festival survival guide

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FESTIVAL
SURVIVAL
GUIDE
Now with
Insider
Tips
Festival Listings ‘09
WHEN
WHO
WHERE
5th & 6th May
Bob Dylan
The 02
20th June
Oasis
Slane Castle
21st June
Kasabian
Marquee, Cork
26th, 27th & 28th June
Sea Sessions
Main Beach, Bundoran
28th June
AC/DC
Punchestown
Racecourse
4th July
Josh Ritter
Marquee, Cork
10th July
Oxegen
Punchestown
Racecourse
11th July
Oxegen
Punchestown
Racecourse
12th July
Oxegen
Punchestown
Racecourse
11th July
Bruce Springsteen
RDS Arena
24th July
U2
Croke Park
25th July
U2
Croke Park
27th July
U2
Croke Park
1st Aug
Metallica
Marley Park
2nd Aug
Fatboy Slim
Marley Park
1st & 2nd Aug
Castle Palooza
Charleville Castle,
Tullamore
29th & 30th Aug
Festival of
World Cultures
Dún Laoghaire
4th Sept
Electric Picnic
Stradbally, Co. Laois
5th Sept
Electric Picnic
Stradbally, Co. Laois
6th Sept
Electric Picnic
Stradbally, Co. Laois
14th Sept
Coldplay
Phoenix Park
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Guid
A good festival should be one of the best experiences of
your life, but get it wrong and it can turn into a nightmare.
Fionn Davenport, music DJ, radio presenter and travel writer,
has some tips to get you through, whether you’re a day tripper
or a happy camper…
Because you Never Know What
you Might Forget...
• Bog Roll. The best
festival currency: the truly
desperate will trade just
about anything for a few
clean sheets.
• Baby Wipes and Hand
Cleansing Gel.
Baby wipes are the festival
equivalent of a bath and
a far better option to the
smelly queue for the
showers. While you’re
getting them, pick up
some anti-bac hand gel
that doesn’t require
soap and water.
• Toothbrush & Toothpaste.
A dodgy set of chops will
make condoms totally
redundant.
• Sun Block. The sun can
turn a crowd into a human
barbecue, so bring plenty
of sun cream and keep
lashing it on unless you like
being a human lobster.
• Tickets. You’d be surprised.
• Condoms. If you want
to avoid life-changing
conversations three months
after the festival when the
special love you made is but
a lingering memory.
Insider Tip
# 1
Write the time/location of
your must-see bands on
your hand every day - it’s
easy to lose track of time
Looking Good?
Dressing for festival highfashion will only give you
grief! This is no place for
your best clobber - think less
catwalk and more slosh-pit.
• Rain Poncho. Better than
the glorified bin liner they
(sometimes) give out at
the festival.
• Socks. Bring plenty. Wet
feet are crap.
• Sun Hat. Sunstroke is like
a really bad hangover and
the worst flu you’ll ever
get... at the same time.
Anything’ll do. (Except for a
jester’s hat, which will just
look stupid.)
• Something Warm. You
might be hot during the day,
but those nights can get
pretty chilly.
• Wellies. Best for the
mudpit that even a light
shower will turn the arena
into. Flip flops are just flops
when it’s raining.
when you’re having fun… and
granny trolleys might look
silly, but they’re a lifesaver for
transporting your gear to
the campsite!
Lauren Murphy
Music Journalist: The Ticket,
Hot Press and more.
Transport
Getting there can be a total
pain – an hour long drive at
any other time may take half
the day at a near crawl.
• Exhaustion. Ever sat
behind the wheel in slowmoving traffic after three
days of camping, gigging
and partying? It’s not
nearly as much fun as it
sounds. Our best advice is
don’t bother and rely on
public transport.
• Behind the Wheel. If you’re
used to a car, then a busy
road isn’t the best place
to try driving a campervan
for the first time. Get some
practice first!
Insider Tip
# 2
• Breath-Testing. Random
tests are commonplace
along the festival routes;
failing one isn’t really a
good way of celebrating
the weekend.
• The Morning After the
Night Before.
Even if you feel fine to drive
the following day, you may
still be over the legal limit
and could get a €5,000 fine
or a 6 month sentence (or
you could be liable to both).
Your body gets rid of alcohol
at the average rate of one
standard drink – that’s half
a pint or a glass of wine
or a shot – per hour. Every
mobile has a calculator, so
do the maths.
