The line ups for Reading and Leeds Festivals 2010 have now been announced and if you are lucky enough to have got your hands on a weekend ticket the next step is to start preparing for that bank holiday weekend in August. Here are 10 survival tips that will make sure you have a weekend to remember – for the right reasons.

1. Go early! You may have been too late to get hold of an early bird ticket but it does not mean you have to join the Thursday evening/Friday morning rush. It may mean taking an extra day off work and it may mean waking up early but leaving on early Thursday means you will get a good camping spot and miss the heavy traffic.

2. Equip Yourself! Don’t make the mistake of taking only a few items thinking that you either a) won’t need them or b) will get them when your there. Anticipate everything - make sure your pack everything from sun cream to toilet paper.

3. Choose the right tent! There are many festival tents to choose from, from pop up tents to 7-8 man tents. Whatever tent you need make sure that you do not scrimp on quality; a leaking tent will not make for a happy weekend!

4. Take plenty of clothing! You don’t need to take your wardrobe however be aware that you could be exposed to heavy rain, scorching temperatures, muddy puddles, spilt/thrown beer, paint, spilt ketchup – all before the bands have even started playing!

5. Know how to put up a tent! Do not assume you know how to set up a tent. There is nothing worse than spending the whole day setting up a tent whilst all your friends have already set up the BBQ, had a few beers and taken a thorough tour of the camp.

6. Take plenty of food and drink! The cost of buying burgers all weekend does mount up so it is worth taking a good mix of food with you to save money and also so you won’t go hungry if you do run out of money. You can really save on cost by taking your own camping cooking equipment.

7. Look after your prized possessions! Ideally you should think twice about taking any valuable possessions with you however if you do happen to have an iPhone, car keys, Travis Barker’s drum stick, then make sure you look after them and if possible keep them with you at all times.

8. Choose the right spot! Again this means getting to the camp early. Things to consider are distance to toilets, distance to the venue, and distance to drinking facilities among others.

9. Remember where your tent is! Your tent will be one of thousands that all pretty much look the same. This makes it very difficult to find in the day let alone in the night so it is worth differentiating your tent – experiment by slapping some paint on it or putting a flag on top.

10. Take money! A lot of your weekend will consist of buying fire wood, food, beer, blankets, and anything else that seems like a good idea at the time. Although there are cash machines on site it is well worth taking enough cash to begin with to avoid the queues.