My first Glastonbury was in 2008 and I’ve been every year since, bar one or two when having babies and things got in the way, writes Sam Fenton-Elstone, founder and CEO of media, creative and tech agency Anything is Possible.

I’ve been lucky to go to festivals all over the world, and although they each have their different feel and atmosphere – which punters and brands alike need to key into and get a feel for – all the good ones share that magical sense of the normal world put on hold and the temporary creation of a space where things that shouldn’t be possible become utterly normal and lurk around every turn of the track.

Finding a fit between that sense of potential and your brand, which can feel like an unwelcome reminder of the world outside, can easily go wrong. But there are some principles you can bear in mind to smooth out your chances of fitting in and getting down.

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Get the balance right

First of all, there’s got to be a balance between the emotional and the practical. The first thing you might think when it comes to selling festival essentials is ‘tents’ – but tent shoppers fall into two camps (pardon the pun).

If they’re organised festival veterans, their tent purchasing will be done well in advance.

So, if you’re trying to influence their buying decision you need to be engaging well ahead of the summer itself, and they’ve probably got ‘old faithful’ from last year that they’re excited to give another airing, so don’t waste your time.

If they’re impulsive, last-minute planners then the only things that will matter to them are price and convenience, so forget your fancy product descriptions and focus on getting your discounts and same-day delivery options set up.

But ultimately, and as important as getting the basics right is to having a great time, festivals are about emotions, not logistics. The real value of the festival space is having your brand be part of the experience, enhancing festivalgoers’ enjoyment of the precious days they have outside of normal life.

The bonds made in that festival moment, between people, brands and artists, can last a lifetime. So it’s an incredibly valuable space to show up in, if you get it right.

Festival sites are places where miraculous things can happen, and brands will always want a bit of that.

Share the experience

There is an element of commodification in today’s Festival experience, partnership deals are sewn up often years in advance and are very closely negotiated. But audiences don’t mind that at all, they want their phones to work, they want convenience and little luxuries to offset the more, shall we say, challenging aspects of festival living (like the toilets….).

And they want their favourite brands to join them and share the experience.

You’ve got to think about ways that you can enhance the experience without being too intrusive or not aligning with that all important atmosphere. This can be tricky for brands to get their heads round, but in the festival space it’s not all about you.

Every festival is its own brand, with a story, values, heritage and rituals.

Make sure you understand those, and create an experience that fits in, complements and enhances the festival narrative that the audience is already carrying around in its heads.

Don’t overdo it

Remember the competition for attention is super high, so don’t try to monopolise it too much.

Keep your activation simple and do your bit for the tightly-knit festival community that emerges over the course of the weekend.

People don’t mind seeing logos in the festival setting, but there is a balance. If you make the festival feel too corporate you will turn people away.

Nobody minds a free bottle of mineral water mid-afternoon on a Saturday. And Sunday morning rehydration sachets next to the water stations might make you some friends.

But what’s your plan for picking up the discarded empties and dealing with the plastic?

You’ve got to have imagination and fit into the flow of the weekend, and taking on that challenge, making yourself practically indispensable and emotionally unforgettable, can quickly embed you deep in the community.

Same time next year?

Glastonbury Festival 2025 takes place from Wednesday 25 June to Sunday 29 June.