they�re on again!
Summer music festivals � they are on again!Whether it�s a yearly highlight on your calendar or the one event that�s going to stand out in your memories for years to come, summer music festivals are happening again. In fact, they�ve already started � as soon as the smell of spring was in the air, festival punters were lining up, muddying up their shoes and making fantastic new friendships with thousands of other intimate festival goers.
Once there was Woodstock � now there are countless music festivals all over the globe, from the numerous muddy UK festivals to the cutting edge on the Spanish coast (FIB) or in old forts deep in South-East Europe. What they�ve all got in common is the music, the energy, the passion for enjoyment. Everything else is, well, up to the music festival gods.
Whether you�re up to moshing it knee deep in mud, or looking forward to partying away a festival in steamy surrounds in just your bikini, there are some festival survival tips you should take note of. Festival pros have lent us the following tips to make sure that you have a smashing time (and more importantly, stay safe).
+ if camping, get there early and set up camp next the grooviest bunch you can find
+ make friends with your camping neighbours � extend the festival atmosphere as far as you can!
+ bring gadzillions of toilet rolls, wet wipes and gum. You�ll need �em all!
+ charge up your batteries � your torch, your mobile, YOU!
+ bring your snacks and munchies for those late cravings
+ don�t even think about bringing bottles into the festival grounds (it�s almost always banned, plastic or glass!)
Grab your boots/camping gear/best festival buddy/bikini/deck chair and head keep a firm hold onto your head! The festival season is already on us � and some tickets are already sold out. Have you got your tickets yet? If not, you�d better move fast – it�s a case of blink and miss with these hot tickets for summer �
+ Rock Werchter + Leuven, Belgium + June 29 – July 2 + Big names like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode and the Blackeyed Peas
+ Exit + Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro + July 6-9 + what a setting! Lose yourself in acts like Franz Ferdinand, Pet Shop Boys, Grandmaster Flash
+ Oxegen + a racecourse outside of Dublin + July 9-10 + boasts old-timers James Brown and New Order +
+ Dour Festival + Dour Belgium + July 13-16 + alternative music festival +
+ Love Parade + Berlin, Germany + July 15 + FREE for the first time ever + hot, pumping electro beats
+ Sziget + on �buda Island, Budapest + August 10-17 + from the mainstream to underground electro
+ FIB: Festival Internacional de Benic�ssim + Benic�ssim, Spain + August 4-7 + sunshine, beach vibes and hot acts including Franz Fernindand & Scissor Sisters +
+ The Big Chill + Eastnor, Herefordshire UK + August 5-7 + a multimedia festival, with art, dance, film and technology alongside just as pleasing ear candy +
+ Bestival + Isle of Wight, UK + September 9-11 + the smaller, later alternative to the Isle of Wright Festival in June and the largest fancy dress party in the world� this year its Cowboys & Indians +
Infohostels.com staff
Photo credit: By Izo & with thanks to Dour Music Festival
