12 festival safety tips for your next summer festival

With more celebrations gearing up with the summer sun, we at Kabayan Remit have prepared the top 12 festival safety tips you need to know before your well-deserved day (and night) out.

Prepare note-taking apps and take these down.

Just like the vibe, event security varies among different festivals. For example, according to Stage Hoppers, the TRNSMT Fest in Glasgow, Scotland tallied 60 crimes in five years, making it one of the safest festivals in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the Creamfields Festival in Cheshire, England experienced more than 1,000 crimes in five years.

Knowing what kind of festival you’re headed to will help you secure your personal safety, so do your research before you go.

According to Festival Safe—an online event security guide supported by the Royal Society for Public Health, Vision, Voice and Practice—good festivals should have these facilities:

• Toilets – This is a must!
• Safe drinking water and washing water – You’ll need these to stay energized and clean.
• Information points – Sometimes we need to ask for directions or need more information about festival events.
• Shops and food options – Get your merch and meals here.
• A medical team – If you or someone you know is feeling ill, find the nearest first aid area.
• A welfare team – Festivals can be stressful or scary! Welfare teams are there to help you without judgement.
• Security and stewards – Help and safety are musts in large events like festivals.

Before the big day, festivals already share a map of their layout on their official websites.

Get a copy of their map and remember where the nearest toilets, medical and welfare stations, security hubs, and exits are. You can also save this guide on your phone or print it out.

This information will come in handy in case of an emergency.

You can also use a festival map to plan meeting points in case you and your group get separated.

You’ll likely have your phone with you when attending a festival; but according to Get Licensed, you’ll also a go-bag with need these 10 important items to ensure your personal safety:

• Portable charger or power bank – Keep your phone charged even when you’re far from the nearest power outlet.
• Water – There may be an array of drinks at a festival, but you’ll still need water to power you through the day. Be eco-friendly and use a flask or insulated bottle to carry your water around.
• Sunscreen – Avoid sunburn while you’re having fun outdoors, and protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses too.
• Earplugs – Take care of your ears and use earplugs when spending a long day around loud music.
• Hand sanitiser – Avoid catching a bug by keeping your hands clean even while you’re out and about.
• Waterproof bags – The day could start sunny but take a turn for the worse. Keep your valuables safe from rain and mud by putting them in a waterproof or water-resistant bag.
• Snacks – While festivals may offer food, sometimes you just need to nosh on a granola bar to tide you over before the next act or to revive a knackered friend who happens to be a picky eater. (Note: Check the festival’s rules before bringing outside food to their event grounds.)
• ID and cash – Some booths are cash only, so come prepared. And it’s always handy to have your ID with you, in case of emergencies.
• Small first aid kit – Knicks and sniffles are unavoidable. Always bring some plasters, analgesics, and antihistamines with you in case you or someone in your group feels poorly. And if you’re on any medication, bring those too!
• Emergency contacts list – Sometimes analogue still comes in handy! In case you run out of battery or lose your phone, bring a printed list of emergency numbers you can call if you ever need help or a ride home.

A festival day could start hot and sunny but end cold and rainy.

So, it’s good to wear light clothing, but our next festival safety tip is to bring your wellies and a raincoat just in case. Walking around soaked and shivering would definitely put a damper on your fun.

When the sun comes out, put on your hats and slap on some sunscreen to avoid getting sunburnt.

You may want to bring a tote bag to the festival; but for your personal safety, use a water-resistant bag that goes across your chest. Position it in front of you so you can always see it.

Not only will this prevent your belongings from falling over or getting soaked in the rain, but it will also deter pickpockets from stealing your valuables while you’re moving around crowded festival grounds.

Enjoying an outdoor festival requires a lot of energy. Before you know it, you may begin to feel tired and cranky before the day even ends.

To avoid festival fatigue, bring enough food and water to sustain you throughout the event.

If the festival you’re attending does not allow outside food and drinks, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to rehydrate and eat between partying.

Festivals make for awesome memories and adventures, but it will also entail some risks.

Next on our festival safety tips is: Attend these events with a trusted friend or friend group. This way, you can have each other’s backs in case someone feels ill or anxious or in case of an emergency.

Write each other’s numbers down and identify meeting points in case you ever get separated.

According to the National Health Service, “Measles is a viral infection that spreads very easily.”

And Festival Safe reported that festivals have recently recorded an increase in measles cases at music festivals.

Measles spread through aerosols, which are breathed out by someone who is infected by the measles virus. A person can breathe in these aerosols or touch surfaces where these aerosols have landed and transfer the virus from their hands to their face.

Before any spots appear on your body, you will feel as if you are coming down with a cold. By this time, you can quickly spread the measles to other people around you

To avoid catching the measles while attending a festival, follow these safety tips:

• Visit your doctor and ensure you are vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) before you attend a festival.
• Wash or sanitise your hands regularly.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid sharing clothes, sleeping bags, drinks, food, and the like.

Temperatures can rise when you’re partying in a crowded field or arena, and this may cause you to fall ill or feel fatigued. This could be heat exhaustion.

“It can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people – especially if they are doing strenuous exercise in high temperatures or have been drinking alcohol in the sun all day,” wrote Michelle Roberts for the BBC. “It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually, over hours.”

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Lots of sweating
• Cramps
• Dizziness and/or headaches
• Feeling ill
• Nausea or vomiting
• Paleness
• Heat rashes
• Extreme thirst
• Rapid breathing
• Body temperatures above 38ºC

If you or your friends experience these symptoms during a festival, it is important for your personal safety that you cool down as soon as possible. The NHS suggests doing the following:

• Go somewhere cool or shaded.
• Remove the clothes you don’t need, like jackets and socks.
• Spray yourself with water or place a cold compress or damp towel on your neck or underarms.
• Drink cool water or a chilled sports drink.

If someone’s condition doesn’t improve after 30 minutes, they may be experiencing heat stroke. Other signs of heat stroke include:

• Not sweating even if they feel hot
• Body temperatures above 40ºC
• Rapid breathing
• Confusion
• Seizures or loss of consciousness

If someone in your group is experiencing heat stroke, immediately contact the festival’s security and medical personnel.

You may also contact these emergency numbers:

• 111 – for heat exhaustion symptoms and first aid advice
• 999 – for heat stroke

Among the most common festival safety tips is to always stay aware of your surroundings by drinking in moderation.

Have some water between drinks to avoid dehydration, and never accept anything from strangers.

By ensuring your personal safety at festivals, you and your companions can continue having fun.

Always get a sense of the crowd’s vibe and movements.

According to Festival Safe, “If you start to feel a crowd surge from one side, don’t push back. Move away from the pressure.”

They likened a crowd surge to waves that flow and pause. During pauses, walk to the edges of the crowd for more room.

It will also help to look for the nearest exits around you so you can head to any of these points when you want to get away from the crowd.

Remember: Your personal safety is your top priority at festivals.

Take breaks between events to eat, rehydrate, or even nap. This will help you and your friends avoid heat exhaustion while ensuring you have enough energy to last throughout the entire festival.

You will also need just as much rest when you get home. Allot enough time to recover from your excursion before returning to work.

The last thing you want is to be too exhausted to function when you clock in!

And, as a last festival safety tip: Make it a rule that everyone in your group needs to update the group chat once they’ve made it home safely.

We’re still making the rounds across several Barrio Fiestas in the UK!

Visit our booth at your nearest Barrio Fiesta to learn more about our secure money remittance app that lets overseas Filipino workers send money from the UK, Canada, and the United States to trusted banks, e-wallets, and cash collection centres in the Philippines!

You can also explore Kabayan Remit’s features and competitive exchange rates here.