Your guide to a more circular festival

Borrow smarter

You’ve booked the festival ticket, planned the acts you want to see, now you need somewhere to sleep. Not everyone has a six-person tent sitting in their garden shed, let alone a garden or a shed. Instead of paying big money for a brand new tent, this is where borrowing can come in handy.

Ask around friends, family and neighbours, and see who might have a tent you can borrow. Luckily, as it usually goes, if they have a tent they might just have a range of camping accessories to match. If that’s the case, you’ve hit the jackpot! Sleeping bags, foldable tables and chairs can all be borrowed from friends or neighbours, (just make sure to bring them back in one piece to stay in their borrowing good-books).

Preloved outfits

Festive fits don’t have to be fast fashion. Take a look around at any outdoor event - retro is in. Finding your outfit in the charity shop or creatively upcycling something at home is always a fun solution. If you’ve already got too many clothes in your wardrobe, why not exchange them at a swap shop like the one at Change Clothes in Dublin, or at the many other swaps happening around the country. We often list swap on our events page, so keep an eye there to see what’s happening near you.

If you turn up in something that doesn’t feel on theme, you can usually find a last minute outfit change at vintage and secondhand festival stalls - though it will cost you. Often there to support a chosen charity, the stock at these tents is usually hand selected to suit the occasion, so you’re bound to find a few gems while helping a good cause. Some even offer a postal service, if you find a few things but don’t want to carry them around, you can have them posted to your home. That way you can shop on the way to your evening of dancing.

Grab a lift

Carpooling with friends is one of life's greatest joys, just make sure you’re on aux! This saves money on petrol and tickets, rather than everyone doing their own thing.

Alternatively, grab a comfortable coach to and from the festival. Many festivals offer organised transport that is simple to arrange.

Sharing lifts, whether in a car with friends or on a coach, is a great way to get the party started before the dreaded tent set up.

Reuse wins

Try to think of reusables wherever possible. Festivals and camping can drum up a lot of unwanted waste when we forget to plan.

Here is our reusable packing list:

• Coffee cup

• Lunch box - for takeaways and snacks

• Water bottle

• Cutlery

• Good quality rain jacket

Want to ditch single use cups and bottles for good? Follow our guide for more information.

Take your tent home

We’re sure you can agree that the sight of a two-person tent blowing across a field on Monday morning is not what anyone wants to see. This can be avoided by a little care and attention when packing away those festival supplies.

Foggy heads on the last day of the festival mean putting away our tents perfectly isn’t always an option. We recommend packing it whatever way you can, then reopening it at home. This way you can clean it properly and leave it out to dry, allowing for proper packing when the hangover has cleared. This ensures your tent will be in perfect condition for its next outing.

If your tent is damaged, try repairing before replacing. Decathlon offers tent repair kits and also runs a tent pledge scheme where they will buy back your old tent. And if there is no saving your tent, you can deconstruct your tent and donate your material. Metal can be recycled and get creative with donating material to an upcycling designer like Attention Attire, who are making the most out of discarded tents and camping gear.

Extra earth points for avoiding these single use items:
Vapes
Poncho
Glitter
Glow sticks Plastic bags
Plastic plates and cups
Wet wipes

Happy camping!