From crowd surfing to showing a bit more flesh than you should, we’ve all seen it or been part of it. There’s no denying that festivals are the perfect place to let loose, immerse yourself in the music and go a bit crazy, but there are some festivalling styles that can piss people off, or worse, ruin the experience for yourself.

Mosh

It’s that moment when the audience parts like the red sea into a circular wall of death. You have two options here: run and push and shove into the closest person when the music breaks down or get the hell out of there, avoiding the imminent chaos. I know which one I’d choose – after losing my camera and left shoe in a mosh pit, I’ve learnt my lesson. You may have experienced moshing at some point, whether in the thick of it or on the edge of the madness, but if you’re new to festivalling, steer clear if you want to come out in one piece. The same goes for crowd surfing, unless you want to be fondled by strangers.

Take photos and videos of everything

Everyone’s guilty of this snap-happy crime at some point. Of course you want to capture the moment you see your favourite band live and show off your videos and photography via as many social networks as possible. However, when you’re filming a band, you’re viewing it through a tiny screen the whole time and not really experiencing it for real. Then you try and watch it back later – surprise surprise – it doesn’t do them justice and the quality is awful. Just get a few snaps and enjoy the show!

Flash your boobs

Girls: sometimes you find yourself sitting on the bare shoulders of a hench guy, enjoying a perfect view (while people behind you struggle to even see the band). You get excited at the thought of being shown on the big screens and strip to your bikini top. You feel caught up in the moment, and just go for it – you flash your breasts. It may seem like a fun idea at the time, until you watch the festival highlights and spot yourself baring all to thousands of people. Awkward.

Push to the front

Don’t expect to get near the front if you turn up late to an act. I learnt this the hard way when I saw The Black Keys at Pukkelpop. It was almost time for their set on the main stage but we thought we had time to see the beginning of another band. Little did we know, the golden circle had exceeded its capacity. When we arrived we pushed as far as we could but it was impossible to get a good view – and we probably irked a lot of people along the way! Learn from our mistake and claim your space at the front in plenty of time if you want to be in prime position for your favourite band.

Look like an idiot

We’ve all seen them – they neglect their welly boots in torrential rain, wear shorts in the freezing cold and don’t wear sun cream in the blazing sun. Why?! These idiots won’t look or feel good when they’re stuck in the mud, catching pneumonia and covered in awkward sunburn marks. Weather is unpredictable, so be prepared for anything. Even if you’re travelling to hotter climes – pack that cagoule. If you’re going to a UK festie – take your sunglasses and sun cream, just in case!

So dance like a crazy person, sing along to every song (even if you don’t know the lyrics) and make the most of the experience – it may not come round again!  And by all means, laugh at those who do decide to make a fool of themselves and document it on the internet. After all, where would we be without that video of the wasted guy at Coachella who just couldn’t get his flip flops on?