Reading Festival and Glastonbury rank the best for sleep – but Womad and Bestival are the worst

This summer’s festival season is being dubbed the ‘Summer of Love’ and set to be one of the busiest in recent years since the pandemic restrictions were lifted.

But research of 18-45-year-olds has revealed the best - and worst – festivals to go to if you want to get some shut-eye.

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Glastonbury and Reading (20 per cent) came top in the sleep stakes, followed by Leeds (18 per cent), Isle of Wight (17 per cent) and Parklife (17 per cent).

But Womad - which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year - was named the worst (15 per cent), along with Bestival (15 per cent) and Strawberries & Creem (15 per cent).

Making an offer

The study, commissioned by hoo, a hotel booking site which lets holidaymakers make an online offer for a better deal on hotel rooms, found 36 per cent of those polled will be attending at least three festivals this year, while 21 per cent have splashed out on tickets to more than five.

While sleep may not be top of the agenda, 74 per cent of men admitted it is important to them compared to women (70 per cent).

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And 72 per cent think more should be done by festival organisers to tackle the issue of sleep deprivation, including providing adequate sleeping areas and information about how their sleep may be affected.

It also emerged 18 per cent anticipate they will manage only two-three hours of sleep a night while 45 per cent only expect to get four to five hours.

VIP glamping (16 per cent) was named the perfect sleeping arrangement, followed by 15 per cent who look for something more luxurious with a helicopter or chauffeur-driven car to a nearby hotel in order to sleep in a proper bed rather than a tent - and even a butler to tuck you in and make you breakfast in the morning (12 per cent).

Moving away from festival camping

Problems with sleeping have led to many to look at staying away from festival grounds this year with 39 per cent admitting they would rather stay at a hotel and travel back and forth to the site than attempt to slumber in a tent.

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And a 61 per cent are jealous of pals who check into a nearby hotel or B&B, while 79 per cent would welcome the opportunity to bid on a hotel room to bag a bargain near a music festival to avoid camping on site.

Adrian Murdock CEO of hoo said:  "This year we expect the festival season to return in a big way, and while this is a time for all to have fun after Covid restrictions have ended, we must remember to take care of ourselves.

“This is why we created this study to bring to light an issue that will affect many festival-goers this year.

“Many will be planning on simply settling for camping and a poor night's sleep when attending a festival this year, when in actual fact there is always a deal to be had on a nearby hotel to ensure that you get the best night's sleep possible.”

Dealing with lack of sleep

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The study, commissioned via OnePoll, also found that when it comes to dealing with the lack of sleep, 39 per cent will turn to alcohol to get them through.

Generation Z - those in the 18-25-year-old category - are far more clean-living, with 37 per cent preferring to eat their way through their exhaustion fug, more than any other age group.

And more men (33 per cent) than women (30 per cent) have opted for a massage at a festival to deal with their sluggishness at an on-site spa.

But while a lack of sleep at festivals will be a problem for many this year, it ranks as only the ninth worst aspect of going to a festival with outside toilets (27 per cent), lack of hygiene (26 per cent) and queues for food and drink (24 per cent) at the top of list.

Top 5 best festivals for sleep

Reading 20 per cent

Glastonbury 20 per cent

Leeds 18 per cent

Isle of Wight 17 per cent

Parklife 17 per cent

Top 5 worst festivals for sleep

Standon Calling 15 per cent

Strawberries & Creem 15 per cent

Camp Bestival 15 per cent

Green Man 14 per cent

Womad 15 per cent

Top 10 worst aspects of going to a festival:

The outside toilets: 27 per cent

The lack of hygiene: 26 per cent

The queues for food and drink: 24 per cent

Dirty washing facilities and dirty loos: 24 per cent

Noisy people in nearby tents: 22 per cent

Making the journey home, feeling tired and dirty: 22 per cent

Muddy fields: 22 per cent

The weather: 22 per cent

Lack of sleep: 21 per cent

People falling into your tent: 21 per cent