Belgium may be a small country but boy does it take its festival season seriously. Right around the end of December you begin to get the tease Who's headlining this coming year? I am not the fondest to music festivals, the idea of being in a giant field with thousands of people, shitty staging and overpriced beer is my idea of hell. However in 2018 Rock Werchter dangled a giant juicy slice of pizza right in front of my face, and I am talking Chicago deep dish pizza. Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Nick Cave, Queens of the Stone Age, Gorillaz, Pearl Jam, I mean this is the kind of lineup you willingly trade your soul for in the back of an alley! So without any camping experience, and no idea what I was going to get into, I said FUCK IT and went to Rock Werchter alone.
I have done the lonely thing multiple times, Interpol in Paris, Interpol in London (I'm sensing a pattern here), Jack White in Paris, Iron Maiden in Detroit, you get the gist. However all of these shows were indoors and in a city were I would either crash at friends or stay in a cheap hotel. Despite growing up in Honduras, the land of everything green and outdoorsy, I never went camping (the idea of being outdoors in a tent with 40 C degrees and 100% humidity is not my idea of a good time). I did my research, can I learn to camp overnight and can I go to a festival as a woman by myself and make it out alive? I couldn't really find much on the topic (of going alone and returning with all my body parts intact) so I decided to create this survival guide for all the lonely girls out there who just want to rock on to their favorite bands.
For the summed down version check out the video below. If you are a reader then go ahead and ignore it, get your read on!
1. Do your research
You want to know what's going on where you are going. I value my safety a lot, after all if I didn't die in the country that has fer de lance hiding in the vegetation I am not about to drop dead in a field in Belgium. Wherever it is that you are trying to go to in the world read up on the city and the culture. As much as I love to encourage people to travel and have fun by yourself you also need to be a realist, there are just some places where you should not be alone as a woman.
It might seem tricky to find information about a festival and the way people behave there but for that I recommend Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/RockWerchter/). Most music festivals have a Reddit account and you can ask the crowd how's the fest environment for a solo traveler and the community should be able to give you a good response. In terms for Rock Werchter I had a great time! No sexual harassment (ass not squeezed once!), I didn't see a fight or get into one, not a lot of drug use and there weren't super wasted brosefs. Overall for safety as a woman this fest gets a thumbs up.
You also want to check up on the weather. Werchter is well known for having some rainy shows so make sure you check out the vibes for mother earth on that weekend and be prepared.
2. How do I get there?
Long story short you will probably want to land in Brussels if you are flying in for it. Once in the city you take a short train ride to Werchter (which is free with your ticket purchase just make sure your print it or save it to your phone) and from there there will be plenty of signs pointing to the bus that will take you to the festival park. Don't worry it's not that long of a ride and depending on your arrival it won't be too full. The walk between the bus stop to the camp site is a bit long though so plan your packing with this in mind (I sure as hell regretted bringing so many outfits and snacks for a bit).
3. The tickets (festival and camping)
Tickets wont sell out instantly, single day passes will be hard to get depending on the artist. I purchased my four day pass in late April and was fine. The thing that will be selling out pretty quick though is the camping accommodations. Since I was trying to do the festival on the cheapest side as possible I took the cheapest option in camping Regular A1.
Speaking of camping A1 it is the closest campsite to the entrance of the park. It might feel like an eternal walk when you are coming in but at the end of a long day of rock n roll and dancing the short distance to your tent home is really an A+. A1 may be the cheapest but soundcheck here sounds great, woke up to the Arctic Monkey's "Star Treatment".
If camping is sold out and gone don't fret! I got my A1 camping ticket through Ticketswap (https://www.ticketswap.com/), the Stubhub of Benelux, for it's original price just be aware that the longer you wait the less of these will be out there.
4. The tenting situation
Ok we made it this far! You got your transportation, you know where you are sleeping now you just gotta make it happen. I have taken the liberty of sharing my list of shit that kept me alive from Brussels to Werchter. Before I get to the list I will give you the friendly advice of getting a ready made tent. These fuckers are really great they really just pop out and bam there are ready to live in. The problem is putting them back into their pouch. Some people never get it so make sure you practice at home otherwise you will find yourself in the god awful exhausting situation of what the fuck do I do with this now?
