Here’s our top 10 essentials to get you through a week of camping at Benicassim 2010, if you don’t take anything else just make sure you take the items on this list, starting with the more obvious items (some people do forget these things though!), if you’re not sure which campsite to stay on then read our campsite guide:
1) Tent
We found the ASDA £10 “2 man” tent to be perfect for sleeping one grown man, if you want to comfortably fit in 2 people then go for a “3 man” tent. Just remember it’s scorching hot out there so it’s probably not a good idea to cram loads of people into the same tent, all that body heat just isn’t good when the outside temp is 30C+. Remember if you’re flying out to Beni you’ll have to make sure this doesn’t send you over your baggage allowance (especially if you’re flying with Ryanair or another budget airline that is stingy with their baggage allowance). The ASDA 2 man tent only weighs about 3kg so it’s ideal!
2) Camping mat
The ground on all the Beni campsites that we saw is rock solid, some of it has small stones and rocks protruding out, definitely not the best surface for a comfortable nights sleep! However, you can fix this minor issue by using a camping mat, we found the Vango self-inflating mat to be the perfect combination of comfort whilst being small and lightweight enough to fit in your backpack.
3) Clothing
We’d be shocked if you hadn’t planned on taking this already, but we felt we should emphasize the fact that the temperature is pretty constantly 30C + during the festival, so make sure you take shorts/skirts and plenty of short sleeved t-shirts, much of the time you’ll probably end up wearing very little but make sure you’ve got something thin and long-sleeved in case you get too much sun. Also when it comes to swimwear be careful about wearing board shorts – if you’re doing the daily 2 mile trek back from the beach in wet shorts we found that this can cause serious chaffing issues on the inner thigh area (especially with the longer variety of board shorts).
4) Footwear
Flip flops are an absolute essential otherwise you’ll be living in sweaty feet city. However, we’d also recommend taking 2 pairs of comfy trainers (or one really good pair) as it’s a 2 mile walk to the beach from the festival campsite (CampFIB, BeniCamp is a bit closer), I tried to get away with wearing flip flops and shredded my feet after the first couple of days, luckily I had one pair of old trainers with me but by the end of the week these had to be reinforced with superglue which is never a good luck! Also trainers are a must have when you’re in the festival arena otherwise your toes will suffer!
5) Plasters/Bandages/Disinfectant
You almost definitely will at some point need plasters during the festival. Most likely for blistered feet, but also as a result of cuts and bruises sustained during the solid partying you’ll be doing. You can get plasters for free from the first aid points scattered around the festival site, but for convenience we’d recommend taking at least one box of your own. You might even want to take some pain killers (paracetamol) with you to help tackle the inevitable hangover(s) – although you might find the intense heat helps you sweat out the booze so the hangover’s aren’t as severe as you’d get on a cold UK night out!
6) Travel Towel
This is a must have if you’re camping. You’ll end up having at least 2 shower’s a day, just because it’s so hot, you might even have more than this if you’ve been in the sea etc. The bonus on travel towels is that you don’t have to wait long for them to dry, in fact they’re designed to absorb a load of water then you can wring them out and dry again. They’re also really compact compared to your standard “home towels”. Also, make sure you take a bottle of shower gel for use in the showers, you really need something to soap yourself up with to clean away all the sweat and sand!
7) Euros
Definitely, definitely, definitely take some cash with you. Don’t rely on the cash machines in Benicassim – you’ll find that there’s big queue’s especially for the first few days. You don’t have to worry about taking you full spends with you up front (although I did) but just make sure you’ve got enough for the first day or so. You’ll find the cash point queue’s less severe if you walk along the main street for 500metres or so to the next cash machine (everybody seems to congregate at the very first cash machine they hit after the campsite).
8 ) Nerf ball
You’ll end up spending a lot of time on the beach during the day (especially if you’re camping – too hot in the tents after about 8.30am), having something to play with during the day can boost your enjoyment factor to limitless bounds, we’d recommend the Nerf Vortex Mega Howler.
