Summer is definitely my favourite time of year. Not just because of the sun, endless barbeques and holidays abroad but for that gloriously smelly alcohol fuelled weekend right in the middle of festival season. Festivals aren’t always everyone’s best friend; ask someone to pay £200 for the privilege of sleeping on a cold, hard, muddy floor, have no shower for three days and to constantly smell of things you never thought existed and you’d probably be laughed away. But if you mention that part of the package would be to see dozens of bands, singers, comedians and acts from the early morning to long into the night, to attend one huge 72 hour party, who wouldn’t reconsider?
The beauty of festivals is that they give us the excuse to do all the things we generally want to do in life but without the guilt; no showering, no shaving, paying nature a call in the middle of a field and freely drinking beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There really is nothing like the feeling of waking up in the morning and letting your eyes adjusts to the summer sunshine before stretching out your arms and reaching for cold one. Then the next stop is usually a trip to the hot food van on your own personal pilgrimage for an extortionately priced bacon muffin to be your day’s main supply of energy. What better way to wash it down than with another ice cold beverage? You have, after all, got three crates of the necessary provisions to last you the weekend.
The daytime attractions are usually brilliant and really add to the festival experience; carnival rides, funfairs, bars, club tents and food stands from every corner of the globe, all spread out over acres of land for your enjoyment. Then when the music acts start in the afternoon, the stereotypical festival experience begins. The crowds gather and the drinks, loud music, drunken dancing, epic legends on stage, mosh pits, people sitting on their mate’s shoulders and pure ground shaking brilliance begins.
Hours seem to pass like days when you soak up the atmosphere and become one with the festival feeling. As the sun sets, the rowdy crowd turns into mass gospel choir belting out the power ballads of the worldwide famous acts headlining on stage. From Wonderwall and Umbrella to a classic chorus of Sex on Fire; you can say that you love a song so much but to hear thousands of people scream the lyrics at the top of their voices raises the bar so high it’s truly magical.
To end, here are two things you have to do when you attend a festival. Firstly, make friends with strangers, this is definitely a must while you’re waiting for acts to come on. Talk to the people around you, especially if you’re in a squashed crowd, they might be more forgiving if you end up standing on their foot when you’re soon to be jumping up and down. Finally, you have to trust me with this one; always make sure you get the view of a lifetime by sitting on your mate’s shoulders in the crowd. Guaranteed one of the best moments of my life was up high, watching and singing along with a bunch of pure music fanatics enjoying themselves to the fullest. So go on, ignore that smell, what are you waiting for?
