MY READING FESTIVAL GUIDE - 2016

Here in the UK, 'Festival Season' is definitely among us, with so many festivals happening in the recent months. For me, I have already been to two festivals this year, Slam Dunk Festival back in May and Wild Life Festival in June; however neither of these festivals included camping, which meant that I have felt quite unprepared for my next festival; Reading.

At the end of this month, myself and thousands of others will trek to Reading where we will attend Reading Festival from Wednesday 24th August to Monday 29th. I have spent the past couple of days sprawling through the internet trying to find the most essential items for this year's events that ensure that I am completely prepared without going over the top.
I am definitely someone who over-packs to make sure that I have every possible situation that might occur covered, meaning when I need 3 outfits I will usually pack 10 (you know, just in case). But for somewhere like Reading Festival, it is SUCH a bad idea to do this as you have to lug it back and forth to the event, which is definitely not fun. You have enough to carry without all the extras, and when you read up on what other people have gone through, and even what Reading Festival say on their site, you realise that a lot of things that you thought you needed really aren't that necessary.

So, I thought that I would share with you guys my list for this year's event in case you are in the same situation. Although there are a lot of lists online, here's one for the people that like safety, organisation and control, like myself (I'm not that bad, I promise!)

Those highlighted are absolute essentials.

• Ticket - DO NOT FORGET THIS OTHERWISE NOTHING WILL BE WOTH
• Tent - if there are two of you, it'll be best to purchase a 3-man tent to fit in all your stuff
• Sleeping Bag
• Inflatable matress/camp bed - personally I will be getting a camp bed
• Camping Chair - this isn't a need but it was listed quite a few times
• Camping Tools - putting the tent up and such if you need to
• Collapsible Gerry can, 20l - for water stock
• Mess tin
• Old oven shelf for open fire BBQ
• Black Bin Liners - it's always nice to clear up your camp space afterwards; nothing worse than seeing rubbish everywhere, makes me so mad!
• Gaffa Tape
• Blanket
• Gazebo - if there is a large group of you it could be nice to set up a gazebo near your tents
• Batteries
• Sledge - I've heard a lot of people say this is the best way to carry things with you, but I'm undecided
• Torch - you can use your phone but it wastes battery, so purchase one that will be small enough to fit in your bag
• Cutlery
• Site Map - safety reasons, you'll know your way around if you get lost or lose people!

• Hand Sanitizer - Once you see festival toilets, you'll know
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Shower Gel - travel-sized bottles are the way forward for all toiletries 
• Makeup - I cannot go anywhere without makeup so this is a must for myself, oops
• Insect Repellant
• Sanitary Towels/tampons - can never be too careful (although they are available at stores on site)
• Alcohol/Water/Drinks - it's always good to have a stock as it'll be cheaper whatever you bring, however may be heavy carrying it there
• Roll-on deodorant
• Toothbrush + Toothpaste
• Bog roll
• Paracetamol/Hayefever Tablets - if you suffer from hay fever, like myself, may be wise taking tablets as you are in the middle of a field; paracetamol just in case (sleep deprivation, hungover, etc.)
• Plasters - there may be a lot of glass/sharp objects about so its better to be safe than sorry (although I believe, again, the shop may stock these)
• Suncream - only if it's sunny, of course; you are outside remember!
• Aftersun
• Baby Wipes - best form of washing if you truly do not want to conquer showers
• Dry Shampoo - ACTUAL GOD'S GIFT (also, I just found out that you can buy waterless shampoo, conditioner and body wash ????)
• Antibacterial Wipes/Toilet Covers - again, once you see festival toilets, you'll know (personally thinking antibacterial wipes

• Clothes;

          -       T-Shirts
          -       Hoodie
          -       Jeans/Shorts
          -       Trainers
          -       Underwear (knickers, bra,socks)
          -       PJs?
          -       Waterproof
          -       Wellies

• Bum Bag
• Towels
• Compact Mirror - always good to see what you look like, even if you're in the middle of a field!
• Hairbrush

• Portable Phone Charger - you can purchase them there but may be a good idea to bring a back-up one just in case
• ID/Money/Emergency Card
• Rape Alarm - I always carry one of these wherever I go just in case; no such thing as too much safety!
• Padlock for Tents - extra security of belongings, stop easy access from others
• Food - just to stock, festival food is SO expensive so it'll save money

NOT ALLOWED TO BRING

• Aerosol
• Air Horns/Mega Phones
• Gas Canisters
• Dogs
• Items used as weapons
• Chinese Sky lanterns
• Drones
• Fireworks
• Anything that creates large fires/bonfires

EXTRA NOTES:

• There is a shop in ‘ORANGE CAMP’ that sells:

                              -       Food

-       Drinks

-       Alcohol

-       Toiletries

-       Camping Gear

• There are lockers available to store belongings (£16 through See Tickets, charge your phone, bring USB cable)
• Non-emergency crimes witnessed call 101
• Emergency crimes call 999
• Remember power saving features on your phone:

-       Turn down screen brightness

-       Keep auto-lock on low (1-2 minutes)

-       Turn off Bluetooth

-       Turn off wifi

-       Turn off location/GPS services

-       Close down apps

-       Turn off vibrate

-       Turn off non-essential notifications

-       Power save modes

• ‘Music Angel Mobile Charging’ available at the festival, £20 pre-booked: you pick it up when you arrive and then swap as many times are you like for a fully charged one at the end, get to keep it at the end of the festival!
• Pack includes; battery, USB charging cable, charging wristband, social power lanyard, carry pouch

So hopefully this has been helpful to you, I know that being able to plan all of this in advance has really helped me and I'm more excited than ever to finally go!

If you guys are going then tweet me @iridescencefash and talk to me about who you're excited to see!

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Remember, I post every other day so look out for a new blog post on Thursday; until then why not check out my YouTube channel; Kira Stokes