Now is a Good Time to… check out JOE’s Festival Survival Guide

JOE along with Bulmers bring you the top tips to survive a festival...

One of the things we love about summer in Ireland is the amount of music festivals taking place all over the country, it's unreal and, if you're a music fan, it's heaven for about four months. The thing about festivals though is that if you don't do them properly, they can turn into a long never-ending nightmare but we don't want that for you, no. Being the sound considerate lads that we are, we want you to have the best festival experience possible this summer. So here's JOE and Bulmer's guide to surviving a festival...

Buy a good tent

Sometimes people underestimate the importance of getting a good tent, it is your home for the weekend, you need to get it right. You go into a shop the week of a festival, you go for one that's either cheaper or easier to put up and you walk out thinking you've pulled off a real coup. You haven't. That tent will more than likely end up collapsing after the first night or it won't be as waterproof as advertsied. JOE has spent nights in out of shape, wet tents and this might surprise you but it's zero craic. If you can, spend the extra €20 and you'll have a much better weekend.

Bring an old phone

We know you want to Instagram your photos and show them to the world on Twitter and Facebook, but it's a risky move bringing a new smartphone to a festival. That sort of environment increases your chances of losing your phone by 235% and the battery will be dead in no time anyway. That's where the old brick phones come into their own; they're durable, have a battery that will last all weekend on one charge and nobody will want to steal it.  The added bonus it that you'll look even more hipster with one of them rather than a shiny new phone.

You need the right clothes

We did a quick straw poll around JOE Towers on what the most important item of clothing you need at a festival and socks was the unanimous winner. Bring loads of socks! Imagine how uncomfortable your weekend would be if you were walking/dancing around in wet socks when you could be in a dry, warm and fluffy cotton pair. *JOE runs off to buy socks* We also recommend you bring some shorts, light water-proof gear, wellies and clothes you aren't afraid to get dirty. Trust us, things will get dirty.

Water

It might sound like an obvious one but getting some quality H2O into the body is crucial over the weekend. You'll probably be having a few alcoholic beverages, you'll be walking a lot, you'll be dancing your ass off so dehydration is going to come into play. Try and get a few litres into you early in the morning and you should be set up for the day or else you'll have to contend with the disgusting dry mouth and that's never good.

Know when and where everything is on

One of the most heartbreaking things that can happen at a festival is missing your favourite band because you forget where and what time they're playing. Most festivals these days sell time-tables and itinerary that you can hang around your neck and even though it can be pricey, it's 100% worth buying.

Have a sense of humour

This is probably the key thing you need to enjoy a festival, if you don't have a sense of humour there's a good chance you won't have a good time. If you think about it, there's tens of thousands of very different people congregating in a field who are looking to have a good time, it's going to get a little it messy at times but just go with it and it'll all be worth it. Enjoy the festivals lads!