Words by Monique Hughes and James Tait
Yes, July is well underway and that means that Splendour in the Grass is but a few short weeks away. Everything is booked, you’re buzzing with anticipation. There’s just the small matter of figuring out what to do when you get there. The set times have been released and that means that excitement has turned to solemn consideration, and an ‘oh fuck’ sense of foreboding.
“You’ll get to see us all,” they said. “You’ll have the best time,” they said. Well, festival overlords can be cruel because there’s over 100 artists and 12 stages and inevitably you will have some clashes.
How do you make the right choice?
We’ve got a framework that can help you make the hard decisions. Is a framework a bit too much, you ask? A bit ridiculous, given the whole idea is to run amuck in the sunlight, and give zero shits? Well, I’ve been known to over-plan. It’s served me well before, and I’m here to pass on the good word.
You can thank me later.
1. Stay true to yourself and figure out your non-negotiables:
The acts that made you buy a ticket, the acts that make your heart sing. For me, it’s Client Liaison, Death Cab for Cutie, Years & Years, The Dandy Warhols, Holy Holy, MØ, The Wombats and Jarryd James. Right here, right now, I’m making a commitment to them.
2. Align with your friends:
Sure, you have a list of “nice to haves” right under the “musts”. But generally, it’s not just you making hard choices, but also your crew, and festivals are, for most people, about sharing great times with good people. True friendship isn’t giving you the last sweet potato chip from the veggie man truck, it’s compromising on what you’ll see, and working together to make sure everyone gets to boogie down to their fave. Live music is best when shared, whether that be compromising and catching the last 15 minutes of another act just so you don’t lose each other. In a nutshell, it’s having your friends’ backs and helping each other have an epic time.
3. Know your priorities:
What matters to you most? Certainty: the artists you’ve possibly seen before, but you know give a guaranteed blockbuster show? Variety: mixing up the stages and genres? Brag-worthiness: ticking off the major headliners? Spontaneity: throwing caution to the wind and seeing acts you never expected? People: the music is important, but is it more important to connect with your buddies and create memories with them? It helps to think about what matters to you, so when you have to decide on the day, you can do it with confidence.
4. Take a reality check – there are some logistics and pure survival to plan for:
Of all the pieces of advice, this is certainly the most boring and perhaps obvious. Map out your preferred schedule. Build time in between acts you want to see (we’re making sweeping casual assumptions that you don’t have a jetpack to jump from one stage to another, but yo, hit us up if you do) because it will take time to work your way to the front for an act you want to see. WEAR A WATCH and look at it all the time. You never know when you’re going to find yourself walking past a drum circle that your body will not allow you to not participate in. You could find yourself lost in there for two hours and miss out on some sweet tunes. Also what’s cool is when you, y’know, eat and god knows Splendour has some deeeeelicious food. It’s not a bad idea to eat a mammoth brekkie and lunch to see you through the afternoon, particularly if you’re going to have an alcohol or twenty-three. Pace yourself over the four days: you need to spread the energy and love as much as you can.
5. Remember to have fun:
ALWAYS remember you’re there to have fun first and foremost. Be prepared that things won’t go according to plan, be open to things changing. No one likes that guy who became so overwhelmed with the choices he had to make, and was found whimpering in the corner of the foodstands, rocking back and forth while clutching a miserable gozleme.
Plan all you like, really. It does help, particularly for over-planners like yours truly. But I know that for me, while there are countless artists I’m aching and hoping to see, I really just want to have a swell time with my friends. The fact that I can see some of the best acts around at the moment whilst doing so is just an added bonus.