My Splendour In The Grass Experience and What You Need To Bring
My Top 10 Tips for Splendour In The Grass
The last time I attended Splendour in The Grass was in 2012. That’s 7 years ago. So when Rimmel London asked me to attend the music festival with them. I couldn’t say yes quicker. I’ve always had a huge passion for music and love seeing my favourite musicians perform. So Nick and I packed our bags and headed off on a 2 hour drive to Byron Bay.
Now Splendour in The Grass is a completely different festival from 7 years ago. When Nick and I arrived at the Splendour Grounds in North Byron Parklands, Wooyung. We were amazed at how it had changed. Everything was more organized and the venue was absolutely breath-taking. From endless grassy fields to a variety activities (other than music). A Tantalising mix of food stalls. Because you know food is a key essential factor of festivals! Everything was bigger and better.
Rimmel London gave us the ultimate VIP Experience. Which included access to The Gold Bar and side stage viewing area to see musicians. So you could avoid the crowds. And be up close and personal with you favourite acts. The Gold VIP package also gives you quick access when first entering the festival. Which was great for avoiding the queue.
I was so amazed at how the festival had changed and it reminded me of the time the music festival was held in Woodford. So I thought why not share my experience and Top 10 essentials for going to Splendour In The Grass. Let’s get into it!
1. DAY CAR PARKING PASS
Now if you are not a big drinker and want to enjoy some music alongside all the festival stalls. Book yourself a day parking pass. Trust me it makes your whole experience so much better. Not only do you have access to your car. BUT if you’re like me you like to have some extra clothes or snacks at the ready. It’s the next best thing. You might think that getting to your car is a hassle but it’s not. Splendour in The Grass offer a shuttle back and forth from the venue. It comes around basically every 15 minutes. Trust me it’s super handy.
2. BRING A WAIST BAG OR SMALL BAG
PRENE BAGS
Splendour in The Grass has very strict bag policy. You can’t bring in big backpacks or large bags. So when you pack for your day at the festival pack light. That’s why I chose to wear my two favourite Prene Bags.* Why? Prene Bags are made out of neoprene making them super durable. And durability is a must when at a music festival. It can get quite dusty and neoprene bags are perfect for keeping your items clean and safe. Plus they are extremely lightweight making it easy to carry around for the whole day.
The reason why I brought two options was because during the day I would carry my XXS Blush Pink Neoprene Crossbody Bag. I was able to carry my essentials lip balm, wallet, two phones and charger plus cables. Along with a lightweight rolled up scarf just incase it got chilly and my small camera. Then at night I would just carry my lip balm, phone, charge and wallet. Which fitted neatly into the Prene Black Bum Bag.
You can shop the Australian owned bag brand Prene Bags here.
3. BRING A SCARF
Splendour in The Grass is on farm land so most of the walk ways are dirt. When everyone from the festival starts walking across them dust starts to fly. That’s why I think it’s super hand to bring your own scarf.
Not everyone wants to be bringing a big scarf but even a bandana can work. This way you can incorporate it into your outfit like I did. I tied it around my neck and it worked perfectly with my outfit. As I am quite sensitive to dust this was a god sent at times.
3. YOU CAN RECYCLE CUPS
Splendour in The Grass has put their focus on being environmentally friends. So they have this amazing system for reusable cups. Basically how it works if you buy a drink at one of their free standing bars. So not inside a venue like The Winery.
You will have to put down a $2 deposit for a reusable cup + the price of your drink. Now this is where the fun starts. You can collect cups laying around the festival. And submit them back at the redemption booth near the entrance. For each cup you return you get $1. It’s a great idea and could help you earn money at the festival. That’s if you collect enough cups!
4. EXPLORE THE WHOLE GROUNDS
Make sure to the explore the venue. There is so many places to visit. And to be honest I didn’t even have enough time to see them all! From the kids splendour area to The Winery and The Iconic Laundromat Music venue. Yes you heard me Laundromat basically you crawl through a washing machine into a music venue. Now that’s fun! That’s only a few of the cool experiences you can have.
5. WEAR WELLIES
WELLIES
As I mentioned before Splendour In The Grass can get dusty and rain sometimes. So you don’t want to be rocking your favourite pair of shoes throughout the festival. They will get ruined trust me! That’s why I chose the ever trusty Wellies Australia* as my shoe of choice. Seriously these shoes are magic!
Wellies Australia is an Australian owned company that specialise in Wellies. They offer a vast range of gumboots going up to a size 11. Perfect for big footed ladies like myself. Wellies let you know all the details of the product down to fabrication. So when selecting my ideal wellies. My shoe of choice was two vegan friendly pairs that were fleeced inside. The Original Fleeced Ankle Boot by Stormur which were black and a funky pair of the Fleeved V Salmon Wellies.
The Wellies were perfect through out the day. Bonus factor was when it got cold the fleece kept my feet toasty warm. I didn’t even wear thermal socks and my feet were fine. Another cool thing is when I got home I simply wiped them down with some water and they were as good as new. Now isn’t that better than ruining your favourite pair of sneakers? You can check out Wellies Australia’s whole range here.
6. LAYER UP
When the night falls at Splendour In The Grass it gets cold. Seriously cold, so ladies and gents it’s best to layer up. I was wearing two jackets each time. Why? Because my last Splendour 7 years ago I literally got so sick it was horrible. So avoid this bring layers. I find layering a denim jacket with a bomber is the perfect combination. This way you can coat check the larger jacket and rock your lighter one during the day as you wish.
7. BRING SNACKS
Bringing snacks is essentials especially if you are on budget. In my Prene Bags I was able to store tiny teddies and lollipops. Perfect for when you waiting in between acts and don’t want to lose your spot. The wait between acts can be 45 minutes long and yes you might want to go exploring in between. But if you are anything like me. You’ll want to hold tight and keep you spot for the best viewing point.
Another aspect to note when it comes to food. Is that the festival caters to a variety of dietary requirements. Make sure to ask because sometimes they will have just what you need! For example there was this epic Thai food place and they didn’t advertise vegan. But guess what we just asked and they had vegan Pad Thai. Seriously delicious I died and went to food heaven.
8. BE SUNSMART
I’m all for fashion but protect your skin and eyes! The sun can be quite harsh during the day. Classic Australian summer weather goes from one extreme to another. So having the adequate fashion accessories to make sure your sun-smart is imperative.
9. DON'T RELY ON YOUR PHONE TOO MUCH
Just note if you are heading to see a musical act your phone might lose reception. Depending on the crowd size and location. It can be hard to text or call, so make sure you have your friends close.
10. ENJOY!
Most of all enjoy yourself and have fun. Because that’s what it is all about. Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed my tips.
