Our Top Ten Tips for surviving the heat at a Festival
Last year we experienced our very first wet Camp Bestival and I wrote a post with my top tips for beating the rain at a festival.
This year we had the opposite problem. We have had a glorious 6 weeks of heatwave conditions here in Dorset, with little to no rain, which brings its own set of problems.
We arrived at Camp Bestival on Thursday morning on the hottest day of the year (so far) ready to do battle with the hills and find the perfect position to pitch.
Top Tips for surviving a heatwave at a festival
1. Tent Pegs
The problem with no rain and trying to pitch a tent is that the ground is solid and the standard round wire tent pegs you get when you buy your camping equipment, just don’t cut it.
Check the weather conditions before you leave and invest in better tent pegs. Rock pegs would have been better for solid ground conditions that we experienced.
2. Make your own shade
Tents get uncomfortably hot in warm weather. Take a gazebo, parasol or sunshade to help make some artificial shade. We love our Field Candy sunshade, which can be easily moved depending on the position of the sun and offers UPF 50+ protection from UV rays.
3. Don’t fully zip the tent doors up at night and open up the ventilation window
We zipped up the fly sheet to keep the bugs out, but left the tent doors partially unzipped to let the air circulate. Make sure your chosen tent has a venilation window. Do keep your valuables away from the doors though.
4. Drink lots of water
It is vital to stay hydrated to help avoid sunstroke. Camp Bestival is great as they have free drinking water all around the site. Remember to hide bottles in a cool place so the water doesn’t warm up before you drink it.
5. Take a battery-powered fan
Portable fans are great for keeping cool, especially if you cannot find shade and handheld fans don’t take up too much room.
6. Wear a hat
A wide-brimmed hat will protect your neck and ears and provide some shade for your back and shoulders.
7. Protect your skin
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and remember to invest in a decent sunscreen. We are currently using EVY Sun Mousse which absorbs easily, does not irritate sensitive skin and is suitable for use by all the family.
8. Take a first aid kit
Taking a first aid kit is essential on any day out. As well as plasters and bandages, I always add paracetamol (adults and kids), insect repellant, my Zap-It insect bite relief tool. It is a small handheld piezo device, that generates a harmless (no stronger than a gentle pinch) low, electrical impulse when ‘clicked’ against a bite. These ‘zaps’, created by crystals, work to reduce histamine flow and stimulate capillaries into flushing out toxins, thereby stopping the urge to itch and scratch.
Also add baby wipes……..great for cleaning cuts, cooling a sweaty brow as well as dealing with muddy fingers and knees.
9. Take sleeping bags and warmer clothing
It might be baking hot in the daytime, but the nights can still be chilly. The kids all had fleece onesies and we all appreciated being snuggled up in our sleeping bags during the night.
10. Be prepared for a change in the weather
The forecasts for the weekend had it being glorious, however, in true British weather style it changed for the worst on Saturday night with torrential rain and high winds. If you think the weather is changing, remember to check your tent pegs, using every stake loop, so that the wind can’t get under the tent and start to lever it up, take down any flags you are flying and take the gazebo down, otherwise you might find it in the next field!
Do you have any tips for surviving a heatwave at a festival?
For more festival tips, head over to Travel Loving Family and check out her tips for Cornbury Festival.
michelle twin mum
Great tips, I bet it was very helpful to make your own shade and then the kids could play under it. Mich x
Mellissa Williams
These are some great tips as I remember how hot tents can be in sunny weather. Packing sun cream, a sun hat, and a change of clothes in case the weather turns is always a good idea
Rhian Westbury
Tent pents are so tough when it’s dry, I’ve had to go through that a lot of times. I always find it gets really warm in the morning and it’s about ventilation x
Cath - BattleMum
These are all fab tips. Trying to get anything into dry earth is a nightmare. And the shade is a must too. I saw how bad the weather changed overnight!
Angela Milnes
This is a useful post and is useful for even surviving in the back garden for us. I agree drinking tons of water is so important. Your photos remind me of the festivals I would attend in New Zealand, so so hot but fun.
Kaz | Ickle Pickles Life and Travels
Great tips – I so remember Camp Bestival last year! I am gutted we didn’t make it this year, but see the weather did indeed turn for the worse. Hope you were all ok. Kaz
Eva Katona
These are very handy for any festival! I’ve hear we need to get used to the heat waves with the climate change, so they will be useful next year again.
Michelle Murray
Great tips. I’ve not been to a proper festival yet, but it’s on my bucket list for next year
Fashion and Style Police
Love the tips here. Makes to have a hat and some sunscreen on. Having some shade is important too.
Olivia
Battery powered fans are so good at the moment, I don’t even care how weird I look, I feel cool so that’s all that matters! These tips are super useful! 🙂
Tanya Brannan
Fantastic tips and to be honest I will be taking a lot of these into my everyday life. I have to admit I just am not coping with this heat at all. Off camping at the end of the month so will make sure I follow all of these, thank you for sharing xx
Scots2Travel
Not a problem we often have but that’s really good advice. Keep the good weather coming!
Stephanie
We came for the day on Saturday and it started off hot but we were freezing by the end!! We didn’t bring enough warm clothes either! Great tips and I bet it was hard going banging those tent pegs in!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
We had such a great time at camp bestival. It was o hot Saturday lunchtime. Which is funny considering what happened with the weather later that day.
Katherine Hackworthy
Great tips for some simple survival at festivals. Mentioning tent pegs is really important, sometimes they are so difficult to get in. A rubber mallet is a great helping hand.
Jen
Great tips. As a mum of red-heads I’m always looking for shade!
Dena
This is such a useful post. Sometimes it’s easy to forget things such as suncream as we aren’t used to wearing it!
Louise
I’ve never been to a festival in a heatwave! When I was younger it used to rain every.single.year 🙁 Saying that, I don’t think I’d do well at one if it was too hot. You’ve shared some great tips for anyone who might be heading to a festival in this heat, though 🙂
Louise x
Sébastien
Wow! Such awesome tips in regard to surviving the heat at a festival, I love camping in different places, I remember there were awesome days when I’d first time camping for the fun of it and it was fantastic, I glad to have a blog to accompany me in my quest.