To blag your way backstage,
carry a bag of oranges and
a hassled look: tell security
that you should have gotten
them hours before but where
• Information. All of the
major festivals’ websites
have transport info;
otherwise just check
out cie.ie for the Iarnród
Éireann, Dublin Bus and
Bus Éireann sites.
the hell can you get fresh
oranges on a festival site at a
moment’s notice? Or be really
good-looking and nonchalant.
I generally go with the oranges.
Fionn Davenport
Hungry?
Long gone are the days when
festival-goers only option was
a burger and chips. Whether
you’re a fan of traditional
Irish fare or have more exotic
tastes, you’ll be spoilt for
choice. Even veggies and
sweet teeth are catered for.
Whether bringing your own
food or indulging in festival
fare remember to keep it dry
and keep it green.
Insider Tip
# 3
• Dry Foods. Better
something that won’t go
off, get mushy or grow
green stuff; so no meats,
bananas or cheese.
• Cleaning Up. In a greenfield site? Help keep
it that way. Clean up
after yourself and take
everything with you –
including your rubbish.
Check met.ie for the weather
and dress accordingly, lots of
layers so you’re prepared for
Thirsty?
Of course most people will
have a drink – it’s all part of
the festival atmosphere and
alcohol can add to the fun by
helping you relax.
• Water. Bring as much of
it as you can. Alcohol will
seriously dehydrate you
and even a clouded sun will
make it worse.
• Drink at Least One Litre
Per Day. There are plenty
of top-up taps, but do so at
night – the morning queues
are horrendous.
• No Glass. The amount of
liquids confiscated at the
gates could quench the
thirst of a small town.
Bring plastic containers
and bottles.
the (hopefully) warm days and
the inevitably cold nights!
• Pace Yourself. Drink water
or a soft drink every few
drinks. You will feel better,
look better and have a
better chance of lasting
the course!
• Eat Something. Nothing
will make drinking
a disaster more than an
empty stomach.
Eat before you drink.
• Wrecked? Getting pissed
isn’t pretty or smart. You’ll
just wreck the weekend for
your mates if they have
to look after you when
you’re the worse for wear.
Remember: over-doing
it will do nothing for your
looks either – you’re dropdead gorgeous until you
drop down drunk.
Susanna Lagan
Organiser, Castle Palooza
• Hair of the Dog. It won’t
beat your hangover, it just
prolongs the agony.
• The Secret to Sobering Up?
Time. Yeah, time! Whether
sitting in a tent or standing
in a field, it’ll take roughly
two hours for your body
to break down one pint of
booze. Nothing – not tea,
energy drinks, burgers and
chips or an ice cold shower
– can speed up this process.
One
ard
stand k
drin
•=
• Beer Goggles. Want a
weekend to regret? Then
let the booze do the
chatting up for you.
• No Strange Mixers!
Don’t accept a drink from
a stranger or leave yours
unattended – you never
know what you’re getting
or what could have been
put in it.
• Go Online. There’s plenty
of info about drinking and
alcohol consumption at
drinkaware.ie
•=
A glass of stout/lager/cider (284ml)
A small glass of wine (100ml)
A pub measure of spirit (35.5ml)
Insider Tip
# 4
Because the phone networks
go into meltdown, send texts
to your jealous friends about
how great a time you are
And remember,
it takes your body
about an hour to
get rid of the
alcohol from
1 standard drink
having three weeks before the
festival even starts to ensure
that they get them. Oh and an
inflatable periscope is a must.
Cormac Battle
2fm
Happy Campers
The ‘wherever I lay my hat’
approach to a good night’s
kip will seem a bad idea
halfway through the first rainy
night, so plan your sleeping
arrangements with care. A
good tip: turn up early to pick
your spot.
• Tent. So long as it’s
waterproof, any old tent
will do. There’s a chance it
may get damaged, so don’t
bother with a fancy one.
• Location, Location,
Location. Pitch it in open
ground, at the top of a hill
and far, far away from the
communal toilets.
• Pitch it when you Arrive.
You don’t want to test
your tent-pitching skills
in the dark so peg it down
before you start dancing
and drinking.
Insider Tip
# 5
Socks, socks, socks! A wise
man (Ray Mears) once said
that as long as your feet are
dry, you can combat any
• Bring a Torch. Here’s a fun
game: try finding your tent
amongst thousands like it
in the dark.
• Snuggle Up. A black bin
liner may have limited uses
at home, but it’s the perfect
ready-made waterproof
cover for your sleeping bag.
