How to survive festival season in Australia

Festival season is well underway in Australia as summer starts to grace us with its glittering presence.

So whether you’re a resident Aussie looking to indulge in our land’s finest festivals or a backpacker keen to experience the best outdoor music events on offer down under, we’ve devised the ultimate survival guide.

Because it gets really hot here, y’know.

Head over to our festivals section to see what’s on where and when.

Car share

This takes some planning so it’s worth mentioning first! Sound your Snapchat stories and send some all-important Tweets to rally a group of friends who can share a ride to the event. It’s good for the environment, you can split any fuel costs and it takes the pressure off one person to organise everything.

Scope out the nearest shop before you travel

You’ll need food and drink to keep you going throughout the festival so be sure to locate the nearest shop before you set off. Some of our best festivals are more remote than others so you don’t want to find yourself stuck when you get on site. Plus if the event allows you to BYO, you want to know how far you’re carrying those crates!

Keep hydrated

We said it once and we’ll say it again. Keep. Drinking. Water. Summer in Australia isn’t a myth and you’ll need constant water to keep your spirits (and energy) up in time for your favourite band’s set.

Photo: Jens Johnsson

Sun protection

Hat? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Literally anything to help you keep cool and shaded? Check, check, check. While you’re at it, pinpoint the biggest trees (and other shaded spots!) on site so you know where to go when you need some chill time.

Take a portable phone charger

There are few things more annoying at a festival than running out of phone battery and not being able to get in touch with your mates. Although there are often charging banks on site, it’s worth taking a portable charger if you can. Oh, and remember to charge it before you go.

Study the line-up (but leave yourself exploring time)

On the one hand, you need to know exactly when and where your favourite acts are playing. But on the other, every successful festival-goer needs to have time to explore and find new bands too. Make a rough plan for each day but don’t stress if you happen to find something just-as-good-or-maybe-even-better along the way.

Photo: Yvette de Wit

Download the app

It’s 2017 and there’s probably an app for the festival you’re about to hit up. These are essential for any set changes or news that might happen over the weekend. Plus, it saves you carrying around lots of paper maps but it does make that phone charger we mentioned earlier even more vital.

Check for online communities before the festival

While you’re at it, check out the Facebook event and other online communities before the festival. It can be a great way to say hello to your fellow festival revellers, perhaps meet future camp neighbours and swap tips. If there are any rumours about surprise sets or secret goings-on, this is probably the place to find out about them.

Take a rain coat

Sometimes it can rain, too. No one wants to be caught short if an unexpected storm comes in so be sure to pack a waterproof coat just in case. They roll up real small and double as something to sit on when it’s sunny.

Photo: Maxime Bhm

Check for any fancy dress

If you’re likely to be dead upset about missing some sort of fancy dress memo, make sure to do your fashion research first. No set dress code? Who says you can’t start the trend…

Ear plugs

Before you ring the un-rock ‘n’ roll klaxon on us, hear us out! Made even easier when you’re wearing ear plugs. If you’re planning to be down the front for bands, you’ll want to hear them at their best.

Wear colour

Hooooold on! Before you pack nothing but black T-shirts, give a thought to those relentless sunrays that take no prisoners when it comes to heat-absorbing shades.

Browse upcoming festivals to get planning.