9) Toilet roll
We should have put this further up the list really, but don’t be surprised if you go to the loo, drop the kids off in the pool then discover that there’s no paper to clean your little botty! The organisers seem way behind on the whole toilet hygiene thing, most of the toilets don’t have anything to clean your hands with (so a small travel bottle of that anti-bacterial stuff can also be a good buy). I took 1x toilet roll and round this to be sufficient for the week (I used the local bar/restaurant loo’s quite extensively during the day so didn’t have to rely on my own stash of loo roll very often).
10) A battery operated fan
You know one of those little mini-ones, it’ll only set you back a few quid from your local supermarket (ASDA sell them) but they’re a god send when you’re in your scorcher of a tent trying to get some kip. It can also be a really good idea to take a length of string with you so you can fasten the fan to your tent’s ceiling (some tent’s, i.e. the ASDA cheapo one’s have a bit of material where you’ll be able to fasten this, with other’s you’ll have to thread the string through the tent’s mesh).
There’s probably a ton of other tips from regular Benicassim festival goers out there, so please feel free to add you comments below if you’ve got anything worth sharing. Until then, happy camping!
Just stumbled on this and what a help. Off to benni for my first time and i havent camped since i was about 12. Gonna be fun sticking up a tent hehe. Im travelling from the Liverpool to Barca and then just getting the train down.
Cannot wait, see yous all there
Hi guys, this is my first year going to beni fest and Im flying into Reus Sunday night from Bristol. I think we land around 9.30pm but as far as I can tell there is no bus/train etc available until Monday morning. anyone got any ideas or suggestions of how else to get to the festival Sunday night or will it be a matter of hanging around the airport until the next morning?
Cheers! 🙂
hi going to my first benicassim this year with the other half ,we are camping and just looking to find out whats the best camp site to stay in?or is it worth buying the vip camping tickets ?
also is it easy enough to travel from barcalona el prat airport to the festival ?
kind regards
david clark
Sam, few of our pals go from the north west too. Always found flights to Reus from liverpool with Ryanair to be cheap. once you get there its about a 50euro return train or coach to the festival site. Flights to valencia are more expensive. You can also fly to alicante which is roughly same distance as Reus but from the south of spain.
Never found it necessary to pre book the train from Reus. Half the crack is winging it once you get there!
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I came across this board and I find It truly helpful & it helped me out a lot. I’m hoping to present something again and help others such as you helped me.
Hi, me and friends are planning on coming to 2012 from Manchester, England. We’re all wondering what is the cheapest way on travelling?
Cheers
Thanks for the great list. I have to say that the toilet roll should be on the top of the camping essentials list. On the first trip I went on without my parents packing all the essentials, I completely forgot to take one with me. That was a terrible mistake. That is definitely something you do not want to be without.
Hey there – 6 of us getting to Barcelona on Thursday 14th. Bit concerned about getting from the airport to the Festival!!! Any clues? as the 12:00 trian is apparently full and the festival bus (mediaterraneo holidays) doesn’t leave airport till 4 (5 hour journey) – so we’d miss the start of Thursday’s acts! Cheers.
hi does anyone know where i can get a VillaCamp ticket from. There’s 10 of us going and one of my friends doesn’t have a ticket. thanks a lot for any help you can give x
Hi!
My first Benicassim experience is getting closer.
I’m coming from Switzerland with homies, and I was wondering if camping spots get over-crowded many days before the beginning of the first live performance…(?)
Because camping in festival always requires a nice “chill zone” and Benicassim seems to be more than a sunny place to camp, I was wondering if people take big square festival tents to protect their proper “sleepin” tent?
And I had a last question to ask to the Fibers… Do people bring their own portable dock to put some music on while chillin in the camping before the concerts ?
Look forward to your answers!
Hi I’m a single 20y/o male looking for a ride from Beni to Madrid after the festival. I’m coming back from Benicassim festival to catch a flight in Madrid on Wednesday 21st. I can stay in Madrid so anything Mon, Tues or Weds would be awesome.
