Surviving Oppi
One of the biggest music festivals in South Africa is around the corner.
To help you brave the chaos that is Oppi, we’ve compiled a little survival guide to show you the way.
Oppikoppi is a place where ethanol, and 20 000 raving fans meet, all in the name of rock.
- If you’re a first-timer, the first thing you’ll need to know about is dust, dust and more dust.
If you don’t take a bandana or face mask of some kind, you will bite the dust.
Make sure to take some wet wipes along as well, even though everyone ends up dirtier than a Seth Rogen movie, you will be glad to have equipment to wipe away the perpetual mud mask.
- Get a map or GPS or be the kind of person who has the patience to walk around for hours searching for your tent.
Of course Oppi has something unique – its people.
Ask for directions in the dead of night and you’ll most likely be invited into the tent for a drink or two, but beware, accepting every invitation could mean you end up at your tent as the sun comes up.
Going to bed late (or early, depending on how you look at it) is not uncommon at Oppi, though, the main events only start in the early afternoon anyway.
- Don’t take too much food.
With most holiday getaways, one of the biggest problems is taking enough food, at Oppi you either buy something at the many stalls, or you’ve already reached your daily calorie count (and beyond).
Most of us end up taking packs of fresh food, then going back home with packs of not-so-fresh food (sometimes even more).
- Explore.
One of the magical things about Oppi, is it’s immense size and diversity.
There’s a wine bar, food stalls, coffee served by the Red Frogs in the mornings, you can climb a hill via rope to get to the Red Bull Stage (or just walk around the hill), or hang around the other six stages.
You can even participate in the Dust Bowl Olympics, with its famous naked run.
All manner of people go to Oppikoppi, except those who enjoy fighting, trance music, order and, especially, hygiene.
So bring your tent, bring a little food, bring friends, wet wipes and refreshments, and have the time of your life.