Where do I put it? (ha, that's what he said)
Not underneath a hill. If it rains (it will) all the water will wash your tent away to the river of sadness that is your life
Not in the middle of a million tents that look alike because let's face it you will never find it again
DO place it near a tree for some shade
DO check that tree for bees or other living creatures on the ground
DO place the tent near a path, it is always a good way to find it again and people are less likely to break into your tent if they know they'll be easily spotted
DO NOT leave your tent behind when the festival is over, that's just not cool
DO make a sign for it so you know which one is yours
DO take a picture of it once it is set up. When you feel you lost it just check out the picture and see what was around your tent for easy spotting
BE GREEN
Shit that kept me aliv
Toilet paper
Trash Bags (1. For trash and 1. for your nasty clothes)
Body Soap, tooth paste, lotion, deodorant, make up remover, makeup (Stila Stay all day liquid lipstick and Urban Decay All Nighter Spray are my jam), Q-tips, nail clippers
Reusable water bottle
Towel and flip flops
Small flashlight
Powerbank (this dude is the shit,4 charges and compact https://www.anker.com/store/powercore-13000/A1215011)
Small pillow
Lightweight inflatable mattress
Sleeping bag
SNACKS
Small bag for carrying wallet and snacks into fest
Hair clips and hair ties
Dry Shampoo
Tent
Comfortable shoes I was ok with murdering (they were never the same after 4 days)
Pocket raincoat
Headphones
Earplugs and eye mask
Sunblock
Sunglasses
Cap
5. Showers, toilets and prices oh my!
The crappy thing about camping A1 is that you have to pay to use the toilet and the shower facilities. It costs about 5 euros (cash only) to get a shower and 0.50 to use the toilet. I was there for the full 4 days and squeezed in two showers (nasty I know but times are tough). The best time to go is either really early in the morning or really late at night (for safety purposes try doing it when there are many people around the area). The water will be cold as fuck and it will suck but you (and your neighbor who can smell you) will want this shower. The toilet in the festival ground is absolutely free so use that fucker as much as you can before you go back to your tent for the night, gotta save those pennies!
6. The money, the coupons, the food and the drink
Rock Werchter is CASHLESS. It works on a coupon system which you can purchase at many spots even with Bancontact. I purchased around 50 euros in tickets for the 4 days and tried to make it work. A friendly couple who was leaving the fest gave away some of their leftover coupons for the weekend which really helped out. Lifehack: if you recycle your bottles and cups used throughout the weekend you can exchange them for drink tickets! There is plenty to pick and chose for food, if you are a foodie this area will not impress you, pizza had never brought me disappointment until I had one from here.
7. To be or not to be FRONT ROW
I am hardcore. I also have astigmatism and myopia and believe in the power of being front row and seeing stuff in HD. Rock Werchter has a three tier safety system for crowd control. There are three barricades separating the Main stage and the ocean of people. The front row pit is easy to access you just need to walk in when the lights on both sides of the pit have a green arrow. Expect that the closer it is to the headliner taking the stage the fuller this pit will be and you might not be able to access it so plan accordingly.
I was front row for the 4 days of the festival, it can be done but it wont be easy.
So yeah this is a to be front row situation, fuck seeing from far away. If you want to stare at a screen just watch the livestream at home.
If you want to secure a spot holding on to the barricade be sure to get into the park as soon as the doors open and scope out the area. Enjoy your time but make sure you keep coming back to check on the flow of people going in and out of the pit. Those snacks I told you to keep in your bag, this is where they come to bring you back to life!
I have so many stories from just being front row at a show, I got drenched in wine by Matt Berninger, shared my Halloween costume Batgirl cape with Alex Turner, got Jack White's guitar pick (and probably cried a bit when it happened too).
The bottom line is if you want it do it, on the plus side you wont get an obstructed view from that girl who is sitting on her boyfriends shoulder for the whole show!
8. Save your pennies and score some freebies
The festival merch is actually pretty awesome. I still regret not buying one of the shirts I saw on the first day. The problem with the merch is that it is really good looking so it will sell out fast. If you see something get it right there and then! If you can't afford the merch do not fret. Many of Rock Werchter's sponsors have their own booths throughout the festival so make sure you check them out for free merch. Last year Proximus was handing away free caps at their playground and Deloitte had free sunglasses at their bar. The cheapest souvenir I got was the set of Rock Werchter pins of 3 that I now proudly wear on my jackets.
9. Plan your day, get the app
So much cool stuff will be happening around you that you will forget that David Byrne was playing in a different stage (so much regret). Download the app and make sure you select the artist you want to see on each day so you wont do a massive dick move like mine. The app works well if your phone is on offline mode and just in case there is free WIFI on the festival ground. (yay to all of the INTERWEBS)
10. Alone, together
Finally the last thing you need is the vote of confidence to do it all alone. It may seem terrifying to spend 4 days with no one else but yourself but guess what? You will make friends in no time. You are all sharing the same miserable experience, you are all sleeping on the floor, you hate the heat and the sunshine and you are excited for the same people in black skinny jeans to come out and rock your socks off. On the last day of Rock Werchter I met so many women who ventured on the solo journey just for the lineup, a girl was there from Denmark, one from New Zealand and one from Peru. There was even a girl who brought party hats and balloons for the whole front row so we could sing happy birthday to one of the Arctic Monkeys. It's little things like this that make you feel a part of a community. For remember there's always other loony's like you who said fuck it and went to it alone, together.
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