Two years ago, during the peak of the pandemic, the thought of going to a festival was something only dreams were made of, and many of us longed to be back amongst the masses, smiling ear to ear and loosing ourselves to the music.
This year festivals are back with a bang! But while it’s all fun and games for many, for some of us being back in large crowds for the first time in years might be overwhelming and stressful. We’ve put together some top tips on how to manage your festival this summer.
In just under two weeks, hundreds of thousands of eager festival goers will descend upon Worthy Farm, after the world famous Glastonbury Festival makes its return after a two year hiatus. The long-awaited festival makes its comeback, which means so do the crowds.
Some people don’t get phased by crowds or chaos, whereas others do. Large crowds can be very unnerving and cause anxiety, and when feelings of being unsafe or claustrophobia set in, this can be overwhelming and take away the joy of the experience. Whether it’s Secret Garden Party, Glastonbury, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival or Notting Hill Carnival, whatever large crowd party event you’re going to this summer, we’ve got you covered!
Take Time Out When You Need It
While this may seem obvious, taking time out from a large crowd and perhaps taking 20 minutes to be in an open space might be all you need to reset and keep any anxiety at bay. If you know you may feel unsafe or uncomfortable in large crowds, stay at the sides or towards the back, somewhere where you know you can slip off to have your timeout easily.
See a Toilet - Use It!
Some of the best advice you may ever receive! Crowds can build up quickly, especially when popular artists or headliners are taking to the stage. It’s simple - when you see a toilet just take the opportunity to use it (even if you don’t think you need to go!). You don’t know how long it will be till you get your next opportunity and you won’t want to leave a good act trudging through swarms of people unnecessarily when nature calls. Let’s just hope the portaloos are bearable :)
Stay Connected
Physically connected! Try to keep your group together, and at the very least, always stay in twos. Buddy up with someone from your group and ensure you stick together. Phone signals can be very temperamental in large crowds due to the very dense volume of people in one compact space using them. So having a partner for the day is a good way to be sure you won’t get separated.
Meeting Points
As a group, agree on a meeting point in case someone gets lost. As a general rule, if someone’s been missing from your group for more than 15 minutes, head to the meeting point. Your meeting point can change each day depending on what part of the festival you’ll be in, but make sure you’re all in agreement.
Stay Hydrated and Rest
Most festivals will have drinking water taps dotted around, so it’s a great idea to take a refillable bottle around with you so you can top up for free, and can avoid joining large bar queues to get bottled water, and not only that, it’s better for the environment too!
Be Present
Take a moment to remember why you’re there. You’re there because you want to be! No one has forced you to attend, and most likely some of your favourite music artists are in the lineup. Sometimes simple thoughts like this can realign your panic-thinking and make you feel grateful and present in the moment. After all, it’s been so long since we’ve been able to go to events like this, it’s best to try to enjoy it in all its glory!
Sanitise!
Sounds very 2020, doesn't it!? Although it may feel like the pandemic is over, covid is still doing the rounds. Staying hygienic and clean during a festival is key to staying well. Not only should you sanitise to minimise the risk of catching covid (or any other virus for that matter), keeping hands free from germs is a sure way to reduce the risk of dodgy tummies.
CBD
If CBD is something you rely on to keep you calm and balanced, one of our atomiser sprays would be a perfect option to take with you, take your dose easily and conveniently by a few simple sprays and no messing around with a pipette.
Our selection of sprays and other CBD oils can be found here