[email protected]
I bought a Solar Powered phone charger off eBay for £7, best thing I’ve ever bought for a festival
Does any know if you charge your mobile any where? Sneeking of work for the week
Hi does anybody know if you can camp on the night of the 18th? we’re driving and don’t think we’d be in any state if we don’t finish drinking and dancing till 8am! best festival ever and can’t wait to get there again 🙂
such a shallow question BUT, is there anywhere for girls to plug in and straighten and blow dry there hair?
Here in Benicassim we have Lidl and three other same size supermarkets. Medical centre , lots of bars etc . where you can eat and drink , 6 km of beach which is attached to another 6 km of Castellon’s . Castellon about 10 km distance
hi there,this will be my first time at the festivial,,,how much should i be looking at paying for a ticket?and does this price include everything ie camping and festival? thanks richard 🙂
im coming from belfast, and flying into barcelona. I was just wondering would i be better buying a tent out there, and how mush they would cost? I dont fancy carting a tent the whole way there.
Hola! I’m going for the first time this year with a couple of friends and was just wondering are things you leave in your tent safe???
I mean obviously we’ll put passports and valuables in the lockers but I mean like your clothes, bag and other stuff you will leave in your tent when you go to the arenas or beach, will they get stolen??
Any reply would be much appreciated! Thanks 🙂
For those who are looking for a cheap way to get to Benicassim, I think that you could do like me : buy your plane tickets on spanish websites, like this you can get it much cheaper. As an exemple, by booking today, I pay 70€ the ticket for both paris – barcelona and barcelona paris , with easyjet. Them I’ll have to pay 80€ for bus to the festival. So the total is 150€, much cheaper than what I’d seen before on french websites !
Hey guys !
I’m french and I’m also going to Benicassim for the first time with 7 friends, and we will be 18 when we are at the festival. So don’t worry there will be a looooot of youngs 😉
… and above all many nice french girls I’ll take in my bag lol
See you !
Hey benicassim people!
Just booked friday and omg were the flights expensive!!! Had to book to alicante rather than valencia 😮 to get it at a nice price. The airlines just know to shoot up the prices around festival time lol. Anyway I’m 19 so nooo your not the only young ones.. theres gonna be lots of teens, i know of quite a few groups of people around my age going :D. Anyway, how much are lockers there? I don’t fancy keeping my passport in my tent! And yh thats my only question…….. can’t wait! First time going with my 2 other friends! Will be incredible.. I’m getting there on the 11th (til18th) .. so i have few days to explore nightlife/etc outside the festival if there are gd places around?.. Probs wont have to worry bout that..will just be a big party on the beach,!
Hey! It’s gona be my first year here and I can’t wait!
I was watching a few videos on youtube and noticed that alot of the people there are 25 and above..I’ll be a month away from 18 when I’m there and was wondering if my friends and I will be the only one’s there that age???? haha
And if I arrive on the Wednesday night (13th), will I be gauranteed a camping spot?
About the drink, I’m assuming you can easily buy some in an off-licence yeah? but would ya be better off bringing some of your own? because there is alot of horrible beers in spain/france..?
Thanks!
Cheers Beni….might have to check out those Asda tents? If you could let me know some outdoor suppliers in Spain that would be great!
Thanks again
Marie
hey guys, will be my first benicassim this yr going with a couple of my girls and just unsure about a couple of things:
firstly, is it impossible to get a decent pitch on the campsite if u dont arrive until a couple of days in?
are the lockers as ridiculous as the ones at leeds festival (just big enough to fit a wallet into!)?
and are there decent shops nearby to stock up on alcohol and such?
any advice would be cool, cheers! 🙂
hi jane there is 2 free camp sites to choose from benicamp is nearer the town center wich if free also villa camp is down there to which is pay extra!! camp fib is nearest the festival and the one i stayed in 09 also free ,there is talk of campsites filling up but i got there wed afternoon in 09 and found a place ok…..see u there 🙂
Hi,
Can anyone or Admin let me know the situation on Campsites.
I’m a little confused as to how many free camp sites there are?
Are the free camp sites Campfib and Benicamp?
Is the charging campsite- Villacamp (65euro) in addition to the two free camp sites? Or is it replacing former Benicamp and therefore there is only 1 free campsite (Campbeni) and 1 charging campsite?
