Festivals provide a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your family and friends whilst celebrating a mutual love for the festival’s focus. But, when you’re attending a festival sober, it can feel like you’re navigating a minefield.
There are many reasons why you might wish to attend a festival sober, but whatever your reason might be, you shouldn’t miss out on the incredible experiences simply because you’ve chosen not to drink alcohol.
At Wise Bartender, we champion alcohol-free festivals so we wanted to give you all of our best tips and tricks for navigating the festival season whilst remaining alcohol-free.
How to stay alcohol-free at a festival
1. Make sure your friends are in on it
One of the most valuable assets you can have when choosing to go alcohol-free at a festival is a strong support network of fellow festival goers, whether this is a group of friends or a single buddy who supports your decision to stay sober. This can make all the difference to your experience.
They can act as a shoulder to lean on if you start to feel pressure and keep you honest if you start to struggle. Having people to share the sober festival with can bring the fun.
2. Make a plan
If you’re going to a festival then it’s likely you already know what you want to do when you’re there so make sure you plan accordingly. This could include creating a list of all the things you need to pack like your favourite alcohol-free beers or activities for the down times when you might otherwise be having a pint.
Most festivals will allow you to bring your own drinks provided they are considered reasonable for your own consumption but make sure you check festival guidelines beforehand to ensure you’re not caught out on entry.
3. Take yourself aside
Festivals can be overwhelming, and this is exaggerated if you’ve made the decision not to drink. There can be a lot of noise, crowds can become less manageable and you may find you’re not as comfortable being around large groups of people who have been consuming alcohol.
Make sure you have a quiet spot where you can recharge and reset. It could be a good idea to bring earplugs to help you sleep and find a good spot to sit and have a snack when you get peckish.
This might seem trivial but it can make or break an experience that should be spent enjoying yourself.
4. Keep water by your side
A large water bottle is an absolute must when attending a festival sober. It’s important to stay hydrated particularly in hot, crowded environments.
5. Be wary of offered drinks
At festivals, you should never take drinks that someone else offers you. Only accept sealed bottles, or drinks that you’ve bought yourself.
That way, you can always be certain of the ingredients and know for sure that there is no alcohol in them.
6. Stay present
One of the best things about going to a festival sober is that you will find it easier to stay present and soak up every moment.
If you’re attending a music festival, staying sober will give you a stronger appreciation of the set and the skill of the artists. You might even find that the songs last longer, or that you feel more in control of your dancing. Whilst it can be more uncomfortable to ‘dance like no one’s watching’ when you haven’t had a drink, it can create a newfound sense of freedom.
Remember, everyone else is too focussed on having a good time themselves to watch what you’re doing, so enjoy yourself on your own terms.
7. Make sure you get enough sleep
When you’re at a festival, one of the temptations for drinking alcohol is that it can prevent you from feeling tired. When there are many wonderful things to see at a festival, you won’t want to miss out by going to bed early.
However, getting a good night’s sleep and listening to what your body needs is vital in being able to fully appreciate the excitement around you.
8. Remember no one will notice that you’re staying sober
When you stay sober at a festival and opt for alcohol-free drinks instead, it can be tempting to believe that other people will notice, but this isn’t the case. In fact, you might attract other people who are staying sober and form a small community.
Even in this scenario, other people who are consuming alcohol are going to be too focussed on their own fun to pay any attention to what you’re doing. So just enjoy yourself.
Alcohol-free festival supplies
When you’re packing for a festival, you probably create a checklist of everything you need to remember to pack. But, when you’re going alcohol-free, there are other considerations you’ll need to make.
Check out our list of the most important things you need to pack when hitting the festival scene sober
- Large water bottle: A water bottle that you can carry around whilst exploring is an absolute must have, and one that carries a substantial amount of hydration is even more important.
- Comfortable clothing: We all know that after a few drinks, it is far easier to ignore the signs that your clothing is becoming uncomfortable, so you need to make sure you’re as comfy as can be for the duration of your time at the festival.
- Your own entertainment: It is always worth packing a few games, puzzle books or other forms of entertainment to keep you occupied when you need a quiet moment.
- A secure bag: This can help you carry your water and alcohol-free refreshments when you’re not drinking them.
Types of alcohol-free festival
If you don’t fancy going to a festival where alcohol is a hot commodity, then you might consider attending a more low-key type of festival. Luckily, the UK has a love of festivals, from the wilder music scene to a more tame atmosphere. These include:
- Food festivals
- Arts festivals
- Agricultural meets
- Harvest festivals
- Religious celebrations
- Literary festivals
- Jorvik Viking festival
Are there alcohol-free festivals?
If you still want to go to a festival sober but don’t fancy attending one where drinking is a common element, then you might consider alcohol-free specific festivals. These are a fantastic opportunity to meet others who have committed to drinking less alcohol, and find incredible suppliers and alcohol-free companies who live by the alcohol-free mantra.
Wise Bartender are the founders of Somerset’s very own alcohol-free festival. Wise Fest is the pride and joy of our company, bringing together marvellous music, alcohol-free wine, cocktail and beer tastings, and a wide range of entertainment suitable for the whole family.
We aim to spread the alcohol-free message and bring people together over their love of a good drink, great food and live music in a relaxed and joyful environment.
So come on down to Wise Fest and discover all that the world of alcohol-free has to offer.
