If you missed out on festival tickets this year, or if you just can’t face the thought of swapping your home comforts for a weekend in a field, we have the perfect solution: you can transform your garden into a glamping-style paradise without forking out hundreds for a ticket, getting mud on every inch of your body or queuing up to use seriously grim chemical toilets.
However boring you think your back garden looks right now, it only takes a few magic touches to transform it into a vibrant, colourful oasis, perfect for watching the sun go down in (or up, if you’re really feeling those hedonistic festival vibes). You don’t have to camp in it but you might end up feeling so at home that you can’t bear to venture inside…
It's all about the lighting...
Make sure your usual bright garden lighting is firmly switched off – it’s far too harsh for the vibe you want to create. Instead, invest in strings of twinkly fairy lights and arrange them around shrubs and fences. Make things even more colourful by adding ribbons or a bit of bunting too. More is more!
Shop George's decorative lighting
Be liberal with lanterns
Mis-matched lanterns dotted around are fantastically atmospheric – you’ll feel closer to Morocco than Milton Keynes. Line your garden path with them or simply arrange them in clusters on your garden furniture. This is probably the cheapest and most effective way of creating that festival vibe. You could even mingle shop-bought lanterns with your own creations made from old jam jars and tealights.
Shop our favourite George lantern here
Come on baby, light your fire
This tip is a little more of a long-term investment, but it’s definitely one you won’t regret. A garden firepit will have friends and family flocking to your place when they want to socialise al fresco. Surround with colourful cushions to maximize the cosy vibes. Marshmallow sticks optional.
Snap up your own firepit here
Embrace the colour clash
A festival-inspired garden shouldn’t appear too 'done' or matchy-matchy – instead, you want it to look like you’ve just chucked a few bits and pieces outside, and not spent hours crafting it. Matching sets of cushions and blankets are too conventional, you want as many clashing colours and textures as possible with an emphasis on comfort.
We love this bright knitted throw
Don't forget to invite the kids
That camping holiday the kids have been begging to go on for months? Well, now you can go on it without leaving your own plot. Pop up a cosy, colourful teepee, shove in a beanbag and some sumptuous cushions and you might even get a few minutes’ peace to enjoy your newly-created glamping heaven.
Try this cute polka dot kids beanbag
Be bold with a painting project
If you want a really colourful look, be brave – paint an old pallet and use it to display plant pots (it’s perfect for winding more strings of lights around too). If you’re feeling really arty and have a bare wall or fence, you could even attempt a mural. If it doesn’t go according to plan, you can always paint over it…