Well, that was fun! 

Our Lakefest 2026 competition has now closed, and we’re pleased to announce that the lucky winner of our pair of VIP tickets is Ben. 

Huge congratulations to Ben, who will be heading off to Lakefest 2026 for what promises to be a brilliant festival weekend. The VIP prize includes access to the VIP area, an exclusive viewing platform, a VIP-only stage, dedicated bar in the VIP village, and a pitch included with the tickets. 

Not too shabby. 

And to everyone else who entered, we’re genuinely sorry you didn’t win. We wish we had a giant stack of tickets to give away, because your entries made us laugh a lot. 

You’re a creative lot though! 

As part of the competition entry by email, we asked people to tell us their go-to item to take to a festival. We expected the usual sensible answers. Waterproofs. Snacks. Phone chargers. Maybe a decent torch… 

We did get some of that. But we also got a pleasing amount of honesty, practicality and mild chaos. 

Karen went straight to the point with: “Loo roll.” Fair. No notes. 

Winner Ben, who clearly understands the importance of keeping blood sugar stable in a field, said: “An IV drip… only joking! Flapjacks, and lots of varieties.” 

Gail had no time for roughing it and told us she’d bring: “An inflatable double mattress and full cotton bedding.” Which, frankly, sounds like the correct way to do a festival once you’re past the age of pretending a roll mat counts as comfort. 

Danielle had the memory-making covered with: “A portable charger so that you can take as many photos and videos as your phone memory allows.” And Carolyn offered one of the most practical suggestions of the lot: “A sheewee!” 

Andrew summed up a whole festival footwear philosophy with: “My trusty festival sandals. Hot weather? Sandals. Wet weather? Sandals and then hose them off.” 

We respect this level of commitment. 

Thank you to everyone who entered 

And thank you for giving us a small but useful insight into what really matters at a festival. Not glamour. Not curated outfits. Not even always the music. Sometimes it’s loo roll, flapjacks, cotton bedding, charged phones, sturdy sandals and the ability to wee without drama. 

Congratulations again to Ben. Have a brilliant time at Lakefest 2026, and please report back on the flapjack situation. 

Lakefest 2026