Go!!! It is one of the best weekends of the summer!! (V Festival)

Member Name: cstag

Product:	V Festival
Date:	21/02/09 (274 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic Acts, Great Fun, Fab Festival Experience

Disadvantages: Sometimes only the weather!

With tickets going on sale in early March, you may not have decided whether to attend the V festival. GO!! It is one of the best weekends of the summer!

For those who haven't been to a festival before, V is an ideal starting point. It's a lot calmer than Reading and Leeds yet still offers a big festival experience in a safe and trouble-free environment.

The Music

Although the official 2009 line up is still to be announced, V festival normally offers a great range of acts, with genres to suit all tastes. From the pop (Girls Aloud, Sugababes) to the rock (Muse, Kings of Leon, Maximo Park) to the electronic (Prodigy), to the Indie (Verve, Kooks, Corteeners,) to the slightly annoying (Scouting for Girls).

Headlining the main stage for 2008 were Muse and the Verve however the 4 music stage offers an alternative venue (which I must admit I prefer!). Even though it is still a huge area - it feels more intimate - because you can get near to the front of the stage. I saw the Kaiser Chiefs (who I had never been that bothered about before) and they completely won me over with a great live show.

The Prodigy the following evening was truly the highlight of the weekend! A fantastic laser and light show, scarily energetic performances by Liam and Keith at the front, a frighteningly good drummer, and music so loud you could feel the bass in your stomach!

Particular performances which stood out for me also included Alanis Morissette. After the release of her 'Jagged Little Pill' album - I have always thought she seemed a bit 'angry'. However she had a fantastic rapport with the crowd, her voice was stunning and her set was excellent.

The Stereophonics, Kings of Leon and the Kooks also had terrific performances and despite the weather, the atmosphere within the crowd was excellent! The smaller tents also offered up some great acts - Jamie T was a performance which particularly stood out and randomly Goldie Lookin' Chain served up a terrific half hour of music!

The only negative was Amy Winehouse - who was over an hour late, gave an appealing out of tune performance and forgot half her words.
With so many great artists - the hardest decision is deciding who to actually go and see!!

Camping

It is worth getting there early enough to find a good spot preferably away from the toilets (they stink) and the showers (they leak). It is also a good idea to purchase cheap tents, airbeds and sleeping bags from the larger supermarkets (I got fixed up with everything for under £15) as you can just throw them away after.

Whilst some campsites do have showers - don't expect to have one! The queues are normally really long and the water can be really cold! I find the best way to deal with not washing my hair all weekend is to take some dry shampoo. You basically spray it in and rub - I was surprised how good this was!

The campsites also have wardens on 24 hours - this is reassuring if you have to go to the toilet on your own in the middle of the night!

You do have quite a long walk from the car park to some of the campsites though, so be wary of what you pack.

Food and Drink

Although we did take our own food last year, with the good intention of saving some money and cooking it at the campsite - we didn't turn the camping stove on once! There really isn't any need.

There was a breakfast stall in our campsite offering bacon and egg baps - a great start to the morning as well as an ideal way of lining your stomach for any afternoon drinking that you may have planned.

There are plenty of food stalls in the main arena and there is plenty to choose from to suit all tastes. From typical burgers, hotdogs and pizza places - to more healthy alternatives offering jacket potatoes. Prices vary from between £5 - £10 - so you have to remember to budget for that. The benefit of paying for food is that you also don't have to cart it from the car on the long walk to the campsite.

There is alcohol available to buy - however they do have a strict ID policy. So even if you are old enough and you look old enough - you may still be asked - so it is worth taking some proof of age.

Toilets

These tend to get cleaned through the night or first thing in the morning so are a pleasanter to use then. I would recommend taking some hand sanitizer which you can buy in small bottles and keep in your bag. It doesn't require water and does leave you feeling clean!

I would also recommend you always have a torch with you - they don't have lights in the toilet at night (though sometimes it is better not to see what's actually in there!!)

Weather

Unfortunately last year there was a massive downpour of rain quite early on turning the place into a massive mud bath - although this didn't manage to dampen my spirits!

I had learnt my lesson at a previous festival after I had a leaky tent which left me with no dry clothes and a soggy sleeping bag. Now, I always take some black bin bags with me and cover my stuff up in my tent before I go out for the day. These are also great for sitting on wet grass with as they can be thrown away.

If it does rain the best thing to do is accept it. You are going to get muddy but you are having one of the best musical experiences of your life so don't let it get you down!

Summary: Tickets are on sale early March when the line up is announced. Come along... You won't regret it!!