Festival season has finally come to a close after four long months of big summer blow outs – and if you’re feeling as though you missed out, you certainly did.
From epic performers to hedonistic parties you can’t quite remember, I’m ending summer full of happy memories (and wish-list for next year).
But, I’m not exactly your typical festival go-er. I’m not the type to ‘rough-it’. I have a five-step skincare routine and I’m a big fan of the everything shower.
And, after an ill-fated trip to Boomtown festival in 2022, where temperatures reached 37C and I got stuck in a sandstorm, I vowed never to suffer the experience again.
That is, until two years later, and my friends were reeling off their rosters of festivals and, well, I got FOMO.
Before I knew it, I ended up going to not one, but five, festivals, and not only did I have a blast – but I realised there’s a knack to survival for those of us who enjoy their home comforts, and I’ve got it down to a T.
So, if you’re a high maintenance girlie like me, here’s everything you need to know for next year.
Choose wisely
The first on my list, and the most important.
Firstly, be realistic. I knew that, as someone with a love of comfy bedding and electricity, I wouldn’t be able to stomach multiple weekends in a tent.
Therefore, I opted for mainly day festivals, with one long five-day event thrown in: Lost Village.
Lost Village, which is an independent festival, took place on Bank Holiday weekend this year, from August 22 to 26, so it meant I could go without eating into to a huge chunk of my annual leave.
We’d been told that the crowd is usually free of teenagers, and more suitable for mid-20s and above, which was perfect. The last thing we wanted was to be surrounded by 16-year-olds celebrating their GCSE results, and calls of ‘ALAN’ through the night.
Transport to the site in Norton Disney was easy enough from London, with an hour and fifteen minute train from King’s Cross, then a shuttle bus that took us right to the gates.
Secondly – and it might sound obvious – but when you’re selecting a festival, check what kind of music you’re going to be listening to.
Don’t go to a drum and bass rave if it just sounds like noise to you. I love house and electronic music, so I knew I’d have a great time at Lost Village, which boasted headliners such as Maribou State, Yaeji, Neil Frances, and Floating Points.
Get a massive shop done
The extensive festival shop the week before the big event has been likened to war preparations, and it is hard to disagree. Depending on the festival, you may or not be able to bring festival cookers, so make sure you check the terms and conditions prior to your spree.
Canned foods are good to pack, however, they can be very heavy, and unless you have a bodybuilder for a mate, you’ll have to carry all of this in your backpack.
Snacks like protein bars and cereal bars are also good to get you through the day, and you’ll need the extra energy after being on your feet and dancing all day (and night!)
7 hair and beauty items you can’t leave at home
- Cooling spray or face mist. Dancing all day and night can get hot and sweaty at times, and one way to combat the *stickiness* is with a good old face mist. Evian does an amazing hydrating one for £8.
- Setting spray. Yes, some MUAs say they’re a sham, but if you’re not a professional, setting sprays will help your make up stay put.
- Body wipes. This is a must, a MUST for those without shower access. A baby wipe shower will not leave you feeling fresh, but it is better than nothing.
- Moisturiser. A basic one, but I always find my face feels so dry when I’m camping (or glamping), and its an easy way to feel a bit more human when you’ve been in a tent for four days
- SPF. You keep hearing this for a reason. Get some good SPF that is at least factor 30 – even if you think you don’t burn easily.
- Hair gems. We already know your hair will be coated in dry shampoo, but if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to make your hair look ‘done’, just stick in some hair gems. They look cute, and like you’ve tried really hard – when you really haven’t.
- Funky eye make-up. After days away from a double cleanse, you may not feel like a heavy foundation, contour and detailed eye make up. My answer? Blue mascara. It looks fun, makes your eyes pop, and you’ll get loads of compliments on it. My favourite is KIKO Milano’s Smart Colour Mascara – budget friendly and effective.
For Lost Village, you were allowed to bring in eight cans of alcohol, or one bottle of wine. I opted for eight cans of Moth cocktails, which at 14.9% apiece made a good pre-drink prior to heading into the arena.
It’s also vital to stock up on medical items: paracetamols and ibuprofens are welcomed when you’re not feeling your best on day three or four. I also make sure to bring vitamin C tablets that can be dissolved in water, and some caffeine pills if you need a boost of energy.
As well as medical items, it’s worth getting yourself some earplugs if you find the music a little too loud. Loop earplugs are my current favourite, and allow you to hear the music without damaging your hearing – and it’s nice going to bed after a long day without your ears ringing.
