Katy B

"Take sun cream even if it's cold. Being outside all day you can burn easily. Get a programme, because you'll be gutted if you miss something. But also have a wander – little tents or mad circus acts can be the highlight. And be cheeky! One time I remember some friends climbing over the stage and going backstage. They met everyone, got free drinks and ended up partying on stage with Bloc Party."
Katy B plays Isle Of Wight, Reading/Leeds, Wakestock, Splendour, Summer Sundae, Chester Rocks and more

Ed Macfarlane, Friendly Fires

"At a festival you can afford to be completely scruffy and not give a shit about anything – that's the whole point. I love that feeling of being lost. You meet lots of random people and everyone is somehow friendlier and more helpful than normal. Everyone's sat around making fires and dancing to music. It's about as primitive as it gets and there's something quite amazing about that."
Friendly Fires play Lovebox, Bestival, RockNess, V, Global Gathering and more

Toddla T

"The difficult thing about festivals is getting in and out, so be prepared for that. But once you're in, it's all smooth. You've got kids dancing with their mums and 21-year-old clubbers next to some guy who has no idea who he's listening to. Playing the Big Top at Bestival last year was the best gig of my year, maybe my life. I went on at 7.30, the perfect time – everyone was coming into the tents, starting to get tipsy, and everything just flowed."
Toddla T plays Kendal Calling, Parklife, Glade, Lovebox and more

Xavier de Rosnay, Justice

"You just have to go with the flow because every festival is different. In Japan, festivals are clean and organised. UK festivals are a bit more wild. In the US it's always good weather. Playing Coachella for the first time was great. It was right after finishing our first album – we felt like we'd just graduated. When things are good at a festival it becomes 10 times better because you have 10 times more people around you."
Justice play RockNess, Bestival, Reading/Leeds and more

Yukimi Nagano, Little Dragon

"Be prepared for any kind of weather – I've had a few festivals where we basically couldn't walk. It was all about sliding to get around, it was so muddy. And be prepared for the festival toilet situation, which isn't always the freshest. Festivals are chaos, but that's also the magic of it. When I saw Rage Against The Machine at Coachella, it was insane. I had goosebumps – electricity in the air."
Little Dragon play Lovebox, Secret Garden Party, Bestival, Camp Bestival and more

Merrill Garbus, tUnE-YaRdS

"You're going to be surrounded by loads of people, sunburnt and thirsty, so don't forget sunscreen and drink lots of water. Other than that, you've just got to let go and get into the flow of things. It's hard not to be a passive audience member, because everything is so far away, and there are distractions. But when a performance really draws an audience into the music, then it's that much more special."
Tune-Yards play Nova, Latitude, Summer Sundae and Green Man

Christian Farley, Azari & III

"Expect to meet a lot of music lovers and experience new sounds – a festival is a smorgasbord of styles. My first festival was Lollapalooza. We spent the weekend skating around on our boards, checking all the gigs and getting up to no good. Slowly the haze comes over, the sun goes down and you've got this nice transition into nowhere – you kind of get lost."
Azari & III play Bestival, Dot To Dot, Lovebox, Sonar, Southside/Hurricane, Hove, Rock Werchter and more

Richard Hawley

"I've never been to a festival as a punter, but I have been playing them for 20-odd years and I would imagine that taking a private stock of your own ale is probably a good move. And because of the extremes of British weather, you have to think wellies and suncream. That's me speaking from experience of turning up to a muddy Glastonbury in a pair of trainers. So be prepared, because you want to have the best laugh you possibly can."
Richard Hawley plays Latitude, Mouth Of The Tyne and No Direction Home

Robert Glasper

"Whenever you have music outside, strange things happen. I was watching Incognito at Cape Town Jazz Festival when I looked to my left and saw a guy taking a crap right next to me, acting like nothing was wrong. So I guess my advice is definitely have an open mind. And as soon as you get there, get cash, get food tokens, get food, get that all out of the way. If not, you'll be hungry the whole time."
Robert plays Norfolk And Norwich Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival and more

Ruth Wall

"Surprising things happen at festivals, so it helps if you have a like
of the unexpected. If you're an interested person, I think you'll get
it. I'm usually working at the festivals I go to, but I love seeing
how different people enjoy listening to music in different ways. Time
seems to expand and contract in a really weird way, especially if
you're playing. It always feels a bit surreal."
Ruth Wall plays Cheltenham Music Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary
Music, Orchestra In A Field and Sound