In the latest Covid-19 announcement, the Prime Minister has stated that the UK is aiming to be Covid restriction-free by the 21st of June 2021. In light of this, some festivals such as Reading and Leeds have been able to say that, providing all goes to plan, they will be able to reopen their doors to the public this year. As a result, festival tickets have mass sold out, leaving many disappointed and without tickets.
With this in mind, we decided that we would love to help get you all into the summery festival spirit, by giving you some ideas of how you can recreate the festival experience at home. So, if your festival got cancelled, you missed out on tickets or you simply don’t feel comfortable going to a festival this year, or even if restrictions continue beyond the 21st don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
(Disclaimer: This article is intended to give you ideas for post lockdown life when restrictions are completely gone. Please remember to be sensible and follow guidelines. Stay home, stay safe and save lives.)
Make use of the Cumbrian landscape
When it comes to recreating the festival experience, we’re extremely lucky to be surrounded by many fields and campsites to help us out. There are some great campsites around to choose from and providing restrictions ease, you could easily take a group of friends and get that camp-out feeling. If you’re not a fan of traveling to a campsite, why not camp in your garden or a friend’s garden?
Recreate festival-style food and drink
There are many great takeaways in Cumbria that could help give your mini-festival, why not try out the Coastal Eats app to try anything and everything from The Hungry Caterpillar bagels to Number 11's munch boxes, there is something for everyone. If you’re not interested in takeaway food, why not set up a barbeque and grill up some local meat from Wilsons in Egremont or pick up some organic veggies from The fruit and Veg Box Company to grill.
If you’re over 18, why not get some drinks sorted? You could get some local gin from The Lakes Distillery or you could stick with your go-to festival drinks (we’re thinking Strongbow Darkfruits) from your local store to add to the party atmosphere.
Decoration
If you’re keen to make your mini festival into a whole occasion, there are plenty of places online such as Etsy that sell festival lanyards and wristbands that you can personalise to suit you and your friends, you could also buy fairy lights and streamers to help recreate the festival atmosphere. If you’d rather make decorations instead of buying them, there are loads of YouTube videos that can help you create decor that is eco-friendly.
Dress code
Wellies, glitter, face gems, bucket hats, hippie-style jumpers and bum bags- you’ve got to love festival style. To add to the festivities, you could encourage your friends to turn up in festival gear to make any photos you take together that bit more festival authentic!
Create your own line-up
A festival isn’t a festival without music! You could create a festival playlist inspired by your favourite artists and songs or one inspired by the current line-ups set for festivals going ahead this year. Instead of just using your phone to play songs, why not invest in a mini speaker? Some mini speakers can be bought for as little as 10 pounds and they work great! If you fancy discovering some new music, why not check out our festival-inspired playlist?
Did you recreate the festival experience last year when restrictions eased? Or do you have plans for a mini-festival this year? Let us know in the comments below.