Tents to rock you gently
Now, even the most high-maintenance festival fan can get in the groove this summer — without the mud and misery. ‘Glamping’ — or glamorous camping — is the buzzword in fields this summer. Packing the GHD and latest copy of Grazia, I forewent my electric blanket for a posh tent in the back garden to give it some welly for a night.
Plush with a double mattress, snuggly blankets, sheepskin rugs and fat cushions, my back-yard bell tent beats the cramped dome tent and damp black-sack ‘seating’ traditionally favoured by festival goers.
The 16ft hut is ideal for four, but can comfortably house up to eight hipsters, as my friends and I discovered — and you’ll be glad of the extra body heat when the sun goes down.
Chunky candles make up for the lost light and a plume of purple incense kept the bugs at bay as the pizza got passed around and the ghost stories invariably started.
There was even a socket for our beloved hair straighteners and an iPhone charger.
Music lovers are splashing out to ensure they remain happy campers for the weekend, says Fionn de Las Casas, of Silk Road Tents — a Kildare-based bespoke marquee and tent company.
“Boutique camping is big in Britain and is starting to take off here,” he says. “Rather than dragging all your equipment into a field, the idea is that you just hop in the car and arrive to this nicely-kitted out tent.
“We can put in anything from an iPod docking station to solar panels or a sofa. We even do a honeymoon yurt [Mongolian-style tent] with a double bed and silk sheets.”
A bell tent like the one I kipped in costs €400 for the weekend and a basic yurt starts at €600 — but depending on the number of plush add-ons you opt for, the sky’s the limit.
“If you split the cost of a bell tent like this one between four mates, that’s only €100 each,” says de Las Casas. “A lot of people spend more than that on disposable camping equipment that ends up being burned or bulldozed into a rubbish skip. So boutique camping isn’t just for VIPs.”
If €100 on top of the price of your ticket still sounds like a stretch, there are lots of DIY glamping options. Budget department store Heatons is bulging with cute, cut-cost camping equipment.
“Glamping fever has definitely hit,” says David Myers, of Heatons. “You don’t have to spend a fortune on equipment to look good in the great outdoors. Some of our most popular items right now include a pop-up tent for €29.50, fold-up chair for €10 and coloured lanterns for €6.”
This weekend sees Ireland’s discerning campers descend on the second annual Body & Soul music festival in Westmeath. But so long sleepless nights and deodorant-free days — boasting an organic banquet, outdoor hot tubs, luxury tents and kids’ zone, it’s like home but better.
“Festival-goers are definitely getting a lot more demanding,” says Body and Soul organiser Avril Stanley. “If they’re going to spend a €100 on a festival ticket — or more, in the case of other festivals — they expect to be able to get some sleep and good food at the very least.
“Most of the people who work at, and come to, our festival are in their 20s and 30s. They’ve done the whole Slane and Oxegen thing and are over it.
“Some have children and want to bring them somewhere they know they won’t be trod on.”
But hang on, isn’t the inevitable rain, squashed ham sandwiches and Portaloo pain all just part of the festival experience — a rite of passage for generations of music lovers who’ve been there, done that and bought the overpriced T-shirt? And isn’t boutique camping, as it’s also known, just cheating?
“There is a perception that you’re meant to be miserable at a music festival and come away knackered,” says Stanley. “But I think music festivals are going to have to start upping the ante if they want to continue to sell tickets.
“We’re taking the idea of what a music festival is and turning it on its head,” she says of the fancy festival, which takes place in the ethereal surrounds of Ballinlough Castle in Westmeath with a capacity of just 3,500.
“It’s not about glamour or decadence — it’s about being comfortable. We’re all having an intense time right now — so why not sit on a plump bean bag instead of a soggy plastic bag when you can.”
And forget wearing a saggy rain coat and Farmer Brown welly boots. Inspired by gorgeous Glastonbury-goers like Alexa Chung and Kate Moss, now a girl’s festival wardrobe is just as important as securing a ticket.
“In the past, festival goers would have worn their worst duds,” says Emma Cunningham, of Debenhams. “But this just won’t do for today’s new-wave music lovers. Things like maxi dresses, cut-off shorts, satchel bags and gladiator sandals are flying out at the minute.
“Even away from the fields, festival fashion has become popular laid-back look for summer.”
Even the footwear of farmers has been given a fashionable facelift in recent years — with the latest must-have Wedge Welly (from €49 available from www.wedgewelly.co.uk) designed to give female festival goers a lift.
High-heeled wellies? Maybe I could get used to the outdoor life after all.
* Body and Soul festival takes place 18-19 June at Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath — see www.bodyandsoul.ie. For tent bookings, see www.silkroadtents.com
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