One more day, one more cuppa

So after 6 months preparation...being over- faced with applications, caffeining through the 3- day interviews, making 200 students volunteer- happy, getting suitably aquainted at a pre- festival social, feeling the stress, loving Team Latitude, sleeping a lot, and then doing it all over again...Leeds Festival is one day away.

We're all sat in the LeedsMet office at the mo having feasted on some top- notch houmous sandwhiches and fruit crumble (it's carby central in here) and getting the last few bits and bobs together for tomorrow. I've put together some mega information packs for each project so that no- one is in the dark (and no excuses for 'forgetting' a shift during the Bloc Party set- we know you wouldn't do that you lovely lot) and am giving out the last bits of merch- volunteers are popping in on their way into town for last- minute Superdrug baby wipe binges. Caroline is expertly making HATs shift spreadsheets and Gavin is finalising guest lists for lucky LeedsMet staff who'll be joining us this weekend- all between jokes, japes and making cups of tea. It's a happy office, as always.

Everyone is excited if a little rough round the edges already. We seem to have had a contagious office this week- Gavin is still necking antibiotics from a dodgy mosquito bite and I for one am batting off some fluey symptoms (oink?) with a Vitamin C- flavoured stick and also hobbling on a gammy foot. You all wanted to know that didn't you?
I'm 'ard though, it's fine. I'll have stage schedule in one hand and some pocket tissues in the other- as you do.

I think it's going to feel a little odd once the festival is over. A definite anti- climax but more than likely some more fab new friends, lots of cringey photos and more rave reviews of everyone's hard work from Festival Republic, BBC and the like (fingers crossed). I realised I probably won't be going to another festival until next Summer and even then, I might have a year off from fields and tents and falafel pittas. This will be my 5th major festival this Summer (although my friend an Oxfam volunteer bunny is on his 10th) so next Summer maybe I should do something else like stay at home with a good book or jet off to Thailand like everybody else. Both very tempting (one very expensive) but I have a feeling I'll decide that England, fields, falafels and rain are strangely where it's at.

I'm supervising the stage team at Leeds which will be a similar deal to Latitude but a bit smaller and a bit more hectic. There's a cracking line- up on the stage, I'm hedging my bets on Lovvers headline set on Sunday being a corker. We'll be working quite closely with BBC RAW Talent which is exciting- being able to network with the professionals does pose real opportunities. One of our Artist Liason from The Lake Stage at Latitude is lucky (and clever) enough to be enjoying some paid work on the Festival Republic stage at Leeds this week. If that's not motivation for volunteering, I don't know what is!

Keep checking the blog for Leeds festival updates from tomorrow.
Exciting times!

Isla Brown
Festival Republic Partnership Intern
PG Dip International Events Management - graduated 2009