Safety tips when travelling to gigs and festivals

There’s nothing quite like the experience of a live music festival. Hearing your favourite bands, hanging out with your friends, and living in the moment are things you’ll never forget.

You don’t want to miss a single second, but you also don’t want crime, illness or injuries to spoil your fun. If you want to ensure an epic music adventure, then consider these safety tips when travelling to gigs and festivals.

Accidents, injuries and the elements

Your festival may be in a grassy field, or a football stadium, under trees or the beating sun. Wherever it is, you may face unusual physical demands that can lead to bug bites, sunburn, twisted ankles, and sore muscles. Pack some basic first-aid items and pain killers, along with sunscreen, sunglasses and bug repellent. Once you arrive at the festival, scope out the first-aid locations in case you need them.

Unfortunately, accidents can happen when you are getting to and from the festival. If you’re in your car, you need to be prepared to deal with drivers who are careless or drinking. One way to protect yourself is to hire a car. Make sure the rental company carries drivers negligence insurance, and get help making a compensation claim from a reputable company if you are in an accident.

Crime

It might seem like it’s all peace and love, but where large crowds gather, so do criminals and predators. Don’t bring all your credit cards with you, and leave expensive jewellery at home. Keep your identification and valuables in a purse with a zipper. You can also invest in a travel purse that you can wear round your neck. Before you go, make copies of any cards you’ll be taking in case they get lost or stolen.

Keep an eye on your drinks to avoid anyone adding anything, and don’t take drinks from strangers. Set up a place to find your friends if you get separated, and adopt a buddy system for wandering round the festival grounds.

Look for security stations when you arrive, in case you need to flag one of them. Before your trip, be sure to inform others where you’ll be and for how long.

Illness

There are some illnesses you can avoid whilst you are at the festival. By drinking loads of water, you will avoid dehydration, which can give you headaches or cause fainting. It’s also helpful to drink water if you are also drinking alcohol. Water helps ward off hangovers, and it helps you pace yourself so you don’t get ill from over-imbibing.

If you’ll be eating that wonderful festival food, pack some antacids in case you’re sensitive to deep-fried cuisine. Be sure to clean your hands before and after eating anything, to get rid of bacteria you pick up from the festival venue.

If you’ve got a mobile phone, help is just a call away, but makes sense to take safety measures before and during your trip so you can just enjoy the music. Have a great time!

The editorial unit