The festival season is officially in full swing. So far you could have visited festivals like Votvírák, Rock For People, Beats For Love or Fingers Up. But it’s not even the middle of summer, and that means one thing – there’s still a lot of them you can go to. And because I’ve got a team of music festival pro’s around me, we’ve compiled a guide for you that’ll make sure you’re ready for (almost) anything.
Oddly enough, I remember my first festival much better then the last one. I was 16, listened to HZM, Johny Machette wanted to sell me their CD and i got really sunburnt. I was at Votvírák for the first time and my parents gave me one futile piece of advice – don’t get too wasted.
Festivals are full of music, parties and alcohol, but there are also some things you should be aware of. In our guide, you’ll learn not only what to pack, what to be prepared for and what to avoid, but also what are our influencers’ must haves, what festivals the Footshop team’s headed to and how to take care of your favourite sneakers.
What should you take with you?
Packing the right things for a festival can be a tough thing to do, especially if you’re the type of person that can only think of bringing a tent and a sleeping bag. However, there are some necessities that will ensure your stay is as comfy as possible.
a bottle of vodka – You should bring at least one bottle of hard liquor with you to the tent city. Bringing anything expensive is a bit of a waste, because no one really cares about quality at festivals. Plus there’s always going to be some Jäger girls nearby.
wet wipes – Bad hygiene is a common festival issue, unless you plan on booking a hotel. There might not be any showers, and if there are, they probably won’t be very pleasant. We recommend bringing two packets – one that can stay in your tent and one that you can keep on hand.
a portable charger – Your only source of valuable electricity, unless you want to wait in line for the socket. Be my guest if you do.
an old phone – Yes, iPhones are cool – they take nice pictures and you can share your day on Instagram, but some things should stay off the internet and taking pictures is better with a…
ramen noodles and baked beans – It’s smart to take these with you even if you don’t have anything to cook it in or eat it from. You’ll always find someone who’ll share their hot water with you, and you can spend the money you’ve saved on food on partying.
…disposable camera – It’s not valuable, so it doesn’t really matter if you break or lose it. No one can delete stuff from it and you can have the photos developed and keep them for the rest of your life.
an air freshener or a face mask – You’ll remember this when it’s time to visit the portapotty on Sunday.
Making sure you and your sneakers survive
During the festival, you shouldn’t just take care of yourself, you should also watch out for your sneakers. If you’re the type of person that really likes to get dirty, you can probably just skip this part, but if you want your favorite festival sneakers to last till next year, you should get to know the CREP Protect kit.
BEFORE THE FESTIVAL
Use the CREP Protect impregnation spray. It’ll protect you not only from rain and moisture, but also from beer, ketchup or someone stepping on your shoe.
DURING THE FESTIVAL
Use the CREP Protect Wipes in case you accidentally take a walk through some mud or someone steps on your shoe. They’re ideal for getting unexpected dirt off of leather, canvas, nylon or even vinyl.
AFTER THE FESTIVAL
No matter how hard you try, your soles won’t be as clean as they were before. When you’ve finished cleaning all the larger impurities, grab the CREP Protect Mark On Pen – it’s a special white marker for correcting smaller defects.
Before you go to sleep, put a CREP Protect Pill in each shoe. Not only do they get rid of bacteria, but also of the odor left after a three day bender.
Festivals you shouldn’t miss out on
There are tons of festivals around the world and visiting all of them is impossible, so here’s a selection of the best music festivals in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. In case your shoes give up, Footshop has stores in these countries too, so you can grab a new pair if you need to.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Colours of Ostrava 2019
17. – 20. 7. 2019 @ Dolní Vítkovice
This music festival based in Dolní Vítkovice takes place every summer since 2002 and is one of the biggest in the Czech Republic. Four days and fourteen stages with not only music, but also workshops, talks and conversation zones.
But since the music is the main reason you’re going, let’s mention the most interesting names of this year.
From abroad there’s The Cure, Florence + The Machine, MØ, ZAZ and Tom Walker. From the Czech Republic there’s Ben Christovao & The Glowsticks, I Love You Honey Bunny, Mucha, Ventolin and Prago Union.
The four day ticket costs 3190 czk, a one day ticket costs 1990 czk.
Milion+ Fest 2019
20. 7. 2019 @ Denoche Music Hall
The third Milion+ Fest, hosted by Yzomandias and his label takes place in the Denoche Music Hall in Pardubice. Even though it sounds like a indoors event, there’s an open-air performance untill 10 PM, after which it moves inside.
Besides from Yzomandias, Nik Tendo, Hasan and Kamil Hoffmann you can expect appearances from special guests, whose names will be gradually revealed. We’ll also be there.
Tickets cost 490 czk
Hip Hop Kemp 2019
15. – 17. 8. 2019 @ Hradec Králové
You probably won’t recognize any of the names here from the radio. Apart from Czechs you can also meet people from Slovakia, Hungary and Poland here – waving their hands in the air, playing footbag and just hanging out.
You can see artists like Tech N9ne, Earth Gang, Hocus Pocus or the legendary slovakian group Kontrafakt this year.
Tickets cost 2000 czk
SLOVAK AND HUNGARY
Grape Festival 2019
9. – 10. 8. 2019 @ Letisko Piešťany
Grape Festival was originally supposed to be a smaller festival but got out of control in its first year, when around 6 000 people showed up instead of 2 000. Since then it hasn’t stopped growing, recieved two awards and its attendance increased to 20 000 people.
This year, you can see IAMDDB, Andy C, Rudimental, The Kooks and Love To at Grape Festival. Tove Lo should be worth it, because she always shows her boobs at her shows.
Tickets cost 69 euro
Sziget Festival 2019
7. – 13. 8. 2019 @ Margaret Island, Budapest
Probably the only full-fledged full-featured music festival in Europe, or in fact the whole world, that takes place on an island in the capital city. Margaret Island is 2,5 kilometers long and half a kilometer wide, so it can accomodate a lot of people. The festival lasts a whole week and has a pretty impressive lineup.
Wednesday – Ed Sheeran, Thursday – The 1975, Friday – 6lack, Saturday – Mura Masa, Sunday – Post Malone, Monday- Florence + The Machine, Tuesday – Foo Fighters. And that’s just the most interesting names of each day.
The seven-day ticket costs 48 euro per day.
How’s the Footshop crew doing?
We’re not just sitting around the office or warehouse, here’s a list of festivals we’re going to (or already been to).
The Footshop festival queen is Danka, who’ll be looking after our store in Bucharest. She has seven festivals planned this year. She’ll go to Sunwaves, 3Smoked Olives, Electric Castle, Waha, Dakini and Summerwell in Romania and Dance Event in Amsterdam. If you’re looking for a festival buddy and you’re not afraid of the Balkan states, then Danka’s your go-to person.
Our festival guide doesn’t end here though. We’ve got special festival playlists prepared, so go follow our social media or our Spotify.
