The SMARTY way to nail a festival

There’s nothing more exciting. Live music, new friendships made over food, footwear or a fall in the mud. It really doesn’t matter what you bond over, as long as it’s honest and true.

Yep, the festival season is upon us, and we’ve got a few SMARTY hacks to help you through from wide-eyed start to everything-aches finish.

Undiscovered festivals

There are always the big venues, but some of the smaller festivals are great value. You get a more intimate atmosphere and the possibility of seeing break out acts before they hit the big time. Check out where to find those small fests here.

Guilt-free glitter

Big in our festival hearts, now and forever, is eco glitter. We’ve all heard that our fave sparkles add to the microplastics in the ocean. They were off the table, a complete no-no, banished from our lives, until we discovered Bioglitter. These guilt-free sparkles bring joy to our hearts, they’re biodegradable and harmless to the environment, in short they’re the very essence of festival fun. Find out more about environmentally friendly glitter here.

How to keep your drinks cool

Now, the weather looks like it’s going to be more mud-fest than sun-stroke city, but you still need a way of keeping your beers chilled. The answer is some simple, honest leg work before you get to the festival. Get yourself a cool box and pre-chill it for a day. You need to freeze or refrigerate everything going in and put a bag of ice on top of the box on your way to the festival if you can. Once you’re there the key is not to let the warm air in. If you can lay your hands on a smaller cool box, do it – you can open your main box just once a day and move your drinks to your smaller cooler. If you’re super careful your big cooler can last up to 4 or 5 days. If you haven’t got the time to prep, then keep your beers under your tent ground sheet at night, then wrap them in a space blanket. Simple, but surprisingly effective.

Be rain-ready

Even if the weather looks dry get yourself a rain poncho before you go. It’s amazing how the price ramps up when you’re at a festival and sellers know you haven’t got any other option. You can pick up a multi-pack of disposables for the price of one festival-side. Or, do it sustainably, buy a rain pocket poncho that will last year in year out – they’re still cheaper than when you’re there and you won’t be adding to landfill once the music’s stopped.

Solve those portaloo problems

If you’re a gal the thought of the portaloos is always a sobering one. Honestly, consider buying a wee funnel – they’ve come a long way since the first shewee hit the market 20 years ago – I know, right? They really are a great way of avoiding the dreaded hover, or seat check and clean. Take a look at your stand-up wee options here.

Take charge

And finally, the biggie – how are you going to make your phone last? Whether you get yourself a ‘festival phone’ just in case you’re the friend who always seems to lose theirs on day 1, or you can’t bear the thought of leaving your trusty sidekick at home – you need all those apps and carefully crafted playlists, right? Then here are a few ideas of how to keep your battery going.

• Update all your apps – the latest versions will usually be less of a drain on your battery
• Switch to low power mode for the weekend
• Turn off push notifications for all apps and your location services
• Use airplane mode when you’re not using your phone
• Disable WiFi and Bluetooth when you’re not using them

If your festival’s longer than an overnight or two, then you might want to invest in a battery pack. Some can hold up to 4 or 5 full charges. And our friends at Three can help you out. Get a battery pack for your festival fun here.

All you need to do now is pack the sun cream, water bottle and blister plasters and you’re off!