Download Festival Health and Safety
Keep Yourself In The Pit, Not The Medical Tent
Look, we know health and safety chat isn’t exactly thrilling when you’re planning a weekend of proper metal and rock mayhem, but a bit of common sense goes a long way at Download. This isn’t about being boring, it’s about giving you practical advice to make sure you can actually enjoy yourself without ending up in the medical tent or worse, missing Slipknot because you’ve been nursing a two-day hangover in your tent. Your body is going to take a battering between the mosh pits and let’s be honest, the drinking. So if you don’t look after it, it will absolutely let you know about it (and usually at the worst time!).
The difference between people who have an legendary Download and people who spend half of it feeling rough? They actually listened to the boring health advice. But, the good news is that Download has excellent medical and welfare services and have genuinely seen everything (and we mean everything). The better news is that most problems are completely avoidable with a tiny bit of planning and self-awareness. So let’s talk about keeping yourself and your mates in good enough shape to make it through to Sunday night’s headliner.
Medical and Welfare: The main medical centre is usually setup in District X and is setup like an A&E department at a full blown hospital! With doctors, nurses and paramedics all ready to treat anything from allergic reactions to broken limbs. The medical team have seen it all before and are not there to judge, only to help. There are smaller medical and welfare points dotted around the campsites and main stage areas, so if you’ve overdone it with something you’ve taken or are just feeling overwhelmed in general, these guys can help you out. If you feel rough, don’t try to man up or power through, unless you can 100% be sure that it was the 7 pints you had the day before.
Staying Hydrated: Sounds so simple, yet so many people forget that you’ll be walking miles, definitely sweating and probably drinking more than usual. There are free water taps scattered around the site, so use them! Bring a reusable water bottle and fill it up regularly. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, dehydration hits fast and nothing ruins your weekend faster than a bit of heatstroke. The signs are headaches, dizziness, confusion, hot to touch and feeling generally crap. If that sounds like you or one of your mates, find water and shade immediately then get help.
Some Of The Stewards Look Hard As Nails, But Are There To Help When They Can
Sun Protection: Being in a field for four to five days means you’ll be outside a lot of the time and that sun is tough to get away from. So a daily dose of factor 30 is a minimum and make sure you reapply it more than you think you need to. The medical tents see loads of people, with proper sunburn who thought they’d be fine, especially during heatwaves. Sunglasses aren’t just for looking cool but also a must, as you’ll also be squinting at stages all day. And honestly, bring a hat, you’ll be grateful when everyone else is melting under a blazing sun
Look Out For Your Mates (And Each Other): If someone in your group is acting weird and just seems off, don’t leave them to sleep it off. Stay with them, get them some water and if you’re worried, get help. The welfare teams are brilliant and they’d rather you brought someone who just needs a sit-down than miss someone who actually needs help. Trust your gut, if you see something that doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.
Personal Safety: Download’s generally really safe, but you’re still dealing with 75,000+ people in a massive field. Keep your valuables secure, as pickpockets do exist especially in crowded areas near the main stages. Don’t flash loads of cash about and maybe leave the expensive jewellery at home. Most people are sound, but why take the risk?
Know Your Limits: Look, we’re not going to pretend people at Download don’t party but be sensible about it. You’ve got four to five days to pace yourself, you don’t need to go mental on Wednesday night and spend Thursday & Friday feeling like death (those two day hangovers are a real killer once you’ve hit 30+). Eat some proper food once in a while, not just chips and beer. Get some sleep, even if it’s just a few hours. Finally, if you’re taking anything you shouldn’t, test it first and don’t mix substances. The medical team can’t help you, if they don’t know what you’ve taken.
Emergency Contacts: Make sure someone at home knows roughly where you are and when you’re coming back. Keep emergency numbers in your phone, but also write them down somewhere, if your phone dies, gets lost or nicked then you’re knackered. The site emergency number will be in your festival program but calling 999 works too if it’s properly serious.
Weather Emergencies: As we all know the weather in the UK can go from lovely to lethal pretty quickly. If there’s lightning, get inside a proper building or vehicle, tents don’t count! In extreme heat, find shade and water. If it’s properly hammering it down and you’re getting cold, don’t tough it out, hypothermia is real even in summer. The welfare tents are there for exactly these situations.
Go Make Some Noise
Download is about basically about headbanging until your neck hurts and having the time of your life. But here’s the thing, you can’t have a legendary weekend if you’ve wrecked yourself by Friday afternoon. Pace yourself, stay hydrated, eat something that isn’t just beer and nachos and keep an eye on your mates. That’s literally it. Follow those basic rules and the worst thing that’ll happen is you’ll be knackered, possibly deaf, and in definite need of a proper shower by Monday. Which, let’s be honest, is a pretty good outcome for a weekend at Download. The people who have the best Download experiences aren’t the ones who go hardest earliest, they’re the ones who make it through all five days still standing (or at least still conscious). Be one of those people.
Want One Less Worry? Secure Your Camping Option Now
Why stress about buying a tent, when you can hire a decent one. Keep your budget intact and trade storage stress for festival success.