The UK's leading etiquette coach has given advice on the rules around portable toilets ahead of festivals including Wireless, TRNSMT and Reading. Victorian Plumbing has partnered with William Hanson as searches around “portaloos” rose by 72% between May and June.
From how not to make eye contact to using a shewee the right way, William shares a list of the top 10 etiquette tips that Brits should follow this festival season.
Joe Pascoe, Chief Marketing Officer at Victorian Plumbing, said: “As British festival season kicks off, our normal day-to-day “toilet etiquette” seems to completely change as we head into these large outdoor music events, mostly falling completely down the drain.
“Here at Victorian Plumbing, we take toilets and bathrooms seriously, so we have reached out to William Hanson for some simple yet important tips that we should follow when we ditch “normal life” and enter the world of madness during festival season.”
Willam Hanson said: “As a nation we look forward to outdoor festivities, therefore it's crucial we respect the facilities in the best way possible. Cleanliness is next to godliness and good manners go a long way, so my goal with these tips is to elevate the nation's experience this summer.”
- Passing comments about sights, sounds or smells of the lavatory environment is very vulgar and never appropriate, therefore keep these comments to yourself. If you are expecting gleaming loos, a festival is perhaps not the best place to look.
- Should you find a lavatory in a less than fresh condition, don’t be afraid to find a festival organiser and politely tell them so they can do something about it. Words to the effect of, “Cubicle four needs some love and attention” or “May I ask you to freshen up the fourth loo?”
- Should you glance at a bare front or back bottom by accident, swiftly avert one's gaze and don't stare. Exercise some discretion and pretend you haven't noticed - a dying art in the modern age.
- Similarly, if your urinals don’t have any privacy dividers at eye level, do not make eye contact with the people on either side - whether you know them or not. Look straight ahead or directly down (if you want to) smile sweetly and think of Britain.
- As with any lavatory anywhere, festival loos are not private spaces: any conversations may well be overheard - so save whinging about your boyfriend or the annoying so-and-so who latched onto you at the gig last night as you never know who's listening. Long drop loos are not the place for a long gossip.
- Carrying your own anti-bac gel is always a good idea for festivals, especially as the soap dispensers can run dry quite quickly. Sharing it with others is always good manners, should they ask - but ideally, you’ll offer first.
- The idea of urinals (for any gender) is that they speed up the process and make the loo queue move a lot more swiftly. Thus, try to be as quick as possible when using them and keep efficiency the name of the game.
- Rarely is there ever a good reason to queue jump. Telling those ahead of you that your friend is 'absolutely desperate for a wee' is not sufficient reason to cut in. Everyone is in the same boat.
- Festival lavatories are not the place to be taking photos. Although many restaurants now deliberately pimp up the loos to look camera-ready, a festival loo is definitely not somewhere for a selfie.
- Finally, a shewee is never to be shared. Never offer and never ask.
