practical advice please
 

can anyone who has been to a (big) festival give me some practical advices that will make my time there more enjoyable? when i get in, there is no going out ( i go in at arround 2 o'clock and stay till about midnight ) so there are probobly lots of stuff i should know/do before i go in......there are 2 stages and the bands that i plan to see are split evenly on each of them so i'll have to run from one stage to another, how far are the stages usually from one another?
cameras and video cameras are not allowed but i really want to get them in, do they really check all the backpacks? do you think i can smuggle it in? this is a pretty importaint question because if they find them i don't know what i'll do, where would i leave them? you know what i mean?

chances are, yes, they will check your bags. usually though they check for drugs, weapons, and alcohol, most ive been to will let you take in cameras, just not video or sound recording equipment but im sure each is differant so you might want to park as close as you can incase you have to run back to your car to put it back. Im not sure what the weather is like there but around here water is the most important to bring. Usually they will let you bring in water bottles if they are not open...some places though will make you dump whatever is in the bottles out (especially if its already open). If they do make you dump the water out, try and get them to let you keep the bottle to fill up at a fountain once you get in (or end up paying 5 bucks a bottle!!) usually festivals have so much going on you wont get bored. you will however be doing alot of walking around so wear comfortable shoes. As far as the question on how far apart the stages are, that depends on the venue. Most stages arent too far apart (like ozzfest for example) but if its a super huge festival like the Coachella music festival where the stages are at separate ends of a airport runway (expect something like 1/2 mile between stages).

Depending on the Type of music you are there for and the general vibe... be prepared for a race to the front of the main stage and then a fight to keep that place. If your running between stages you'll most likely loose youre place.

thanks fenix! however, my camera/video question is even more importaint because i'm not going with a car, i'm going with a bus/train so i really have nowhere to put it if they decide to fuck with me.....and filming it would be so sweet...can you see my perdicament?
yeah, now that you mention it, i will loose my place, and standing at the end is not really what i had in mind ( i wasn't planning to stand infront of the stage either, especially after reading about your experience at reading, i certainly don't want to be crushed and i'm going with my sister so.....)
damn the two stages thing....i just hope they stick to the schedule so i can have some time to go to the other stage and get back in time for the next good band
here's the schedule,the bands i'm going to see are in blue
http://img272.imageshack.us/img272/1235/festival5in.png

Camera down the undies and hope security don't take a fancy to you ;D
Suddenly realised what the countdown is for...lucky guy.

hahaha....funny thing is, i have actually thought of that......but i wear boxers so....and cheers for figuring it out!:)

Generally a one day event such as this one doesn't require as much planning as a 3-4 day event. Stay hydrated, be prepared for the weather, but other than that just have fun.

indeed......i hope i don't have to use the toilette, that's all i have to say......50 thousand people? nu-uh......i'm a gonna do all my crappin before.....:) hahaha.....man, sometimes i crack myself up......
oh, and it does involve a bit of planning when you're travelling some 700 kilometers ,crossing 2 state borders and changing 3 types of transportation ( boat, bus, train).....the word of the day is synchronisation...

so let's sum this up...drinks, food, cameras up my ars, raincoats.......uh....and the tickets......

...and don't forget your sister :thumb: