The very best tips for the most fun Lowlands

The weekend around mid-August has been consistently blocked in my calendar for years. No vacation, no work, no family obligations. Sorry guys, I won't be there. Not for about ten years now. I'll be at Lowlands and that takes precedence over everything else. And so it is this year as well. In all those years at Lowlands, I've experienced almost every type of weather, from storms (our big tip tent was blown away) to scorching heat (the king's hat was used to refill the water bottle). Dancing in the rain or sweating from the heat in the Bravo. Anyway; no complaints at Lowlands. I accept that with age the hangovers don't get any better and that sleeping in a tent becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Okay, I won't close the Bravo like I did in my early Lowlands career. I even caught a movie once. Well, the years do add up. But still, every year is different and it remains the most fun (and exhausting) weekend of the year. Are you going this year too? Here are the best, most handy, and practical tips.

The packing list

1. The essentials for camping 2.0: dry shampoo, disinfectant gel, Lactacyd wipes, earplugs, razors, and band-aids. You need to survive with these until Monday. And, also important: aspirin. The ultimate remedy for a hangover: ORS. Easily available at the drugstore and works like a charm. Goodbye headache. I also always go for a disposable toothbrush because everything, and I mean everything, gets dirty after four days at Lowlands.

2. A camping chair. I forgot mine one year and that was a pain. While everyone usually likes to share, people at Lowlands can be bizarrely possessive about their chairs. Sharing is not caring, so get your own chair.

3. As possessive as people can be about their camping chairs, the stove owners are quite generous. So life hack: don't bring one yourself, but make sure you're with people who do. Drop hints and enjoy an egg or hot dogs in the morning. And instant coffee. This also applies to the air pump, by the way. Make sure someone brings one so you can borrow it. A little benefiting is allowed from time to time.

4. Stock up on power banks. It's nice that you're not busy with Instagram, Facebook, or other social media (at least I'm not), but it's a bit annoying when you're in the Alpha and can't find anyone. Those power banks don't cost much anymore, so just bring about four, one for each day.

5. When it comes to drinks, my Lowlands group is always a bit excessive and we often throw away liters of vodka when we have to leave the site on Monday. But that's part of it; so just stock up. Better too much than too little in this case. And just bring a few packs of disposable cups. You get trash bags on site and I personally find reusable cups really disgusting because, as I said: everything gets dirty at Lowlands.

6. The air mattress. As cozy as it is to sleep together in a tent to sleep, a single air mattress is really a must for me. Not being jolted out of bed with every movement of the other person.

7. Music box. It's handy if everyone brings one. Because: you can't really charge them easily. And parties at the tent are often the most fun.

8. Get a party tent. See above: parties at the tent are part of it. And since the chance of rain is quite high in our rainy Netherlands, it's nice to stay dry. Of course, it's cozier too.

The campsite

I've been at campsite 1 for years. Maybe it's also known as the grandma campsite, because it's far enough from the 24-hour tent so you won't be disturbed by your air mattress. If you want to be extra grandma, choose a campsite before the bridge. I personally find it too far to walk to the site from there, but it just depends on your priorities. If you want more space, peace, and plan to be away from your tent a lot: go before the bridge. If you want to sleep but don't want to walk far and will often return to your campsite: choose number 1 or 4. If you don't want to sleep, then choose 2 or 3. Especially 3 is the real noisy campsite, but also the most popular, so you won't have much space there.

And about that space: make sure to go on Thursday (the traffic jam on the dike is genuinely fun). You can of course reserve spots, but if you're saving a spot for eight people, you come off as quite rude. And Lowlands is not the place for rude people, so there's a good chance those spots will just be taken, somewhat rightly so. Just make sure you can go early. Lowlands can start earlier too. I definitely don't want to miss Thursday evening at the campsite for anything.

The food

Yes, Lowlands is about the only festival where the food deserves its own mention. In line, I once talked to a group of guys (we were waiting for about three hours, so plenty of time to chat with everyone) and we discussed the reasons why we wanted to go to Lowlands. We gave a whole plea, from the line-up to the group we were with and the nice atmosphere. Their reason? The food. Well, I can seriously understand that. You can really eat well at Lowlands: from sushi to a three-course dinner, pizzas, and falafel and kebab sandwiches (so delicious). Mainly the spring rolls always do well for me because: cheap and a nice snack. Dancing with a spring roll in the Hacienda and I'm happy. Culinary delights, I tell you.

Showers

The showers are of course not optimal. Fine once you're in, but that line... It can be quite tough. The optimal times are early in the morning (but really early, around six/seven o'clock) or in the middle of the day when almost everyone is on site. In the evening around nine/ten o'clock you might still have some luck. Avoid the mornings and late afternoon/early evening at all costs. You'll stand in line for an hour or longer and that's just a waste.

Just less than a month to go and then we can go again. Who do I see there? I know I've given some tips regarding acts you shouldn't miss, but also a bonus tip: just do what you feel like. If you're having a great time at your tent, in the Hacienda, or in the Heineken: just stay there. I've once gone to great lengths to see a certain act that turned out to be not that great, while the rest was happily partying to hits in the India. So don't plan too much. And one last note to the organization: where's that schedule? Excited. For. Lowlands.