Festival Footwear - What's best to wear?

As soon as the sun starts to shine our eyes are turned to the season’s festival announcements - who will be headlining where, which festival still has pre-sale places up for grabs and, most important of all, what should we be wearing? Festival footwear can be a difficult one to play, given the unpredictable weather conditions. In the last couple of years we have seen mudslides at Glastonbury and extreme dehydration of hardcore ravers at the likes of Download, Reading and Leeds. So how should we prepare?

The Wellington boot has long been the festival footwear solution of choice and there are many arguments in its favour. It is practical. It offers protection from mud and rain and a fair amount of support when your toes get trampled by the crowds. It’s colourful and, contrary to its clumsy appearance, Kate Moss has showed us all how to make it chic with a pair of cut off denim shorts and some simple jewellery. And if you’re feeling creative, customise your own.

The disadvantage of the Wellington book look is that if the sun starts to shine your feet won’t have much room to breathe. Here, a converse-style plimsoll could be the way to go. Suitably comfortable, suitably preppy, it offers a classy compromise between the boot and the sandal, as long as it doesn’t start to rain. Plimsolls make for a better match with skirts and shorts than their counterpart trainers. They are also available in a far greater range of colours and styles.

For showering purposes, be sure to pack your Havaianas. Festival showers are notorious for their nightmarish conditions, especially by day 3 or 4, but a solid form of waterproof footwear should help you to survive the ordeal. Flip flops may also be appropriate when kicking back beside your tent when the sun starts to shine or wandering the stalls between bands. Festival flip flops need to be strong and secure as if you lose one in the crowd you’ll have to fight to get it back.

Though it may break your heart to hear it, there is no place at a festival for high heels and ballet pumps. True fashionistas know when to ditch their more feminine attire and embrace a more practical kind of chic. Enjoy the opportunity to explore a new look and revel in the freedom and comfort of wearing shoes that won’t give you long term chiropractic concerns. Music festivals are one of summer’s finest forms of escapism. Embrace the change and your new boho look. After a four day holiday, your more fabulous footwear choices will still be waiting for you on the other side.