IT’S NEARLY THE end of festival season (and the summer, sob!), but there’s still Electric Picnic to look forward to.

If you’re heading to the festival there are always ways to make more out of your experience. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the best tips and tricks from veteran Electric Picnic goers.

Go forth and enjoy yourself.

1. Pocket tissues, people

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The first tip we have, from multiple veterans, is to bring little packets of tissues, rather than lugging toilet rolls around with you. As one of our veterans said:

I do not understand why people bring unwieldy rolls of toilet paper when you can just bring a couple of packets.

Chances are you’ll be wearing something with pockets so stick a pack in there and away you go.

2. Rest easy – or easier, anyway

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To ensure that you get at least a little sleep over the course of the weekend, you’d be advised to bring an inflatable mattress. According to our Electric Picnic expert:

First time I brought one to a festival was a total game changer.

Even a yoga mat underneath your sleeping bag will help. Rest well – you’ve loads to do.

3. Treat yo’self to a hair wash

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If you’re feeling flash (or just manky) you can head to the hair salon, Pink Pamper Hair and Beauty, beside the Jimi Hendrix campsite, and treat yo’self to a wash and a blowdry. They offer all sorts of services to chill you out, and you can even get your make-up done while you’re there. Fancy.

4. Bring a scarf and douse it in perfume

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Considering there are 55,000 people camping in a muddy field for three days straight, with the best will in the world, there are going to be some less than pleasant smelling places, at times. So bring a scarf, douse it in perfume and you’ll have sweet smells all around you.

5. Don’t over plan

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Don’t overdo band scheduling – have a handful of must-see acts each day and just go with the flow the rest of the time.

Failing to plan is planning to fail and all that, but our experts say it’s better to plan the main acts you want to see and go with the flow the rest of the time. You’ll discover bands you didn’t know existed, bump into people you haven’t seen in ages, find things you’ll never have expected (see below) and just generally have a more chill time.

6. Check out Body & Soul for the up and coming acts

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Body & Soul is ‘a festival within a festival’ and the place to go if you’re looking for acts that haven’t made it big yet.

Take some time to research who’s playing the smaller stages, the Body & Soul area are good at getting people on the way up.

So, you too can say, disparagingly, ‘I saw them before they were famous’ someday, too.

7. Do find the quirky parts of the festival

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Electric Picnic is about much more than the music. There are all sorts of cool and unusual things to do from the Theatre of Food to the poetry slams, theatre stage, Irish language fun fair, Anachronica, the abandoned city in the woods, and the 40-tonne French trawler where ‘raspy minstrels are hoodwinked into performing’. Who knows who or what you’ll come across there.

Are you heading to Electric Picnic this year? What valuable tips do you have? Let us know in the comments below.

If you’re heading to Electric Picnic and you’re a Three customer, you’re in luck. 3 Live at Electric Picnic means you get much more – from screenprinting a souvenir t-shirt, to secret gigs, silent discos and screenings. And you can pick up a power pack to charge your phone for just €10 so you’re never out of juice. Head over to 3 Live at Electric Picnic to find out more.