• 
  • Roskilde festival: part one
  • Roskilde festival: part two
  • Campaigning at the V festival
  • The festival newbie
  • Reporting on Glastonbury
  • DJing at Homelands
  • Second year student
  • Home or away
  • Round the world in 18 months
  • Me and M.E.
  • Final year student
  • Learner driver
  • The Yemen diary
  • The tuk-tukkers
  • The young carer
  • Returning to the tsunami
  • Action in Africa
  • Disorder diary
  • The Chinese gap year
  • The bride to be
  • The teenage dad
  • The med student
  • The fashionista
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Roskilde festival: part one

Anthony, 24, decided to go to a Scandinavian festival to see how it's done 'Viking style'. He's just quit his job to work a ski season in Canada, so he's hoping not to break anything before he sets off for a spot of globe trotting.
Entry: 1

Anthony makes his plane just in time to set off for a week of music, mud, and mayhem.

Monday

The tents are up, now it's time to party

It all started with a missed coach to Stanstead airport, which I was certain would mean not making my flight. While I sat frustrated on the coach, mentally whipping the driver into a frenzy of speed, I contemplated the thought of shelling out another £150 for the flight. But somehow I arrived just before check-in closed. After slowly trickling through security I ran towards my boarding gate in a pair of socks, clutching my trainers, and feeling like a newborn calf as I slipped around on the shiny floor. With a little bit of fortune, I arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, 45km east of my destination, Roskilde festival.

Tuesday

After saying farewell to civilisation with a huge feast at the local Thai restaurant, we took the train to Roskilde. The carriages were jam-packed and I began to realise why everyone had fewer bags than us. Carrying what felt like a small car on my back, it was slow going through the campsite with the well-trodden sludge that clung to our boots.

Tired and desperate from hours of searching for seemingly non-existent spaces to pitch our tents, we settled for a spot amongst a grove of trees. After 45 minutes spent watching my friends wrestle their tents in fading light, I smugly unleashed my £25 pop-up tent in a matter of seconds.

Wednesday

We picked a great spot right next to a group of flight attendants who mothered us with cheese and avocado crackers.  Fuelled up, we then decided the time was right to embarrass ourselves by agreeing to go fishing in one of the campsite's lakes. 

Relaxing with a spot of fishing

Chatting with my new fisherman friends, it was a fantastically relaxing afternoon and from within the lush green and blue oasis, I easily forgot there were 110,000 festival-goers living around us.

Five hours and not one fish later, the rain began to fall. Deciding to seek shelter, we made our way to the Junior Roskilde pavilion to check out some of the smaller bands on show. Unlike festivals such as Glastonbury, Roskilde's stage areas are separated from the camping area. Bottles and cans aren't allowed in for safety reasons, but once your wristband is checked, you're in.

Thursday

Today the festival started in earnest and I woke up to find a small lake forming underneath my tent. I grabbed my boots and poncho and ventured into the rain. Despite the weather, you can't keep a good festival crowd down and we were soon jumping around to the sounds of an organ as Arcade Fire opened up. Next we negotiated the maze of people and stages in a mad sloppy mud dash towards the Odeon tent to see LCD Sound System. 

After a quick plate of spicy Chilli we were then off to The Killers and Bjork at the Orange stage. The rain was truly shocking, but people braved it for a chance to see the headlining acts. We stuck it out for as long as possible but as the rivers of water flowed down my jeans and into my boots, I decided I'd had enough - as had many others.

Updated: 12/04/2010

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