With everyone having to become a recessionista in the last year I know that not everyone will be able to hit up a festival this year, me included. But this in no way means you have to miss out on all the fun! Why put up with the horrible loos, unreliable weather and unbelievable crowds when you can do all the best parts of the festival from the comfort of your own home? All you need is a group of friends and a little bit of imagination and you can have just as much fun with your own homemade festival. You choose the music, the food and the venue. You can make the whole thing as big or small as you want it is all about having fun with your friends, recreating the festival vibe and making it an amazing summer.

So get ready to host your *insert your name here* Festival 2010.

Here are some of my hints to get your very own festival under way:

•  Get everyone excited, whether it is 2- 200 people you want to come over, make it authentic and draw or print up little posters like my attempt above  or give your friends tickets to let them know whats happening. Wristbands are always a great festival keepsake so rustle up some of your own for people to wear on the day and keep to remind them of your summer festival fun!
•  Pitch your tent/s out in your back garden or area nearby. Put out rugs, cushions,  for people to laze around, make a comfy area to hang out- they beauty of not having your own festival is you can do it in comfort!
• Pack a cooler or use your fridge to stash your drinks  You could put up an old bed sheet or cheap as chips gazebo from a supermaket for a real life beer tent!
• Make sure you get a whole load of yummy snacks. You could even throw on a BBQ for the authentic burger van smell
• Grab a laptop with I tunes and either listen to your own music, download live albums for full effect or download spotify and you can listen to pretty much anything. A cd player cranked up to the max can get the party started or use Radio one as they often broadcast live from the festivals so take advantage! If the weather turns sour and you have to move your festival indoors the red button service on the BBC means you can see all the live action from the festival and keep the party going!
• Fancy being the headliner at a festival-well now is your chance!  If you or any of your friends are musical why not ask them to come over and take it in turns to perform, invite friends family and neighbours and make it a real event.
• Have a mate work the door and be the festival bouncer for fun, make people flash those homemade wristabands to authenticity!
• Make sure to remember and dress the part, anything goes at a festival but be sure to check out my first festival post to get some hints on what you might want to put on and keep with you to keep you festival fabulous all day long.
• Take the festival into the night by putting out candles or wrap fairy lights around trees or furniture, it will give it such a great summers atmosphere!

 These are all just some fun ideas to get you started but really all you need is a little inspiration and a lot of imagination! Make sure you don’t miss out on all the festival fun by trying out a few of these tips and enjoy a DIY festival this summer, and make sure you come back and let us all know how it goes.

Have fun everyone,

Much Love,

Bx