Our BBC Radio 1 Academy Workshop!
Top Tips to survive the Big Weekend
13/05/15
Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be coming to Norwich on the 23rd-24th May, and some of the biggest names will be playing at our very own Earlham Park. This is an event you should not miss - running for 2 days with three stages spread across the park, it’ll be huge! If you are fortunate enough to have a ticket you do not want to be caught out by forgetting to bring something and not being able to enjoy the festival to its full potential. Naturally, here at Outline, we’ve cultivated a essential festival guide to help you manoeuvre around a swarm of fangirls and enjoy the festival to it’s full potential.
1.Avoid Swifties. You know who they are. Their high-pitched screams drown out all other sounds. They play Shake It Off at every opportunity. They are deeply invested in T-Swizzles romantic history. In other words, they need to be avoided at all costs. If you can’t identify any Swifties in the crowd, you probably are one.
2. Bring a Zorb. Whilst it’s certainly no Sonisphere, if you’re anywhere near the front you’re likely to find yourself being shoved around. If you get bored of glaring angrily at the culprits, bring a Zorb and you will magically have plenty of space to dance. Finally, you can crowd-surf without fear of being groped!
3. With wall to wall coverage for the Big Weekend, the chances are your face will flash across the BBC at some point. If you want to be more than a speck in the distance then bring a sign or flag. The more mentions of local Norwich features, the more likely your creation will be to attract the cameras. If you’re lucky you might get a call from your mum asking why you’ve embroidered the Puppet Man on your flag.
4. Bring a shovel. Your friends have been badgering you for a ticket for weeks, and you’ve somehow managed to resist. You haven’t seen anything yet. The crowds of people begging outside the entrance will require more than a “sorry I’m already bringing someone else”. Drastic times call for drastic action, and unless you want your tickets pinched, a shovel may be the best option.
5. Have you even been to a festival if you don’t take hundreds of blurry selfies? There is a certain allure of being able to say the pixel in the background of your selfie happens to be Dave Grohl. Bonus points if you capture over ten minutes of Snapchat story.
6. Make sure you are sufficiently hipster-ed up for the festival. Flash tattoos are an absolute must for this look – they might only last for twenty minutes while you’re fighting your way to the main stage but they are SO worth it.
7. Another important part of reaching the optimum hipster level is wearing anything involving a sassy slogan. Ladies, I’ve seen you donning those “Fries before guys” tanks, and you know what, good for you. Please do convince yourself that double denim is a good idea; it totally works for you.
8. Glitter and body paint, circa 1990. The rule is that more is more. Let’s be honest, when is the next time Taylor Swift will be in Norwich? Why not try to blind her from the crowd – she’ll love it and embrace the glitter in a similar fashion to you.
9. DO NOT BRING A TENT. Please. I know, we all want to be there as soon as the A-list acts arrive on Sunday morning, but Earlham Park will remain untouched by tent pegs. You’ll be let in at 12 noon, but no one is stopping you waiting by the fence from 6 in the morning if you really, really want to.
10. Crowd-surfing. It’s going to happen, it’s going to be amazing but you’ll need to be wearing the right shoes. Either extreme in terms of footwear could lead to a black eye and a disgruntled crowd. Flip flops are out, cowboy boots are out. Converse seem to be a happy medium and it still gives you that classic festival look. Long beaded necklaces are not at all compatible with this look. Just don’t go there.
by Erin Fitzeimons, Emilie White and Jack Curry