DIY FESTIVALS: OUR BACK GARDEN GUIDE

2020 is the year of cancelled gigs, shows, and festivals. Undoubtedly any lover of live music has had opportunities ripped from them this year due to the devastating impacts of COVID-19. But, fear not - there are options you can take to create a great festival atmosphere in your garden. It might not be as rowdy as Reading & Leeds Fest, or as crowded as Glastonbury, but it’ll be enjoyable nonetheless.

DECOR You cannot host a festival without a tent. Whether you own a 4-man family tent, or a tiny 1-person space, the first stage to creating your home festival is to pop this up.

Once it’s up and functional, decorations are needed. Bunting and fairy lights are definitely two staples to a festival tent - it’s how you know it’s yours when stumbling back from a late night/early morning set. Sure, you won’t need to go through the tedious process of stumbling over other people’s tent pegs, desperately trying to find your own. But, a pretty tent makes for a perfect festival setting.

Also, if there’s space it’s worth glamping it up a bit. At a proper festival, you don’t get the pleasure of this, and may have issues with mud, untidiness and intense sweatiness. At your own home-made festival, it’s definitely a great opportunity to make the tent glam and comfortable. Add a mattress, or numerous different, multi-coloured blankets, to make the space as cosy as possible.

MUSIC Obviously, the main part of a festival is its performances. You can do without all the sparkle and decor (idk why you would, though) and just enjoy the performances they have to offer. BBC iPlayer have a plethora of various performances available to watch from Glastonbury Festival over the years.

If you’re not a fan of the sets from Glastonbury, then fear not - YouTube is your new best friend. You can find pretty much any artist’s sets from most popular festivals online, whether it be through a professional, verified video or a fan video. Either way, you can witness the talents of your favourite artists.

OUTFIT People often spend weeks planning their festival outfits. And, just because it’s at home, you should continue to make this effort. Sparkles, bright colours, funky patterns, and anything that makes you feel comfortable and confident is best to choose here.

FOOD & DRINK Festival appetisers are commonly unhealthy. They have to make it fast in order to serve thousands of people each hour. So, it’s vital your food and drink matches this standard.

Buy a couple oven pizzas (or splash out on a takeaway), cook some burgers on a disposable BBQ, get in all the alcohol that you find (or any nonalcoholic fizz), and you’re set.

Make sure to set up a couple of fold-up tables around the tent, as your own personal bar or takeaway place.

GEORGIE HOLMES