Ah, the weather. Us Brits just love talking about the weather – rightly so, when it comes to an outdoor event such as a music festival, the weather can seriously change the way things pan out.
When you think of “good festival weather”, your mind probably throws up images of glorious sunshine, wall-to-wall blue skies and warm, fine weather. But, you’d actually be wrong.
What’s the perfect British festival weather?
Ok, hear me out. Overcast, dry, with a gentle breeze.
Why?
Urgh, fight me on this, but wall-to-wall sunshine and hot weather is not good weather for a festival.
OK, maaaaaybe the sun can come out, but only after 6pm for a few hours and to finish the day with a lovely sunset.
Why Hot Weather at a festival sucks
Believe it or not, hot weather at a British music festival isn’t a comfortable affair. It’s hot, there’s no shade, no breeze and you’re in a field with thousands of sweaty bodies and tents (which are hotter than holy hell inside).
Let’s explore why hot weather and festivals don’t mix…
Sunburn and heat exposure
Want to dance and jump around at the front?Think again – if the temperature is above 26 degrees (centigrade that is – not Fahrenheit in case you’re from that one country still using it) – you’ll struggle.
At the front there’s no easy access to water when you’re huddled together in a crowd. Everyone is sweaty, there’s sweaty skin and backpacks all around you and the sun is beating down on your face.
There’s no shade in open fields.
If you get sunburned (which will happen even if you wear a hat and SPF – no one reapplies it properly or stays out of the midday sun) then yourebin for a downright miserable weekend.
Sleeping on a blow-up bed with painfully red raw shoulders? No thank you.
Blistered and peeling face? Nope.
Premature ageing, skin damage, dark spots, wrinkles and potential skin cancer? Absolutely not.
Dehydration
At a festival you do a LOT of walking, standing, jumping and dancing. That level of physical excersion needs lots of water.
Dehydration can happen easily at a festival, even if it’s not an extreme heatwave. But in the summer sun, it’s much worse.
It’s extremely unpleasant to be dehydrated in a crowd when you’re 20+ minutes away from getting your empty water bottle filled.
Bring a reusable water bottle or two (we love the Chilly’s bottle that keeps water cold for 12 hours!) and get it refilled at every opportunity.
Related: Best Reusable Water Bottles for Festivals this Summer
Sleeping in a hot tent is the worst
A tent is like a greenhouse, at least 10 degrees hotter inside than outside.
Pair that with the fact that the sun rises at 4:45am leaving your tent unpleasantly bright from then on makes for a very difficult night’s sleep (especially if you’re crawling back to your tent at 6am for a few hours rest before your favourite act is on at midday)
Quecha seem to have nailed it with the Fresh and Black range that you’ll see eeeeeeverywhere at festivals in recent years. Fresh and black tents have a blackout lining which is really effective.
Why Wet & Muddy weather Isn’t so bad
You may be thinking that a wet and muddy festival sounds horrible, but it’s really not so bad.
Related: Best Cheap Festival Wellies
There are some disadvantages, it’s difficult to walk around in the claggy mud and there’s no where to sit down to chill out and people watch.
But on the plus side, it keeps the fair-weather crowd away so areas can feel a little less crowded.
So do you agree? What is your perfect British festival weather?
Funky Festival Wellies
Before you go, why not check out our review of Evercreatures funky festival wellies?
