Heading to the Meredith Music Festival tomorrow? So am I. So while I’m running around my house like a headless chicken today, I thought I’d share some preparation tips with you.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
First of all, the timetable. If you haven’t seen it, check it out by clicking here.
First tip: Be all set up and ready to rock by 4pm tomorrow, because King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are great, as is Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. In fact, that’s a pretty killer line up for most of the night. You don’t want to be trying to piece together tent poles while your new favourite band is playing in the distance.
Which brings me to the next tip. It’s going to be wet. Bring gumboots, a raincoat, rainpants (that’s a word, right?), a tent that doesn’t leak and people who won’t complain when it’s raining too much.
UPDATE: According to Elders weather, there is a potential thunderstorm tomorrow (Friday) and a pretty high chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. In other words, it’s going to be wet. BE PREPARED.
You can’t get any cash out on site, so be sure to bring as much as you think you’ll need. Remember, you can BYO booze to the festival as long as it’s not in glass container. If you bring more of that, you’ll need less cash. Remember though, pink flamingos are tasty drinks and you might want a few more of them
You can’t buy cigarettes on site anymore, so if you smoke be sure to bring enough. You know most smokers won’t, so be prepared to either be generous or an emotionless hard-arse when it comes to Sunday afternoon and the scabs are roaming the fields looking for you smoking one of your last ones after finally getting that tent back into the bag. I’m trying to quit, so if I ask you for a ciggie at some point during the weekend, tell me to get f*#ked.
You can bring a gazebo if you want, but if you try to take it down to the amphitheatre, baby Jesus will cry. Also, Meredith staff will tell you off and that’s not pleasant for anyone involved. So in short, gazebos at your campsite: good idea. Gazebos in the amphitheatre: bad idea.
Don’t forget sunscreen. It’s going to be pissing down on Saturday and Sunday, but tomorrow should be sunny. Nothing worse than complaining about being soaked while you’re complaining about being sunburnt.
You know what else is good? A torch. Bring a torch. It’s going to be dark and you’re going to want to find your way around.
If your phone battery is as rubbish as mine, you’ll probably have to deal with the fact that you’re not going to have a mobile phone for most of the time. Don’t waste your whole festival looking for friends. Organise a meeting spot and meeting times. A tree or someone who drunk so much on the first night that they literally won’t move for the remainder of the festival or a friend with really big hair are some good suggestions for this.
Oh, there is a total lunar eclipse scheduled for Saturday night. Chances are it’ll be cloudy and you won’t see it. Don’t worry too much. They’re cool, but far less dramatic and interesting than a solar eclipse.
Most of all have lots of fun. I apologise in advance if I am standing near you during Icehouse. Either join in with my singing along, or just pretend I’m not really there.
Follow the author Tim Cashmere on Twitter.
Oh, and if you’re after some more concise advice, here’s Barbarion, who rule:
