FUSS-FREE FESTIVAL GUIDE
THE festival season is in full swing, reaching a peak next month. Though fun, such events provide rich pickings for opportunistic crooks. To ensure the only thing you lose is your inhibitions, follow The Mail on Sunday’s guide to worry-free concert going
FESTIVAL fan Bo-Dee Kelly is taking no chances when she heads to the BoomTown Fair in Winchester next month. Having had a phone stolen and a number of cameras and mobiles lost or damaged at previous events, she is going gadget-light.
She will be leaving her smartphone and fancy camera at home in North London, arming herself instead with a cheap pay-as-yougo phone and a disposable camera. She will also be using a festival locker to store any other valuables she chooses to take.
Twenty-three-old Bo-Dee is one of nearly five million people aged 18 to 35 who will hang out at a festival this summer, either in the UK or abroad. Between them they will pack an estimated £1.8million of gadgets, according to insurer Protect Your Bubble.
But as Bo-Dee can confirm from personal experience, a mix of alcohol and high emotions can make revellers more vulnerable to losing their belongings. Visitors routinely pack phones, laptops and tablets alongside waterproofs and sun cream, even though hundreds will see these possessions damaged, lost or stolen. Many will have their tents pinched lock, stock and barrel.
Last year, the cost of thefts during the festival season exceeded £270,000, according to insurer Policy Expert, which used data from a Freedom of Information request to police forces in areas where festivals are held.
The top five riskiest festivals last year in terms of pickpocketing were South West Four, held in Clapham, South-West London (one in 640 chance of being pickpocketed); Wilderness in Oxfordshire (one in 770); The Great Escape in Sussex (one in 830); Reading (one in 880); and Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire (one in 1,100).
The chance of having a phone stolen is thankfully slim considering the numbers attending but the likelihood of losing or damaging items is greater.
Bo-Dee, a music industry professional, says: ‘After my experiences my advice is to use a locker at the venue, even if you have to pay a few pounds for it. That way you don’t need to worry about your valuables.
‘Also, get hold of an elasticated lanyard so you can attach your phone to it in a pouch. With all the jumping around you do when dancing to the music there is a risk of it falling out of your pocket.’
To be doubly safe Bo-Dee is planning to buy a £10 pay-as-yougo phone before she goes to the BoomTown Fair.
She says: ‘I’ll store a few key phone numbers in it and won’t worry if I lose it. As I won’t have my smartphone to take photos I’ll also take a disposable camera.’
Adam Powell, of Policy Expert, says: ‘Our data shows a distinct spike in thefts over most of the festival period. This shouldn’t deter people from attending such amazing events as they all have security measures in place. But whenever there are big crowds, theft is a threat. Be vigilant, especially with phones.’
Phones, cameras and even tents are targets as high-spirited music fans keep eyes on the stars