All the way from Australia! That’s dedication lol. Don’t worry about not speaking french, most people speak enough English to get by. A couple of suggestions:
the bars in the arena are cashless. You can get a card which you pre load with money. While you can get them at the festival and load them up there too, the queues for this are MASSIVE so you’re probably best off ordering one online (when it becomes available) and getting it sent to you before you leave for France. Unless you like to queue
if you’re a smoker, bring enough with you. The festival does not sell tobacco or cigarettes and the l’eclerc supermarket only sold one brand of cigarettes.
if you’re camping, space is at a premium so don’t leave loads of room around your tent, unless you camp in a circle with other people. Last year the security team moved people’s tents to make room (without permission if the people weren’t at their tent)
I would suggest renting a small locker. I think it’s around €20 for a small one. It’s handy for keys, passports etc. Coming from the UK, I was worried I would lose my passport lol.
Can’t think of much else really! I’m not clued up on transport because I catch a ferry over and drive my car
Hey well this will be my first ever festival and on my own ha. So a little nervous thought I would ask some questions will it be hard as I don’t know any french?
And as I am doing the coach and hotel trip for the whole thing is there any advice people can give me also can’t wait 2016 line up looked amazing
Also the names Grant from the uk heh
Hey,
I finally got a ticket!! 2016 will be my first Hellfest, I’m quite excited!
I’m 24, from the UK, thankfully not travelling alone.
Would love to get to know some other people going
Well, it is. (but then again, I was lucky we had beautiful weather etc.)
I’m trying to get myself a ticket for this year’s edition, reckon I’ll be one way or another successful. But it was my first last year, and I had lots of fun! (apart from the Friday morning, while I waited to get in and I went almost down)
People are friendly, everywhere, and even with little to no knowledge of French, it’s easy to do!
Last year was good, though a bit too hot for my likings. Especially after the forum drink* we had the day before. ]
I got a bit sick, but managed to survive. But it was too hot then. Apart from that little accident, it was great. Met a lot of new people, and found some old lost friend as well!
*)Forum Drink. All info for 2016’s Forum Drink (IN ENGLISH) can be found [url=http://www.hellfest-forum.fr/viewtopic.php?id=17863]here!
Not a all. If my memory’s good, it has rained only in 2007, and a little in 2012. The evening/nights can be a bit cold (good to know if you sleep in a tent). You should be most aware of sunstrokes than rain. We often pass english painful burnt skins…
You can use this link a few days before you leave to know how the weather will be : http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-france/loire-atlantique/44
(On the map of this link, Clisson is south east of Nantes, and lundi=monday, mardi=tuesday, mercredi=wednesday, jeudi=thursday, vendredi=friday, samedi=saturday and dimanche=sunday (and not rainday, so…) ).
@jpkv thank you I was intending to check the weather before hand
yes I went to a festival in UK last year and got badly sunburnt - I realise I’m going to have to be very careful. I will buy a decent size bottle of suncream!
Hi there! I’m an english guy currently living in Sweden. 2015 was my first year at Hellfest, though I had wanted to go for a long time. Going again this year. So… yeah. Hi
Last year was my first year, so I can’t vouch for before then (although I heard 2014 was hot too). Anyway, really hot during the day and really cold at night! It was far colder at night than I expected, so bring something warm as well as something for the heat. No rain though!
Like Quark I too felt a bit weird one day, probably a combination of bad diet and lots of alcohol and the heat, so as much as you probably would want to drink lots (of alcohol) then take it easy during the day if you can.
