Electric Picnic Survival Guide

Making the most of Electric Picnic 2007

DO
* Bring your wellies, even if the weather forecast predicts sunshine all weekend (which seems unlikely after the summer we’ve just had!). It gets mucky very quickly after showers. A waterproof jacket never goes astray either.

* Bring a torch, for navigating the campsite late at night, preferably a head torch so that your hands are free for balancing as you climb over tent ropes (or guy-lines if you’re down with the camping lingo!) - and don’t forget batteries for your torch.

* Bring disinfectant hand-gel - a must when negotiating the portaloos on day three!

* Bring a distinctive flag to tie from the top of your tent, for identification purposes. They all look pretty similar when it’s pitch-dark.

* Bring plenty of blankets and warm clothing. No matter how cosy your sleeping bag or how sunny it is during the day-time (again we won’t hold our breaths), it gets very cold in the tents at night-time.

* Bring plenty of changes of clothes. If it rains you’ll need layers to keep warm.

* Bring a hat, bandana or headband if you aren’t prepared to queue for hours to have a shower or wash your hair - either that or dry shampoo.

* Bring your own toilet paper. It’s essential for those aforementioned portaloo excursions.

* Bring some first aid essentials, like plasters and antiseptic wipes/cream because you’re bound to trip over a tent rope at some stage.

* Bring sunscreen and shades - because stranger things have happened and you wouldn’t want to be that person who looks like a lobster in all your friends’ photos!

* Invest in an official festival programme when you arrive at the venue, even if you’ve printed out the running order - loose pages tend to disappear over the weekend or disintegrate in the rain, should the bad weather arrive at Stradbally, despite our crossed fingers and toes.

DON’T
* Don’t bring metal cutlery, can openers or other sharp objects with you as these will be confiscated.

* Don’t bring umbrellas. They are considered dangerous objects and are not allowed inside the festival venue.

* Don’t bring glass bottles with you to the campsite. Only plastic containers are permitted inside that area.

* If you need to bring medication with you don’t take the labels off bottles or containers as unmarked tablets/pills could be confiscated.

* Don’t bring large sound-systems/speakers as these are not generally allowed in either the campsites or the music venue.

* Don’t bring valuables with you to the campsite. They are likely to get lost, stolen or buried in the muck.

* Don’t forget to close your tent door when you go walkabout in the campsite. Apart from the obvious risk of having personal items stolen when on display, there’s nothing worse than returning to a flooded tent and trying to find a dry corner to sleep in for the night and having no dry clothes to wear the next day!