First music festival

[Pie-Roe]

Hey, myself and a couple of friends are going to download festival this year, and its all of ours first festival. Is there any advice anyone has to give? we are planning on getting there by car with weekend camping tickets. Lineup this year looks great apart from fecking my chemical romance...
cheers
pyro
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Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[Rookie]

Right, festivals are wicked , as long as you bring what you'll need, but not want you want. Otherwise you'll get overloaded. You're going to need:

Tent
Sleeping bag
Rollmatt
Hiking boots/comfortable trainers
Wellies if the weather looks a bit iffy leading up to the festie
Food
Drink
Drugs (If you need them, as it's all very expensive on site)
Money, and more than you'll expect. Last Glastonbury I spent £300 in 4 days, mostly because I was mashed and had the munchies.
Stove if you have one
Firelighting equipment, you need a fire. There is wood supplied at the site.
Plenty of changes of clothes, sunscreen etc.
Bog roll
Babywipes
Bin bags
Phone
Camera if you want or aren't using your phone
A camping chair. Absolutely essential, sitting on the grass all the time when you're really knackered isn't fun.
Anything else you think you'll need.

On the other hand, don't bring things like a guitar, which you think you'll really want, but really is just left in the tent the whole time. If it gets nicked you'll be really annoyed, plus it's really nasty to carry to and from places.

As far as camping goes, try not to go mad in the first day, though you can get away with it if you're there for 2 days beforehand like Glastonbury, but otherwise it just knackers you for Saturday and it's waste of the acts that day.

Keep everyone really mellow. If people get wound up, tensions start to show and it can ruin it. Just take it as a holiday away from home and just try to enjoy it. Copious amounts of weed are needed for this to work well. Preferably through a bong or several spliffs. On the other hand, if people spend their whole weekend smashed of class As, you'll all have a great time but there won't really be a whole lot to remember.

It's all good though, if you're prepared. Cock ups are really horrible when they happen, so try to not have it happen to you, though it can be as bad as having a wash out which you just can't control.

I bloody love festivals, the best part for me is the moments sitting in the sunshine, or round a fire on a nice night, just talking and laughing, getting pissed and stoned, and arsing around. If I could do that for half the year, I'd be content.

[Trixie]

I would also add to the list above a hat and wet weather jacket (Milletts kagool or summat) that packs down small.

Travel as light as you can, don't keep your valuables in your tent - a bumbag looks a bit naff but its handy for keeping your stuff with you.
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Dead nobodies in company cars...

[killa]

Brilliant post Rookie!

You can't go far wrong with that list....

As there is a group of you, try and find out what others are taking, you dont want to be carrying stupid amounts of something you have loads of anyway.....

Glasto was funny last time....Mini chedders for brekkie with a can of stella...walk down to the cafe, ask for some boiling water for my pot noodle....more stella..


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Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[Rookie]

Oh and lest you make the mistake I did, don't buy a cheap tent. I was awoken one morning with an inch of water around me, and the immortal cry from the tent next to me containing Louis, who I'd also bought a tent for, of 'Argh! Me tent's a sieve!' Not fun.

Killa, you get a ticket this year? I'd like to meet up with a few BCFers at Glasto.

[Pie-Roe]

cheers people this will help a lot
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Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[Rawker]

me and the gf are going to download aswell!!

that list was helpful aswell so i know what to pack!

[garth]

[killa]

[pwntifex]

[mattish]

[Tarmacsurfer]

I always managed to have a good time with a bike, good quality bivvy bag and around £30-£40 on top of whatever the entrance fee was, petrol often being included in that. A clean T shirt, socks and a couple of pairs of pants fit in a pocket or two, that's usually sufficient to keep at least relatively inoffensive as long as you're willing to wash yourself down at the site taps

Just can't imagine carrying that much stuff or spending that much cash for a weekends camping
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I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[alpine]

See you guys there
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Current bike - FMX650.

[Stiffler]

Download Festival is wicked if your into that kinda thing, This is gonna be my 4th year

Couple of notes about that Glasto list in regards to Download:
Fires are banned at Download, although this doesn't mean that there aren't any, but expect to have to battle with a fire warden at least once during the weekend. I tried to bribe one a couple of years ago... Didn't work though!

NO GLASS - I know it's an obvious one, but don't take anything in a glass bottle or jar you'll get it confiscated. SO it's Beer in cans, and food in tins.

The sight opens Wednesday lunchtime. If you can afford the time it's best to try and get there Wednesday afternoon 6-7ish, you'll have time to find a good place in the daylight and you'll have missed the BIG ques. Then you can chill out all Thursday with a beer and a smoke watching people struggling with their tents.

Try and camp away from the paths (tents get trampled on by drunken folk) and the toilets (they stink). But don't camp too far away as it makes bog runs a ball ache. If you take food and loads of booze you shouldn't need too much money, in contrast to Rookie I spent £45 last year!

Don't ever leave anything valuable in your tent and if its too big to carry with you during the festival you shouldn't have taken it!

Other useful items: Clock work radio or lots or batteries! There is an on site radio station playing music from all the bands all weekend!

Tim

ps: Can't wait to see Machine Head again!
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[Pie-Roe]

Wednesday lunchtime? hmm we will be getting some form of transport there for about 4 on wednesday i hope, should be pretty good, is there anything to do before the weekend though?
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Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[Stiffler]

On Wednesday and Thursday there isn't much to do tbh. There may be some movies on the cinema and there are some shops to look around. There are some fairground rides too, Dodgems etc but they're like £3 a pop which will burn you out fairly quickly.

We usually have a quiet one Wednesday after you've unpacked and settled and made a few trips to the car (we take loads of booze!) we just sit down with a beer and see if we can get to know the locals.

Thursday I normally go for a wander and get the lay of the land. A bit of the day is usually wasted trying to get in touch with other people I know who are going. Then hopefully if its sunny (it has been every year so far) sit out side the tent with a few beers.

- SIDENOTE don't forget your suncream, last year it was stonkingly hot:
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/img_1444.jpg

We normally take a disposable BBQ and some steaks and rolls to have a quality feast. Pisses off everyone around you who've only taken Pot Noodles... And drink ourselves into the night.

Don't forget to drink water though, Sunstroke and dehydration will ruin a Festival! A little 500ml empty bottle is useful so you can carry it round and refill it at water stations. Also take some empty big two liter bottles to refill and keep at the tents


Tim
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[trevoriv]

See you guys @ Download

[Pie-Roe]

ok, so im thinking of buying 1/2 of green for it, whats the checks for drugs like on the door and how do I um... evade them
pyro
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Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[Stiffler]

Well not that I condone such things... But make sure you don't wave it at the security on the way in and you'll be fine! The authorities turn a blind eye to such matters at festivals. After all, if they arrested/threw out everyone who had weed on them they'd be almost nobody left.

Our neighbours at download a couple of years ago had been mega paranoid about it. Once they got in they each spent 20 mins unwrapping the 30 or so layers of sandwich bags they'd stashed their weed in "so that the sniffer dogs wouldn't be able to detect it!"
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[G]

I've known someone who walked past the dogs at Reading Festival with about an oz of green. It did worry them a tad, but the dogs didn't seem to mind - not sure if they were sniffing for harder drugs though.

[trevoriv]

Don't think you are allowed in without any to be honest