Requests beforehand

Check what the process is for the festival you are attending. Try to submit your access request at least a month before the event, and remember that you may be required to include a letter from your doctor. With PN you may want to ask for:

• Disabled parking so you don’t need to carry your supplies too far
• Fridge space if your festival is in the height of summer and temperatures may get above the limit your PN can be stored at – be clear about how much fridge space you’ll need as medical fridges can be really small by default
• Access to the medical tent in order to create a sterile environment to connect and disconnect
• Storage space in the medical tent for your equipment
• Somewhere to charge your pump
• Optional but not essential in my experience: disabled toilets have more space to manoeuvre in while you’re carrying your backpack so you may want to request disabled toilet access, but I managed fine in the regular portaloos. Also you may wish to request access to the disabled viewing platforms as a safe space where your line won’t get pulled. Remember those at the festival with you can’t go onto the platform with you so you might find yourself alone there, so you may prefer just to sit further back in the arena where there’s more space.

Packing

This is just how I did things, feel free to find a way that works for you.

• Divide your ancillary supplies up into connection and disconnection sets, each set going into a plastic bag (I use the ones that my ancillaries are delivered in) that you can grab rather than rummaging around for individual items you need. Keeping the stuff in bags also keeps it dry and clean if you have ice packs in the same container.
• A wheeled cool box is useful both to keep your supplies cold for an extended amount of time in case there’s not enough fridge space, but also allows you to transport and store your other supplies easily. The top can also be cleaned and used to set up. We invested in the Coleman Xtreme 62 Qt Wheeled Cooler and it was really worth it – don’t forget to clearly label it as yours with your phone number so no one uses the supplies.
• Take extras of everything, including dressings, PICC extension, Stat lock (if applicable), anything that can reasonably be replaced by a medic while there. Take extra fluids and extra PN too – connecting while tired and in unfamiliar and sometimes hectic environments can mean you make mistakes you wouldn’t usually make and you don’t want to be caught short or find yourself driving home for supplies you didn’t pack extra of. Don’t rely on the medical tent having the right supplies (e.g. sterile gloves, sanicloths).
• Pack frozen cool blocks wrapped in tea towels. The blocks shouldn’t directly touch your fluids or PN as they may cause ice crystals to form which prevents you being able to use them. We found packing cool packs kept the cool box within safe temperatures for the full four days despite temperatures reaching 30 degrees, which was useful as the fridge on site was too small for my PN.

Other tips

• Clearly label your PN bag as being medical. The PINNT label is great.
• Use the disabled access lane – they’re good with bag searches when you’re connected.
• Have someone sit close to you to prevent people stepping close and catching your line.
• Plan when you connect thinking about acts you want to see later in the day so that your disconnection time doesn’t clash with them.
• Keep an eye on the weather and stay hydrated in whatever ways you can/need to.