Gottwood Festival: Guide To Thrive

Gottwood Festival are newcomers on the Festival scene themselves, but have this week released their 'Guide on how to thrive at a Festival' for new Festival goers this Summer. The 11 points cover a wide range of topics to help make sure you get the most for your money and have a week/weekend that you will never forget...

‘Survival is for Bear Grylls – you go to a festival to have a good time’

1. IF YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MATES

Don’t worry about it and especially don’t spend the next five hours looking for ‘em, trying to get a signal on your phone and asking people “have you seen my mate Dave?”. Instead, go and do some stuff that you wouldn’t normally do with your mates – go and talk to interesting people with beards; get some fancy dress on and dance like a freak to a Chilean band around a campfire and drink Tequila's; go to a plasticine workshop.

At the very least go and see some acts you have never heard of with some cool people you have never met. Get out of your comfort zone and find the flow and enjoy it - losing your mates can be a very liberating thing, but having said that, with Gottwood being so intimate you won't lose them for too long! There are secret areas to be explored, can you discover them?

2. IF YOUR RIZLAS GET STUCK TOGETHER

‘Cos they got damp the night before, try breathing on them as you try and peel them apart, your moisture in you warm breath will reactivate the gum, a bit like steaming a stamp off a letter. Also if you are trying to roll one in a dark tent and can’t find which side the gum is on, hold the Rizla up and look down its length and all will become clear.

3. IF YOU NEED YOUR MUM

If you (or anyone you meet) are cold, tired, hungry, skint, sketched out, freaked out or just need someone to talk to, get up, have a cup of tea, and go sit by the lake, next to the fire or under a tree. You will without doubt find some like-minded and warm-hearted people who will sort you right out.

4. BE HERE NOW

Turn your phone off, forget about work, don’t argue with your girlfriend, don’t plan too much and don’t think too much. Just wander around in the moment - the sensory overload of festivals is particularly good at taking you there.

5. BE PART OF THE FAMILY

The best festivals are the ones where everyone is a part of the show, so get stuck in.  Bring your trumpet (whether you can play it or not), bring your wig collection, your 1960’s throw back flares and just be the odd ball you always wanted to be while practising random acts of kindness. LET YOUR FREAK OUT AND BE THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE and people will love you for it. We still don't know who the mysterious campsite harmonica/beat boxer was last year, but he owned the place.

6. DON'T GET INVOLVED IN FIRE BREATHING OR FERRET LEGGING UNLESS YOU ARE SOBER

‘Nuff said here I think.

7. ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATE

One of the most amazing things about festivals is how they change your life, how when you get to work the next week you suddenly realise that you have somehow still got a bit of the weekend’s beautiful reality bubble with you. The longer you stay, the deeper that feeling goes, so take Thursday to Monday off work and really get immersed, especially stay Sunday night, often it’s the best bit and this year it is going to be extra special with the brand new lake area being opened.

8. CHECK OUT THE SMALLER ACTS

We are unbelievably happy with the line-up we have produced this year. Heavyweights such as Tiger & Woods, Max Cooper, Dinky, Move D, Mosca, Huxley, Appleblim, The Correspondents, Disclosure etc. will undoubtedly be amazing, but be sure to check out those names further down the lineup. We have had over 1000 applications this year, and we genuinely listen to everything sent over. There is some unbelievable undiscovered talent on show and these guys really know their stuff. We also have some secret high profile artists playing who will not be revealed until they start their set.

1.   DONT GET INVOLVED IN FIRE BREATHING OR FERRET LEGGING UNLESS YOU ARE SOBER.