As you can see from the title of this post, I went to the Isle of Wight festival (9th-12th June), and I can't express enough how brilliant of an experience it was, especially considering I went due to the lineup of incredible artists, which included my life-long favourite band, Queen.
As a relatively inexperienced festival goer, I was quite nervous on going for the whole four days as a novice - but now, coming back with a new abundance of experience, I feel as though it could be helpful to write a little guide to all budding 'festivalites' (yes I just made up that word) on the do's and don'ts of festival living, and why all music lovers out there should consider going. Prepare yourselves for a long post ahead...
Part 1: Quick Guide to Festivals
1. Really invest your planning time in choosing the right festival for you and choosing the right people to go with. I was desperate to go to the Isle of Wight as a lot of my favourite artists were headlining - don't just go to a festival because 'everyone else is' (*cough cough* Reading), go because you GENUINELY want to. I ended up going in a really small group (me and two close friends) as we all wanted to see the same acts - so it wasn't a waste of time or money, and we knew that in our small group, we wouldn't need to seperate off as we were all interested in the same music and events.
2. Choose a bigger tent than you thought you'd need. It's important to not only have enough room for sleeping, but enough room for all the inevitable crap you'll bring.. We trundled to Argos and purchased a 5 man tent for the 3 of us that had brilliant reviews, and the extra space really aided the comfort of our trip. A plus was that the tent was only 30 quid! Really look for the right tent, as a lot will be ridiculously over-priced but offer the same amount of protection as the ones that may be discounted.
3. Go for the music. Again, I can't express enough how important it is not to waste your money on going to a festival where you may not actually enjoy yourself or know what's going on. It's not worth it to fork out 200 quid to go to a festival just for the 'experience' as the costs will just add up. Save your money for something you really care about.
The Who, one of the headlining acts of Isle of Wight 2016, and a massive highlight of the weekend.
4. Food for thought. We brought way too much food and snacks with us as we thought we wouldn't be tempted by the food at the festival. Wrong. We STILL ended up spending money on food, and then didn't bother with our snacks as much. Wasted cash and space really! (I mean we still ate them, but we didn't need them) If you're planning on drinking, invest in alcohol before the festival. You'll be saving money that could go towards enjoying other aspects of the weekend instead of wasting it on over-priced drinks at the event.
The only fruit we had all weekend were these strawberries...
5. Be careful what clothes you pack. If you don't want any of your fashion favourites to get dirty, then simply don't bring them. However, pack realistically. Pack what you know you'll want to wear - not what you THINK you'll want to wear. I knew I wanted to vintage shop during the festival, yet I brought seven tops, only three of which were actually worn. Waste of packing space! I also only brought three bottoms, and they dirtied much quicker from sitting on the grass. Pack sensibly!
6. Shoes. Yes, shoes. My friends both bought two pairs of shoes with them - one waterproof, and one not (e.g. sandals/converse), which is a great idea, especially if the weather is nice. I only brought one pair, but the one pair that I brought were waterproof Doc Martens. I highly recommend boots like Docs as they're comfortable (although bring compeed/blister plasters just in case), and can go with anything. I was worried they wouldn't be great with the weather (I was recommended wellies or else by a friend...), however, they proved to be brilliant.
7. Jackets and Bumbags. Bumbags are always a great idea for festivals so that you don't need to drag a bag with you around the arena/event space, and they're much safer. I decided to bring my Barbour jacket with me instead as there were plenty of deep, button up pockets (which fit all my importants), and it was waterproof (with an attachable hood). Make sure you choose the best way of keeping your valuables safe before you arrive at the festival.
8. Safety in the tent. At festivals, there's always going to be a risk of pick-pockets or people trying to steal from others tents - it's unfortunate, but it's true. A great way to ensure that at least no proper valuables get stolen at night (aka money, phones, ipods, etc.) is to sleep with them at the bottom of your sleeping bag. *quick tip* If you want to take photo's during the festival, but you don't want to take your fancy phone to the festival, disposable cameras are great and nobody cares to steal them!
9. Explore, and enjoy! Don't stress yourself out too much at festivals. Plan what acts you want to see, but let yourselves explore and have fun!
Part 2: Isle of Wight Lookbook
Day 1: Thursday, travel attire. No photo's taken.
Day 2: Friday, day 1 in the arena, and already one vintage shirt in.