‘Essentials’ aside, the best purchase I made in preparation for this years’ festival season was my walkie talkies. For a group of 18, we invested in six between us.
Phone signal at festivals is often very poor (say goodbye to your Duolingo streak) so these were a godsend. While the majority of communication was telling ‘silly sausage’ of various bowel movements, they proved incredibly useful for finding the group when someone got separated.
Some festivals have banned these however, and I think I know why… as at one point we accidentally tuned into the security guards’ frequency (oops!).
Why Lost Village was my favourite festival this year
Hailed as the ‘baby Glastonbury’, Lost Village was by far the festival of the summer. The intimate stages, thoughtful decor – think trees adorned with the nick-nacks you’d find in your nan’s garage – hot tubs and Michelin Star chefs at your fingertips, the dreamy weekend has it all. The carefully-curated line-up attracted like-minded, good energy ‘villagers’ from across the UK, coming together to party until the sun went down (and back up again).
Consider glamping
Ah, British weather. We all know that summer doesn’t necessarily equal sun on these shores.
Rock and rollers at Download festival were sliding around this year, with mud ‘officially over ankles,’.
To protect yourself from the questionable weather, it’s worth investing in a good tent. A £5 tent from Facebook marketplace that’s missing half the poles won’t see you through the weekend, and you don’t want to come back after a heavy night to find your bed has blown away into the abyss.
However, if you really cannot stomach night after night in a bog-standard tent, glamping is the best solution.
We opted for the Boutique Sanctuary at Lost Village, which starts from £497 a person, on top of the ticket cost. Although this may seem like a lot, for my high maintenance queens, it’s more than worth it.
We had access to hot showers, kitted with Lush products, hair dryers and straighteners (a godsend for my frizzy hair!), electricity, actual beds with mattresses and clean sheets. The campsite was also far quieter than general camping, and with our ear plugs in and eye masks blocking out the sun light, we got a good night’s sleep.
If glamping is out of your budget, you can also camp in the quiet camping for free, and Lost Village also had shower access for all campers – which not all festivals do.
Consider your outfits very carefully
For the love of GOD, do not wear high heels to a festival. I was astounded (and somewhat impressed), to see a woman teetering through the mud of Lost Village in a pair of stilettos, clutching a bottle of wine in one arm and her partner’s hand in the other.
Even though it may complete your outfit, it’s just not worth it. Get your wellies out of the garage, and save your nice shoes for later.
We were quite lucky at Lost Village with the weather, although it did rain at times, and there were plenty of large tents to protect us – plus, the entire festival is deep in the woodlands, so there were trees galore to ward off the rain.
This year, my festival outfit essentials were my heavy duty raincoat (make sure it is waterPROOF not water RESISTANT, there is a difference), my knee-length wellies, and skorts – still cute, but way less embarrassing if you do fall over.
Enjoy more than just the music
The first thing everyone tends to check when booking a festival is the music line-up. Amateur mistake.
After three days of blasting music, you’ll want some down time. One of our highlights was catching comedian Rhys James’ show at the Lost Theatre tent, whose show made our hangovers much more bearable.
Call me a Princess, but it was so to nice actual sit down and giving my knees a rest for a while – who knew at ripe old age of 23 I’d be complaining of joint pains.
The festival also came fully decked with a free arcade, that had nostalgic 80s games, and a bowling alley where you could challenge your friends to a game.
Some of them were somewhat difficult to navigate with a crippling hangover, but it did just add to the fun. The arcade stayed open later than some of the main stages, so we visited it in the early hours of the morning too.
And, for gals who aren’t keen on pot noodles or burgers every single day, it turns out you can indeed get haute cuisine at a festival.
Lost Village’s ‘Table in the Woods’ gave festival-goers a unique experience to sit down and enjoy four course meals, accompanied by carefully selected wines.
We opted for Sertaç Dirik and Ben Marks’ Mediterranean banquet, which offered Turkish-inspired cuisine and by far the heartiest meal I had ever enjoyed at a festival.
While the tinned baked beans are certainly a right of passage when sat amongst your tents, having a good meal certainly rejuvenated our souls for more boogieing to come.
And, for a seriously boujee treat, Lost Village’s fanciest selling point was certainly the hot tubs. Trust me, there is no better hangover cure than soaking your over-partied body in some warm water with a glass of champers in one hand.
Tickets for Lost Village 2025 are on sale now, and start at £245.
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