BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! -MOLLY'S MULTIDAY FESTIVAL GUIDE
Months of saving, weeks of planning, days of excitement leading up to it, hours in a cramped car with your mates, who are just as keen... and then what?
After all that anticipation, it can be tempting to cut loose, hit the tinnies and dig into your stash as soon as you arrive at a multiday doof or festival, but that is rarely a good idea.
Thousands of ravers have gone before you, making these same mistakes – so heed my warnings and hopefully you don’t have to!
Resist the temptation and don’t get cooked before you get your bearings and set up your tent and campsite. It’s a lot harder to care about it and a lot trickier to do once you are cooked. It’s important to set up your campsite as a proper temporary home. You are more likely to go rest, get a feed and have some chill time, and give yourself the opportunity to catch up with how your feeling. You may even find that you need a proper sleep, which is crucial on a multiday. You don’t want to find yourself burnt out just as your favourite act is about to hit the stage!
“DON’T THINK “OH, I’LL REMEMBER WHERE I PUT IT” – NOT IF OLD MATE KETAMINE IS INVOLVED YOU WON’T!”
When setting up camp, create a decent amount of shade cover, enough for the friends you came with, and the new friends you will make along the way. Put your tent under a tarp if you can – it’ll provide extra shade, meaning you can sleep longer in the mornings.
If you're camping with your car, stash your valuables, but not your essentials. You don't want to keep going back and forth to get things out, especially if you drove multiple people. Keys get lost or get locked in cars, batteries die, and you don't want that stress ruining your vibes.
When I camp, I know cookery will be afoot, so I set up my tent in to accommodate. Keep your important things in the same place. For example, I have a dedicated torch pocket. I couldn't tell you the amount of times I’ve rolled into my dark tent, gripped with fear that I wouldn't be able to find something essential, only to remember about the trusty torch pocket. Don't think "oh, I'll remember where I put it" – not if old mate ketamine is involved you won't! I will also usually put my warm clothes in a pile at the entrance to my tent. Makes it a lot easier to find when you’re freezing cold and tripping.
If you wake up and you have misplaced things, put them back where they belong, reset your tent and campsite before partying again. Generally, I use morning times to get my shit together. I always make sure to get some food in my belly, because food is the fuel your body burns to boogie.
When you drop by your camp to get some warmer clothes when the sun sets, or to get into your stash again, have a little snack. Planning meals is great, but eating can be difficult at times and it's important to be able to get something practical into your system. My personal favourites are suckable yoghurts, bananas and cucumbers. I can pull them out of the esky and head off in a hurry, and they are easy to get down even without much of an appetite.
Even more important than food is water. Invest in a clip-on water bottle and clip it on to your bag or doof belt. It's going to annoy you (a little bit), which is good! The point is to remind yourself to drink, so if it’s right there you're more likely to notice when it's empty and fill it up. Chuck some electrolytes in there once in a while for quicker recovery and cramp-free shape-cutting.
Reckon some of these just won't work for you? That's okay, they work for me, but they’re only general tips. The important part is learning to hack yourself. Have a look at your festival history, and think about what has supported you to make good decisions. What has led to you make not so good ones? Is there a specific substance that once you're on it, you forget basic self-care? Or certain people that you've ended up camping with that have made you avoid camp and stay on the dancefloor, hungry and tired?
We talk about set and setting when making better choices about using drugs, but it can be so much more than that. Knowing yourself and understanding your surroundings can lead to better decisions overall and ensure you have the best possible time. That's what it's all about, right?
- Molly