Can someone clarify, please.
Thanks
Jane
Hi Marie,
There are outdoor shops in Spain. However you’d do much better to snap up one of the cheapo festival tents from ASDA, they were £10-£20 last year depending on size and not too heavy at all. Failing that let us know and we’ll look up some outdoor suppliers for you.
Cheers,
Benicassim
Does anyone know if you can buy a tent when you get to spain either in Barcelona, Valencia or Beni?? My friend and I are travelling separately so don’t want one of us to end up lugging the tent across to spain (I know it’ll end up being me!) If anyone can help I’d really appreciate it…!
thanks
M 🙂
hi cats! never take your passport into the fesival site or more money than you actually need for that night. if your quite a lightwieght like me who really throws themselves into the spirit of things, the lowlife pickpockets,(and there are plenty of them}, will be right there front of stage with you while your throwin shapes and in a flash will empty even the tightest pockets coz while your bouncing up and down watching the stage ,theyre on there hands and knees below you looking for easy pickings. i kid u not dear fibbers. so take good care of your valuables an use the secure portacabins on site. gud luck all you gud guys an i,ll see you out there in 2011. take care. regards, francis.x
There will be space but it depends what part of the campsite you want to be at…. if its the one closest to the festival good luck but the other one is usually emptier.
The lockers are 2.50 every time you open them and they’re secure.
yes you can bring alcohol into the campsite but not the arena you can sneak it in if you wana try?
Its my first time going this year so i need some advice..
– have i made a major mistake by getting there on the wednesday? will me and my mates have space to camp?
– whats the situation on the lockers? do you book in advance? are the secure? how much are they?
– can you take alcohol into the campsite, but not the actual festival right.. so do they have to be in plastic bottles? are there shops near by to buy it cheap?
Thanks 🙂
Hi guys, this will be my first trip, well excited! Does anybody know if we are able to bring in our own alcohol into the arenas? Also, are there any local supermarkets where we can stock up and save money?
Cheers
read the past posts you only need to look up 3
how much do you think i would need to last me a week there?
yeah i wasnt stupid enough to buy booze inside i just got battered in the campsite…also i dont smoke herbs lol 😛 so I didn’t really blow much money tbh. My mates spent less and got through the week so you must of been buying some expensive herbs and spices? ALSO 7.50 euros for a pint of beer inside! you can get near to 24 cans of steinburg (not my choice of beer but for example) for that… so it’s a no brainer
Kareem – how did you live on that!? I blew at least 500 if not 600 euros last year. Taking £800 in Euros this year so i can do it that much better! Probably beer tokens and herbs that cost me all my cash though!
@ Sarah there is supermarket in town food is cheap as chips and there are several different restaurants and take outs that are reasonable. I took 220 euros last year and that was more than enough. to be safe though i would say around 200-250 euros also the vendors don’t open till the festival opens on thursday but the food inside isnt badly priced either…
what do we eat when we are there?
isit wise to get a cooker once there? i imagin you cant take them on the airoplane..
or will i just buy food from vendors when i want it. thats got to be pritty expensive.
How much spending money also for the whole time.. first timer here, can you tell?! 🙂
So if we want to go to camp at villa camp do we pay in advance and if so how – I cant find anything or am I being a div?
does anybody know much about the vip campsite as thats where i have tickets for ??
the lockers r pretty much safe i left my stuff in there all week and it was fine!
so are the lockers safe enough to keep money etc in. or are they easy to break into? were are the lockers based?. i was thinking of getting a bum bag. ill look like a noob but was thinking would be ideal to keep all my things close to me.
absolute con, charging so much for benicamp.
Yes there are lockers
Just wondering situation on lockers? I’m not gonna want to take my passport around with me, or even leave it in my tent. Thanks.
sorry mean campfib!!!!
@ Steph – there seems to be a bit of confusion around the new VillaCamp arrangements so we’ve written a quick explanation on the differences between the two campsites. We hope it helps. All about VillaCamp.
