How to be a happy camper at Oppikoppi & Rocking the Daisies

Get your tents ready and start preparing your livers: the dust and grass of Oppikoppi and Rocking the Daisies are calling.

From next weekend the two biggest festivals in South Africa will host tens of thousands of revelers and a slew of musical acts.

This year the two festivals decided to share headline acts to lure more of them to the country, which is why artists such as Black Coffee, Flume, Joey Bada$$, Two Door Cinema Club, The Naked and The Famous, Beatenberg and Bongizizwe Mabandla will be performing at both festivals.

Supporting the headliners on the dusty Northam plains in Limpopo will be the likes of Albert Frost, Carlo Mombelli, The Brother Moves On, The Muffinz, Twins on Decks, Jazuelle, Timo ODV and more.

Further south, Rocking the Daisies in the Western Cape will also host Cassper Nyovest, Riky Rick, Sibot X Toyota, Alice Phoebe Lou, Shortstraw, Felix Laband and a few hundred others.

To squeeze the best out of your big festival weekend, we recommend trying the three following tips:

1. Flock with birds of a feather

If your girl/boyfriend doesn't like the idea of roughing it or a three-day diet of nonsense but you do, then perhaps go alone. Few things are worse than being stuck with someone who is going to get annoyed because you're drunk at 10am having an in-depth discussion with a stranger about whether or not bees dream. Go with like-minded people.

2. Prepare yourself

You are definitely going to overdo things. You will meet oddballs and many friendly strangers. The music will be loud and constant and you will get very little sleep. Make peace with this or stress will consume you.

3. Bring a buff and other important stuff

Twenty thousand-plus people kick up a vast amount of dust and if you are not adequately equipped you stand a good chance of filling your respiratory system with silt and grass. Shade and sunscreen are also a must. Despite the time of year it is still likely to get colder than Queen Elizabeth II so pack layers for night time. And, aside from obvious things like tents and sleeping bags, take fruit. Your body will appreciate the kind gesture.

• Oppikoppi and Rocking the Daisies begin next Thursday in Northam and Darling respectively. For tickets and info visit oppikoppi.co.za or rockingthedaisies.com.

• This article was originally published in The Times.