Festival Survival Guide: Tips for first timers

It is festival season! And maybe you’re going to your first ever festival?

If you’re wondering what to pack, where to camp and how to handle big crowds, then wonder no more! Here at BBC Bitesize we understand the pressure and expectation that comes with going to a music festival, especially a big event like Leeds or Reading.

Falling around the August bank holiday these two festivals are days after students across the UK get their exam results. The festival organisers themselves have said they understand how important these live music events are for teenagers.

To help you navigate what could be your first ever festival we spoke to Aidan Hammond. You might have seen him with his Mum on ‘Alison Hammond: Florida Unpacked’ or ‘Celebrity Gogglebox’. Aidan has some great tips to help you be prepared, stay safe and have the best time at whatever festival you might be going to this summer.

Top tips to get your tent festival ready

Aidan’s first full festival experience was at Reading a couple of years ago. On the day he and his group of friends arrived he told us “it was raining, it was raining so much”.

The good part:

Aidan and his mates decided to take “a pop-up tent”. They were really happy because they "just threw it up in the rain and it was just quick”. So a pop-up tent could make things easier, however…

The catch:

It might have been quick, but the pop-up tent “was TINY between us both - we got into it, and realised that we kind of messed up”.

The lesson:

Do a dummy run and remember to include all your stuff. Before the festival, Aidan said he and his friend “jumped into the garden” to test the tent. At that point they thought it was fine, but when they arrived at the campsite "honestly it shrank because we forgot about our rucksacks!”

Why going with people you know matters

Aidan was 16 years old when he went to Reading festival. He told us that when he finished school he wanted to “feel free”. His Mum was aware that going to a festival is a typical end-of-school ritual, and her main advice to him? “You’re going to go, be careful.”

The trusting part:

If you’re going to a festival for the first time by yourself, some family members might be a bit worried about it. Aidan’s best tip for this is to go with friends that have already passed the ‘family test’. He told us that his Mum has met all his friends “so she was kind of happy on who I was going with. She had like faith in them really”.

The part to remember:

You don’t need to go in a big group. Aidan went to Reading in a group of four and when he was actually at the festival he wasn’t with everyone all the time anyway. “We just kind of split up into like smaller little groups. So, I think you need at least one person to go with you,” he said.

The lesson:

Surround yourself with people who you trust and trust you, that’s the key takeaway here. “The important thing is making sure you're around people that look out for you.”

Dancing: How to stay safe in a crowd

As a DJ, Aidan knows a thing or two about getting a crowd going. He played a set at Camp Bestival last summer, “I just started playing and all of a sudden- loads of people rushed in, the tent was rammed”. Aidan said the dancing crowd “went up and I loved it”. A dream moment for any DJ right? So we asked Aidan for his tips on getting in front of those live music must-see acts.

The strategic part:

If you really want to see someone, “get there early, so you can get to the front", he said. “Nine times out of ten there's going to be a crowd there waiting, and you won't be able to get through after that.”

The safety part:

This might be the first time you find yourself in the middle of a crowd and it can be really fun to dance in a large group of people all loving the music. But, it can also get a bit rough and you might find yourself in a mosh pit. If that happens and you are uncomfortable you can always leave that area and go somewhere calmer.

Aidan told us if you enjoy being in the midst of it just remember everyone is there to have the best time, so if you see that “somebody's on the floor, help them up - give them a bit of support, that's the only thing other than that go for it!”

The lesson:

Get there early and always look out for one another when you are in the thick of it. Should it turn out you’re not actually that keen on the thick of it, that’s cool too. Go stand somewhere calmer and enjoy the music from there.

Festival Do’s and Don’ts

Let’s not stand on ceremony here, don’t pretend you haven’t thought about braving the festival loos!

Toilets

Do: “Take toilet paper”, Aidan said this is bigger than you think, so make sure you’ve always got some toilet paper on you.

Do not: “Hold it until you're desperate, because you will just be in a queue and you will be annoyed”.

Food

Do: “Definitely take some sort of snacks”, Aidan recommended that you should take something that is easy to carry around with you.

Do not: “Take too many“, because, although you might think taking loads of snacks is playing the smart game, when you go to watch the music “you won’t want to walk all the way back to your tent for a packet of biscuits”.

Keeping clean

Do: Shower if you can. “I felt so dirty at Reading. I booked into a gym and had a shower.” It’s not very ‘festival’ but Aidan said “it was so good, because I felt so good after”.

Do not: “Worry too much”, Aidan assured us that “everyone's kind of just smelly”. So you won’t be alone!

Weather

Do: In case it is sunny, “find shade and always have some sort of water on you, just in case”.

Do not: Leave your stuff on the floor. Aidan told us his tent got flooded at Reading and he was able to keep most of his things dry by putting all the important stuff on top of his big rucksack.

Outfits

Do: Be practical, so “bring walking boots” and a poncho in case it rains. However, that does not mean you shouldn’t dress up. Aidan’s view on fancy dress is if you want to then go for it. “It’s funny when you see stuff like that, like a traffic cone walking around the place,” he said.

Do not: “Take bulky stuff. ” Remember you‘ve got to fit everything in your rucksack, carry it all and then store it in your (possibly pop-up) tent!

Final festival hacks

This is Aidan’s big tip in this area - check out the silent disco tent. If you’ve never been to one - a silent disco is where the whole crowd wears headphones to listen to the music. There are usually two DJs and you can switch between channels to hear what each one is playing. Aidan said he loved it - seeing other people really go for it and switching the feed on his headphones to hear what they were rocking out to. Sounds so good!

Feeling safe

Not always wanting to dance or be right in the middle of the crowd is fine too. If you are feeling overwhelmed it’s important to step away. Aidan told us he saw so many different places to chill out and relax at Reading festival which he found really reassuring. He also told us there were lots of people around to offer support and help should you need it.

And what about a festival with your Mum Aidan?

Although his Mum has seen him perform at festivals, Aidan said they haven’t actually been to a big festival together yet. Something he would like to change. And the chosen event, none other than Coachella in California, because, in Aidan’s own words, his Mum is “already a big partier”.

So, who knows we might see ‘Alison Hammond: Coachella Unpacked’ in the not too distant future!

Published August 2025