@ Martin you can park ur motorhome in the car park of the benicamp for free its part of the camping but you should check just incase…
@ Steph you don’t need to pay for that unless u want to be more in the heart of town sightly closer to the beach and a few better toilets and showers…but benicamp is completely free!
Hi, it will be my first time at Benicassim this summer, and I am a little concerned by Suzannes comment! Will I have to pay an additional £65 to camp? Even though I have bought my ticket which clearly includes camping?
Cheers
Does anybody know how much it will cost in tolls to drive there from Calais?
we’re just looking at booking hotels en route and trying to decide which route to take.
Thanks muchly
hay, av hired a moterhome, planning a bit of a road trip on the way to the fest.. is there places to park up? or do u no any campsites i can use????
@ DanO what i did last year was keep half my cash on my debit card and half of it on me. I also kept like 40-50 euros in the locker where i kept my passport just incase i got completely robbed but luckily i didnt.
Keep hold of your wallet (or purse for the female variety), I had mine nicked on the last night, to fund somebody elses holiday and I know im not the only one. At the police station the next day they literally had HUNDREDS of empty wallets in cardboard boxes !!
But please Don’t let it put you off, I still had probably the best holiday I’ve ever had and i’m going again this year, CAMPFIB, WET WIPES, SHOWERGEL, SANDALS, SHADE, PRE MUSIC SUPERMARKET BOOZE, GOOD FRIENDS its all you need!!!!
p.s not for lightweights !!!!!
@ Kendra the train station is basically behind campfib i had to go there to get the coach back to valencia only took me and my mates about 15-20 mins to walk there…so to the centre of town i would say about 45-50 mins if you paced your self
@ Kendra – The train station isn’t too far to walk from, maybe about 25 minutes? im pretty sure that as you leave th train station you can go right and walk down a long road which leads you around to where the festival is. if not then head left, walk down into the main town and follow signs for the festival 🙂
How far is the benicassim train station to the event. I have a hotel outside of benicassim and will be taking the train in each afternoon. Is it walkable or will I have to get a cab from the train station? Is that even possible? Is renting a car a better option and is it possible to park each day in benicassim near the festival? Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.
Still dont know if im going back this year but for those who are i thought id offer some tips. It was my first time at Beni last year and i wish i knew all this so hopefully it’ll help any newbies!
*Buy a lilo to sleep on. You can pick them up on site for 10 euros but all the shops in town sell them too.
*If you get woken up easily take earplugs. Campfib is loud and on festival days they start doing soundchecks far too early in the morning!
*Buy plenty of loo roll for the toilets on the campsite and in the festival coz theres no guarantee there’ll be any in there.
*Take wet wipes. When you get there you’ll realise how useful they are.
*Drink LOTS of water!!! Booze is so cheap its easy to get drawn in and just drink that for 10 days but you’ll need water to pretty much stay alive. Water cant be taken into the festival but you can take empty bottles in and fill them up inside. Saves using up tokens.
*You need ‘tokens’ to buy alcohol in the arena which can be bought from the bars inside or on the campsite. They’re 2.5 euros each but get plenty as its 3 tokens for a spirit and mixer.
*If you can fit it in you’re bag take an umbrella to sit under. The campsites are covered but it doesnt stop the sun getting through.
*And on the subject of sitting, buy a chair. It gets pretty unforgiving sitting on the ground for 10 days.
Most importantly, make friends. If i do go im going with people i made frinds with last year. If you’re in a small group it makes being in the campsite a lot more fun.
http://open.spotify.com/user/kazreem/playlist/5pcVzyF6I0p7CCxWhT0hhL
@ JP you have to book the tickets in advance on the fib.com site but im guessing as it prob won’t sell out you might be able to pay at the door so to speak. You could attempt bringing at 9 person tent but you would prob have to tell the steward becuase they take you in different groups to pitch up in different areas but i would advise to ring like 3, 3ppl tents.;
@ Michael the main campsite next to the arena is still there it has doubled in size for this years event. The benicamp is now called villacamp where you have to pay 65 euros to stay there but you get more/better toilets, showers and other amusements! I would advise just going to Campfib better atmosphere!
where have people heard about benicamp closing? link please!