• Flag It. That’s right, a
flag: “it’s a green pup
tent” just isn’t enough
of a description when
looking for your tent at
day’s end, so why not
mark it with something
distinctive (and there’ll be
lots of tricolours, so go for
something else).
• Plastic Bags and Tape.
Plastic bags make the best
shoes and seats around.
weather conditions and your
body will stay happy. Bring
more pairs of socks than you
do cans of booze...
Scott Hutchison
Frightened Rabbit
Stay Safe, Stay Free
Festivals are usually heavily
policed, with a huge number
of undercover Gardaí milling
around. Don’t give them a
reason to interfere with
your weekend.
• Drugs. Even aside from
the health risks, just don’t
bother – the Gardaí will
happily bust you for even
the slightest infraction.
• Human Pyramids, Moshing
and Stage Diving. They
sound like a great idea, but
they’re not, and can end up
with you hurt or arrested
and the event being more
heavily policed next year –
which means tickets will be
even more expensive. And
that will be all thanks to
you, you free-flying fool.
Insider Tip
# 6
• Valuables. Why bring
any? Cash and a mobile
phone are the only things
you’ll need. Leave the
rest at home.
• Cash. Bring enough but
spread it about your body.
Back and shallow front
pockets are useless – you
may as well give it away.
A money pouch or bound in
a small plastic bag stuffed
into the toe of your shoe
is good.
• Minding Your Stuff.
Make friends with the
occupants of the tents
around you and they’ll
keep an eye on your gear.
Turn off your phone and roam
free, waiting for people in
fields is well overrated!
DJ Tu-Ki
Giveaways
Win tickets to the best gigs of the summer!
Go to drinkaware.ie for your chance to win.
You don’t need to buy anything from us to enter,
but you do need to be over 18. Different tickets
are up for grabs all summer on the competitions
page, so keep checking back. More info and links
to festival websites with full line-ups can be
found at drinkaware.ie
Insider Tip
# 7
Take plenty of sweets,
nothing breaks the ice with
new friends like a wine gum or
toffee as the sun goes down.
Matt Williams
MTV Ireland
Europe’s Favourite Rock
and Roll Weekend lives up to
its reputation with Kings Of
Leon, The Killers, Blur, Snow
Patrol, Jane’s Addiction, Nine
Inch Nails, Lady Gaga, Bloc
Party, Razorlight, Lily Allen
and tonnes more acts rockin’
Punchestown this July. And
thanks to our pals at MCD we
have six pairs of day tickets
to Oxegen to give away.
Go to drinkaware.ie to
enter the draw.
One of the fastest selling
concerts of the summer,
Oasis at Slane will be
electric. Supported by
Kasabian and The Prodigy
this is a gig not to be
missed and thanks to MCD
we have three pairs of
tickets to give away to this
SOLD OUT gig – supernova!
Log on to drinkaware.ie
for your chance to win.
Dublin ‘got loud’ last
summer when Metallica
rocked Marlay Park and
they’re gonna do it again
on August 1st! We’ve
teamed up with MCD
(yet again!) to give away
three pairs of tickets.
Only genuine metal heads
need apply….
Simply log on to
drinkaware.ie to enter.
Marlay Park will
become the biggest beat
boutique on August 2nd
when Fatboy Slim comes
to town. Joining Fatboy
live will be Burns, Fake
Blood, Dizzee Rascal and
loads more brilliant acts.
And we have three pairs
of tickets to give away
courtesy of MCD.
Go to drinkaware.ie
to enter the draw.
Just when you thought
all the summer gigs were
over Coldplay will play the
Phoenix Park on September
14th and thanks to the lovely
MCD we have three pairs of
tickets up for grabs.
Visit drinkaware.ie to win.
With limited ticket numbers,
indoor toilets and hot showers
we’re delighted to offer you
a pair of weekend camping
tickets to Castle Palooza
courtesy of Cherry Cool.
Log on to drinkaware.ie
Checklist
Tickets (no, really, you’d be surprised)
ash and mobile – and somewhere smart
C
to keep them
Extra layers for warming up and cooling down
ain poncho, sunblock & sunhat
R
(cos you never know)
And if you’re staying over.....
ent (before you leave check the pack for
T
pegs and poles)
Plastic bags, tape and bin liners
Clothes and footwear for every weather
A flag
A torch
Bog roll
Wipes and hand gel
Toothbrush and paste
Grub and water
Condoms (once again, you never know)
Oh yeah, one last thing...
Have a great time.
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(Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society Limited)
Merrion House, 1-3 Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Dublin 2.
Contact: 01 6114811 or [email protected]
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