10 Top Tips on how to Survive Festival Toilets

This summer’s festival season is in full flow, and what better way to experience amazing live performances than by taking a weekend off work and enjoying the freedom of camping and live entertainment with a bunch of friends. The festival market has grown hugely in the last decades, with professional event planners getting ever more sophisticated in responding to what customers want.

Camping is part and parcel of the experience, and this is where many people have a real problem. You can buy the poshest tent, the cosiest sleeping bag and a trailer-load of cool camping gear to compensate for your usual home comforts, but what about your personal hygiene needs?

Horror stories of filthy, hole-in-the-ground type loos abound; it’s the stuff of festival lore and nightmares, while showers – what showers?! OK, so the events industry has come a long way since the early days of Glastonbury but it is still the case that most festival goers will do anything they possibly can to minimise the need to use the sanitary facilities provided.

With that in mind, here are 10 useful tips on how to get through the festival weekend without feeling totally grossed out.

1. There will be several toilet blocks dotted throughout the festival site. The ones closest to the arena, the main stages and the shopping area will be busiest, filthiest and have the longest queues. Better to head to more ‘residential’ camping areas with less traffic – meaning an altogether less unpleasant experience.
2. Many festivals will have regular as well as upgraded toilet facilities – white cubicles with near-reality WCs and hand basins instead of the standard blue/green plastic festival bogs we all know and loathe. Search them out on the first day and make a beeline for them every time nature calls.
3. It goes without saying that you should take your own stash of toilet rolls, as the officially provided supply tends to run out sooner than you can say ‘water repellent sandpaper’. Baby wipes are another essential personal hygiene item, and especially useful if you’re planning on going showerless for a few days. Ditto hand sanitiser – use liberally!
4. If you can screen off a little bit of private space in/near your tent, you could invest in a portable loo just for yourself. From simple ‘bucket and chuck it’ options to more sophisticated chemical porta potties, the market is flush with user-friendly products to choose from!
5. Don’t count on shower facilities being provided. Come prepared with a washing up bowl (if you’re preparing your own meals, you’ll be needing one anyway), a mild bar of soap and 2 flannels – one for washing, one for drying – and practise essential body hygiene in your tent. Alternatively, more babywipes.
6. If you’re lucky enough to be camping on a hot summery weekend, you could rig up a basic solar shower outside the tent. Available from all the usual camping outlets for around a tenner, it’s essentially a lightweight PVC bag with a hose with a showerhead on it. You fill the bag with water, let it heat up in the sun, then stand underneath it – ta-dah!
7. Communal showers are not as bad as it sounds. You’ll be sharing the facilities with other festival goers (of the same sex!) but you can, of course, choose to wear swimming trunks or a bikini if you’re not comfortable baring all in front of strangers. Many people do. Wrap yourself in a big bath towel before and after, so your clothes don’t get wet or stolen.
8. Private showers are a rarity at festivals, and there are never enough to go round. If you’re lucky enough to spot a block of shower cubicles, do take advantage! Just make sure you choose your shower time carefully to avoid queuing for hours. Aim for the least popular time during the day – about 10pm.
9. A private shower cubicle is total luxury – but it does have one big disadvantage: everything inside it is liable to get wet. Place up your towel safely on the hook provided and put everything else – especially fresh clothing – in a carrier bag and hang that up too. Flip flops are best left outside.
10. Your festival beauty routine may need to be adapted to local conditions. For hair, plaits, hats and dry shampoo are your best friends. And as long as you have enough make-up wipes to last you the weekend, there’s no reason why you can’t indulge in a bit of OTT festival make-up or face painting to join in the fun!

*This is a collaborative post.