I heard about this whole villacamp ordeal, as you pay for it, does that mean you book it in advance? or is it still a first come first serve thing? also is there a rule against bringing a 9 man tent?
i was just about to say theres only one tj sup!
Surely they have increased the size of campfib if benicamp has gone? Because hardly anyone is going to be paying that £65 and it was already cramped in campfib last year!
By the way hi kaz!
Can’t believe they’ve replaced Benicamp with Villacamp, a campsite that you have to pay 65Euro for. I hope they (namely Vince Power) have not only increased the size of CampFib to accommodate all the extra people but have also considered increasing the amount of portaloos and the size of the shower area otherwise it’s going to be a cramped and queuing nightmare! Still excited though! 🙂
No way do you need a sleeping bag. I used mine as a pillow last year. A lilo is an absolute essential if you do want to sleep on the ground. Also, invest in a chair. You will not regret it!
@ wayne yes the campsite is on first serve basis but if your all together you will be together. you can try and save a spot by putting your luggage there for the mean time but you will probably be asked to move it by a steward after while or another fellow camper.
umm lol thanks depends what else you need to know dude?
kareem you’re advice is awesome, any more tips??
i could be travelling with a large group maybe 10 people , is the campsite a first come first serve basis?
do not take a sleeping bag! i used a bed sheet last year and that was too much! also don’t bother with a solar shower, trust me you will want the cold ones the offer at the campsite as you wake up sweating and rise up to a healthy 30 degrees
Also, remember to take extra tent pegs… in case of another freak hurricane ect.
Might be worth getting one of those solar showers as they only cost £10.
Does anyone reccomend taking a sleeping bag?
mate i would just camp its a lot better, you get the experience and the atmosphere. the campervans just stay on there own in the sandy car park. last year there were only 4 camper vans.
Does anyone know what the situation is with camper vans? I’m thinking of hiring one, is this a good or bad idea?
Are there any restrictions on tent sizes in either of the two camp sites? For example could a group turn up with a large eight man tent and find difficulties with the officials? Or is it more a case of finding an appropriate amount of land on which to pitch it? Would it be easier just to have single man tents?
Cheers,
hotels seem like a good idea but the price of them isnt worth it trust me, camping is all part of the experience and you will meet some fantastic people around. plus all the hotels will be sold out by now.
can any1 reccomend nearest and best hotel to stay how far is the nearest to festival thats also resonabley priced ????/
Girls’ showers aren’t communal; they’re in blocks. But for after the beach in the day before going to the festival we would just take our shampoo and stuff and shower at the beach as the queue for the girls showers at that time is crazily long. (Benicamp that is)
hey all……………was wondering what days to book flights…im thinking the 12th to the 20th… am i right by thinking the camp site opens on the 12th to the 20th..but is there much going on after the festval has finished on the 19th ………..
I would add ear plugs and eye mask to the above. I recommend gladiator flip flops for girls as i lost my flip flops whilst watching Oasis last year, so strap on foot wear is best!!
The campsites certainly do have showers.. They’re all communal so make sure you take a swimming costume unless you’re the au naturel type! Trust us when we say if you’re camping you WILL need to shower at least twice a day, it’s hot and sticky over in Benicassim, especially at this time of year. Hotels are a good option if you like your home comforts and would prefer to wake up in an air conditioned bedroom. However, the campsites really do make Benicassim an experience not to forget.
Do the campsites have showers??? Or should 6 girls just stay in a nearby hotel??
Top stuff! Just want to add that tents are not really allowed as hand luggage as it contains metal pegs! I had to pay £30 to get my in the baggage hold so just bare this in mind. Doesnt matter how heavy it is really x
I agree with the sugegstions above (although only took flip-flops as don’t have girly feet).
An extra suggestion I would definately recommend is some form of shade as we found our tents un-bearable from 9 am onwards and there is ‘no-where to hide’
I would also warn you that if you do opt to travel by festival bus that the ques can be extensive, but friends who used it said it was preferable to the walk at 6am after a night of jumping round like lunatics