It's coming, can you feel it? Yes, festival season is almost here. Hands down, the most exciting time of the year - for fun-loving alternative music fans, at least - festival season is a time of escapism, hedonism, euphoria and wonder - it's also a massive endurance test.
That said, if you're looking to attend more than one music festival over the summer, you'll need some grit, determination and preparation to get through it in one piece.
To help you do just that, here's a quick-fire guide to the festival season that will not only help you survive but also thrive, one event at a time.
Ultimate Festival Survival Hacks
All good survivalists should have a hack or two up their sleeve - and here are five that you can pull out of the bag during your summer festival odyssey.
Don't wear a hat on day one
To survive the festival season, you must bring a hat and sunscreen (always wear your sunscreen and apply regularly in hot or sunny weather), but, you won't want to get a sweaty head or hat hair on the first day. So, find shade, drink plenty of water and slap plenty of cream on your skin on day one, but perhaps ditch the hat until day two or three.
Bring walkie-talkies
Yes, you'll have your cell phone with you; however, there will be times when signal or connection is down or your battery runs out of juice. Take walkie-talkies with you and not only will you be able to clip them to your clothes and make up brilliant code names, but even when you're stumbling around a tent aimlessly, you'll be able to connect with your pals and find your way back to camp (or the next party).
Take your pillowcase
If you're someone that's fully embracing the festival season, you may find yourself travelling from one gathering to another, in which case, you'll need to pack light. So, instead of taking a pillow with you and taking up valuable room in your backpack, take a pillowcase or two and stuff it with hoodies, sweaters, underwear or any other soft items you have with you - simple.
Pack a poncho
Despite most festivals taking place in the summer, rain is still a possibility - and when it rains, it pours. And it gets cold, it gets messy and it gets muddy. While getting cold, wet and muddy is almost a right of passage for festival-goers, packing a poncho will save you serious chaffing and shivers, leaving you to enjoy the festival vibes to their fullest potential. Portable ponchos are compact and if you want to protect the bottom of your backpack, you can use your poncho to line its interior - until it rains, of course.
Insure yourself
This may be very un-rock & roll but if you're going to several festivals this summer, it will provide you with zen-like peace of mind. It's sad, but in addition to the high risk of your personal items getting lost or damaged at a festival, thieves do exist. So, grab yourself 30 or 60 days of gadget cover for a reasonable fee and you'll be able to party without the worry.
Know Your 'Do's and Don'ts'
As well as knowing your music festival hacks, to survive the season in true style, you should know your 'do's and don'ts' inside-out. Understanding these most fundamental of festival-based things will help you to have the most epic time imaginable this summer.
To help steer you in the right direction here's our dedicated festival 'do's and don'ts' guide for your reading pleasure.
Make Your Money Last
Enduring festival warrior, you will most likely know as well as we do that as incredible as these epic summer events are, attending them isn't a cheap venture. If you're going to more than one music festival this season, you'll want to make your money stretch, allowing you to enjoy yourself without having to sell all of your belongings when fall rolls around.
Accessorise Wisely
If you want to party like its the end of days while looking incredible and remaining functional (the music festival survival sweet spot), accessorizing wisely is without a doubt, the way to go. When it comes to choosing accessories for the festival season, the sky really is the limit - and as long as you take the essentials with you, there's plenty of room for creativity when you're putting together your daily party ensembles.
"Each memory has a soundtrack of its own." - Anonymous wise festival veteran
In many ways, music festivals represent what life is all about: music, compassion, common ground, camaraderie and the opportunity to forge exciting new bonds while discovering new art in a place that's free from the shackles of everyday life. Music festivals are by their very nature, magical. But, as we said before, they can prove to be a real endurance test.
Having said that, if you follow our advice you'll be able to party all summer long with your mind, body, soul and wallet firmly intact.
Now go and be free.
Do you have any musical festival survival tips of your own?