping experience, beds, electricity and hot showers! There are usually food and drink stalls in close proximity meaning that you don’t have to travel far to grab something hot to eat or drink.

You can of course stay off the campsite and find a bed-and-breakfast/hotel, although this may be more convenient for your needs as a disabled person, you will need to factor in the time it takes to get from your hotel to the campsite and then to each stage itself. There is no right or wrong way to attend a music festival, but don’t let your disability be the reason you do not go.

Have you ever attended a music festival? Did you enjoy it? Did you find it accessible?
If you haven’t, would you be inclined to go after reading this?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to know your thoughts!

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