Guest post by Annie Owen

Where does one start? Let me give you some figures...there are said to be over 500 UK festivals and approximately 3 million of us who will go to a festival, and I have been to a grand total of...one. So I’m no festival pro, I can’t tell you the ins and outs, the best camping spots or where the hidden toilets are that always have loo roll in! Instead I’m going to talk about why I think everyone should go to at least one festival in their lifetime and why I don’t really see the need for all the hype about having the ‘perfect festival wardrobe.’

It is true that festivals aren’t for everyone; many of us do appreciate being able to have a shower everyday and not having to share a toilet with possibly 1000 other people! However it is a truly great experience.

Firstly, for many, festivals involve something most people love... a road trip! Getting a few excited individuals cramped into one small space is enough to make anyone get a bit hyper. You find yourself taking photos of the most obscure things. For example, taking photos of random road signs to show the progress of your journey, the poor soul who broke down and is now sat on the side of the motorway, or simply the levels of alcohol you’ve managed to stuff into your car and still get it to drive off. On route to the festival you no longer seem to worry about traffic jams, as you start to realise that everyone in the surrounding cars are probably going to the same place as you. So naturally, you start to check out the others in the cars to suss out any hotties attending the festival.

As soon as the car is parked, whoever was driving grabs a can of whatever is going as quickly as possible to make up for lost time, and then that’s it, you’ve arrived.

The level of excitement in the air is huge and everyone is in a major party spirit, sure alcohol may have some association with this, but generally the mood will be positive. And I think, put simply, the sheer mass of people in one space all fired up to stand in a field is what impresses me.

It’s not glamorous and it’s not exclusive but it is something that so many people now want to be a part of. So there are VIP sections and ‘pay as you go’ posh showers, but, honestly how many people use those? I think it is really quite interesting how so many magazines and websites devote so much time in telling you how to ‘stay looking good’ at a festival when it is the one time that people really don’t care! If you smell, or you have mud all over your face, people really won’t look at you disapprovingly, in fact they may respect you more!

There are always the select few, not just the celebs... that manage to look stunning all the time, but generally this is the time when we as humans can go back to a primitive roots and get our hands dirty and not worry about it.

You may feel rough as hell by the end of it but you’ll know it was worth it! So to all of you going to festivals this year, don’t spend hours working out what outfits to wear and spend hundreds of pounds on new clothes (that quite possibly will get ruined) look at what you’ve already got, mix and match, make sure you’ve got something warm and cosy for the chilly nights and you’re away! The only thing I would advise you invest in if you don’t already have some, is wellys!

Taken from ‘Grazia’ – Must have festival footwear, personally couldn’t think of anything worse to wear on my feet to walk into a portaloo! Definitely a good bit of PR work here! Practical level...0.