Planning a festival? Don't forget these 7 essential must-haves to keep your guests happy!

COVID19 restrictions are largely gone, and the Platinum Jubilee is on its way. It, therefore, looks like 2022 could see a lot of festivals across the UK. Even a small festival or street party can take a bit of planning.

With that in mind, Andrew Sinclair, Managing Director of Get Loos, shares his insight into the seven essential must-haves to keep your guests happy during your event.

Insurance

Hope for the best but plan for the worst. If anything does happen to one of your guests, you want to be able to take care of it promptly and without personal liability. Also, the process of taking out insurance can help to shed light on safety and security in general. Showing that you’re on top of this can do a lot to get local authorities on board with your idea.

Hygiene facilities

Even if you’re lucky enough to have public toilets where you want to hold your festival, make sure you can actually use them. Be prepared to organise your own hygiene facilities if need be.

The term “hygiene facilities” means toilets with sinks. At least some toilets will need to be wheelchair-accessible and some will need sanitary bins. Renting portaloos is the obvious way to go here. If you work with a reputable company, they’ll guide you on how many portaloos you need. If in doubt, remember, it’s better to have too many toilets than too few.

Water and food

It’s strongly advisable to have somewhere festival goers can get water. It’s very much preferred if they can get it for free. Making sure people stay hydrated does a lot to protect against issues such as heatstroke. It, therefore, makes life safer and more fun for everyone.

You may wish to advise festivalgoers to bring their own food. Ideally, however, you’ll also have somewhere they can buy food on site. This should be easy enough to arrange. For shorter festivals, you can buy pre-packaged snacks. For longer ones, you can invite food vans and stalls. Just make sure that they’re clear on food hygiene.

Litter disposal

The more convenient you make it for people to bin/recycle their rubbish, the more likely it is that they will do so. Creating litter drop-off points can be as simple as putting sacks in holders. You will, however, need to ensure that people know what items are to go in what sacks. It’s generally a good idea to explain this in pictures as well as words.

Realistically, you’re probably going to need some sort of litter patrol. If possible, send this round while the event is in progress. Basically, if an area gets messy, people are more likely just to add their rubbish to what’s already there. If, however, areas are kept clean, people are often more motivated to use bins, so they don’t spoil them.

Shade/shelter

In summer, the UK’s weather can get very hot. It is also quite capable of throwing down torrential rain at short notice. For both of these reasons, it’s strongly advisable to have some form of shade or shelter available. This doesn’t have to involve seats (although that can be a bonus). It just needs to be a place where people can get a break from the weather.

First aid

Even if you’re running a tiny micro-festival, you will need some sort of first aid provision. You will also need to ensure that people know how to access it. If you’re running a festival over a large area, it can be a good idea to have stewards with two-way radios (walkie-talkies) who can either offer first aid or summon help if needed.

Lost children/childcare

If you’re anticipating having children at your event, think about what you’ll do if they get separated from their parents. Also, think about baby-changing and nursing facilities.