Shirt - Kate & Aud / Shorts - Vintage Levi's (Rokit) / Jacket - Barbour / Knee High Socks - Primark / Shoes - Doc Marten Serena's (Borrowed from Chiara)
Outfit Number 1 features this beautiful, recycled vintage wrap top that I found at one of the stalls at the festival: Kate & Aud. It is 100% recycled Sari from India, and 70% silk, so it has a beautiful quality to it. It also features this intricate paisley print. It was only £20, so in my opinion, a bargain for such an incredible one off piece.
Day 3: Saturday, day 2 in the arena.
Shirt - Tommy Hillfiger / T-shirt - Isle of Wight Official / Shorts - Vintage Levi's (Rokit) / Fishnets - Primark / Boots - Doc Martens 1460 (Discontinued) / Jacket - Barbour
Comfy yet covered in powder paint from the paint fight at the Bulmer's Colourena, this was my evening outfit for Saturday night when watching Iggy Pop and The Who.
Day 4: Sunday, day 3 in the arena, the night of Queen.
Outfit 1: Daytime
Shirt - Friday On My Mind Vintage / Shorts - Topshop / Tights - M&S / Jacket - Barbour / Shoes - Doc Martens 1460 (discontinued colour) / Neckerchief/Neck Scarf - Bits & Bobs Vintage
This was my day outfit for Sunday featuring yet another brilliant vintage piece. Friday On My Mind Vintage (a.k.a FOMM) is a store in Camden that had a stall at the festival, and all three of us absolutely fell in love with their collection of vintage shirts. They have such an array of styles that they have acquired from all over the globe, and every shirt is unique. As you can see in the last picture above, all three of us ended up purchasing one, and they were all very different in their own way.
Outfit 2: Evening
Bardot Top - Topshop / Trousers - Primark / Shoes - Doc Martens 1460 (discontinued colour)
And here is the final outfit, featuring these crazy patterned trousers from Primark that I bought a couple years back. They were brilliant for the evenings as they are super comfy and give you that extra bit of warmth. I wore these two years ago for a day trip to V Festival as well.
Part 3: Checklist & Highlights
I recommend creating a checklist of things you might need before you head off to your festival, and keep it with you so that you can check it off when leaving the festival as well (in case you're forgetful). Here are a few of my recommendations of what to bring just in case.
- Paracetamol/Ibuprofen
- Hand sanitizer &/or hand wipes
- A few packets of tissues
- A refillable water bottle (possibly with a filter just in case)
- 4head (trust me on this one)
- A portable phone charger (with 2 or more charges)
- An eye mask
- Baby wipes (the Boots variety are super cheap, free from bad chemicals and come in a pack of 67, great for the body and makeup removal)
- Moisturiser
- Dry Shampoo
- Mini toothpaste (and obviously a toothbrush)
- Immodium (you never know)
- A big hairbrush
- Lots of hairbands (and/or grips)
- Suncream
- Compeed/Blister plasters and regular plasters
- Throat Lozenges
- Tampons/Sanitary towels (just in case)
- Jacket with a hood/hoodie
- Lip balm
Highlights from Isle of Wight included:
- The bands we saw! It was an unbelievable experience watching some of my all time favourites, a.k.a Queen (There were a lot of tears here...), The Who, Stereophonics, Busted (crazy throwback), and Iggy Pop, who I may or may not have winked at in a crazy pointing fashion, and who may or may not have reciprocated (I was at the front). And discovering bands we'd never heard of before as well (hello, Ocean Colour Scene where have you been all my life?)
- The Bulmers Colourena - was great finding this, and the powder paint fight was so much fun!
- The vintage stalls - needless to say, we had a lot of fun rumaging through these, and finding some hidden gems along the way.
- Chips & gravy. Nuff said.
- Going on the crazy swing ride, which looked mild from a distance, but was definitely not!
- Covering ourselves in glitter, henna (done by yours truly), bindhi's and flower crowns. We soaked up 'festival chic' as much as we could.
- The fact that it rained three night's in a row but there was no mud the next day - thank you, Isle of Wight!
- The Electro-Love tent - fab 80's tunes, neon lights and bubbles. What more could you want?
- The David Bowie masks that were handed out for the tribute done by the lead singer of the Corrs, and none other than Mr Gary Kemp from Spandeu Ballet. And then the Bowie disco at the Hey Joe tent. Yes.
- The Oxfam vinyl sale at Hey Joe - some brilliant finds were found.
Electro-love
Getting colourful!
Isle of Wight had so much to offer, and was a wonderful atmosphere to be in. And the lineup was honestly second to none - I cannot wait to see what they have in store next year, and I can't recommend the festival enough. I hope this [now incredibly long] post could be useful for some of you this Summer, and I hope you all have a wonderful festival experience if you happen to be going this year!
