I would consider myself a veteran of festivals, I went to loads of them between the age of 18 and 36, mainly Glastonbury, V and Isle of Wight. The routine was always pretty much the same: go to festival, put up tent, have a great time (but not so great that you can’t find your tend at the end of the night). This is why when I got the opportunity to go to WOMAD, I thought ‘Fantastic! I’m up for it!’ But – here comes the crunch – now, I am panicking. Big style. Because this time, I am taking not one but two children with me. And a husband. This is a whole new realm of responsibility, and planning and, I’ll be honest, I’m totally bricking it.
Some of my fears are:
How the hell am I going to know what to take?
When the hell am I going to pack everything?
I have never even taken the kids camping, let alone to a festival – how the hell am I going to cope?
What if the kids have massive tantrums/kick off/run away when we are there?
Worse – what if they don’t sleep and they are crabby ALL THE TIME?
A whole weekend could be very stressful if it’s my job to make sure everyone is happy and having a good time. I don’t really know where to begin, I don’t even have a tent any more! I threw it away because my husband hates camping (did I mention he’s coming too?) good job my friend has been to WOMAD with the kids for the last two years and was willing to share her packing list with me!
So, here’s what we’re taking:
Tent (a four man bell tent from Tesco – £25 – bargain!)
Four camping rolls
Four sleeping bags
Four inflatable pillows
Hammam towels
Ear defenders
A battery powered lantern and a torch
Chairs
Masking tape
Blankets
Clothes including hoodies for the cool evenings
Wellies/Crocs for the kids
Basic toiletries
Basic medical kit
Wipes
Alcohol hand rub
Bin bags
Toilet roll
Cloth
Washing up liquid
Washing up bowl
Bowls
Plates
Mugs
Cutlery
Trolley to wheel the kids about it
Glowsticks and fun stuff to keep the kids amused
The list has empowered me! I feel better just for writing it down, and even better than that, my husband has even bought some of the stuff. Phew, I think we can do this…
Womad 2017, here we come!
About Alison McGarragh-Murphy
Alison is the Editor of The Motherload®, and is also a radio producer and broadcast journalist, a mum of two and a wife of one. Since becoming a mother she has (mostly) gladly swapped a busy social life of gigs, pubs, art galleries and museums for dancing in the kitchen, drinking on the sofa, finger painting and hanging out at the park. She talks incessantly about not having slept for four and a half years.
You can follow Alison on Twitter and find all her blogs on Facebook
Image credit: Susie Blake/WOMAD
Disclaimer: WOMAD very kindly gave us free tickets for this trip, but as ever, we review any experience on The Motherload® as truthfully as possible in keeping with our ethos.
No comments yet. Be the first one to leave a thought.