Earlier today I asked my loyal Facebook and Twitter following to answer 2 questions ahead of Oppikoppi 2014 Odyssey (which kicks off this week on Thursday). I asked them “What’s the first thing you do when you get to Oppikoppi” and “Do you have an Oppikoppi roadtrip tradition and if so, what does it entail?”.
This is how Oppikoppi Festival Goers responded
“I set up camp, while drinking vast amounts of alcohol. Like A LOT of alcohol. I am normally drunk by the time my tent is pitched. My roadtrip tradition is not getting drunk on the way there. I need to arrive alive. On the way home, always stop at KFC in Northam. Those queues are long but you can’t keep me away from the chicken.” Xavier Madness Loubser
“I see how fast we can finish a bottle of Jagermeister (when we arrive) and I try to stay awake on the way home.” Rudi Burger
“Kry ‘n camping spot en maak my eerste (van baie) drinks oop en appreciate die kalmte voor die storm. Ek maak elke jaar ‘n mix tape (CD) van die acts wat daai jaar speel om te luister in die kar oppad terug.” Chanelle Grobler
“Our roadtrip tradition is trying a different route (“this year we will try follow that Oppikoppi map”) and get horribly lost and take 4 hours to get there from Pretoria. Right, Tiffany James? And we always get KFC on the way home, that place is a goldmine.” Danielle le Plastrier
“Dit gaan my eerste Oppikoppi trip wees en ek gaan aleen! First thing I’m going to do when I get there is take a selfie (duh) and my roadtrip tradition is going to be to listen to all of my favourite bands that are playing!” Joni Nel
“3 weke voor die tyd maak jy ‘n playlist met ‘n paar songs van almal by Oppikoppi en as jy hulle nie ken nie is dit jou kans om darem paar tunes te leer, want dis lekkerder om saam te sing. As jy daar kom drink jy ‘n bier en dan kry jy jou kamp in orde, as jy klaar is drink jy nog 30 biere terwyl jy vriende maak met almal rondom jou, net omdat dit lekkerder is om almal te ken as jy dronk is later die aand.” Ewald Cloete
“Find your camping buddies, give them your tent (because boobs). Tradition? Pack EVERYTHING in the back, including me laying on top of it all..” T’ruska Izelke Labuschagne Goldschagg
“Crack a drink and put up your tent, grab a chair and a drink. And yes… Change a flat tyre. Everytime (that’s my tradition)” CJ De Chermont
“To add to CJ ‘s comment, it is very important to have a drink while you are putting up the tent. That way you will recognise it better later when you’re drunk.” Danelle Mare
“Make a Whatsapp group to see where every friend is and keep in touch. Then find each other and celebrate with a brandy and coke. Stop at the huge biltong shop and stock up on Ice and make sure that you hoot along the way at Oppikoppi friends, that’s what we do” Vanessa Smeets
“I stop my kombi, get out of it and drink till I am underneath it. My roadtrip tradition is all about the company in the kombi and the amount of smoke that comes bellowing out as we open the sliding door on arrival” Trent Barefoot Seiler
“Sort the camping and stuff… En maak seker jy bel die mense wat voor jou ry om te hoor oor roadblocks.” Heine Van Der Walt
“Stop at a garage in Northam on the way in and pay R2 to pee in a normal bathroom, knowing the next time you do this will probably be Sunday afternoon. Panic that you don’t have enough water with you while you’re washing your hands. Get over the panic and remember beer has water in it. See the Oppikoppi sign and scream “STOP THE CAR” so you can get out and take pics in front of it. (Sidenote: if there are men in your car they will probaby pee on the sign, because “if the cat can pee, they can too”). Stop again to buy firewood. Scream “Yay” when you drive through the gate (more pics) and be super friendly to the gate guys. Spend 10 minutes looking for a campsite/friends with a campsite. Realize you don’t mind that much anyway, you just want out of the car, NOW! Have 3 drinks while your mates tell you to calm down and set up camp. Announce “Oppikoppi, we are here”. Tweet: ‘Oppi-fucking-koppi” and Have more drinks. Party your face off for 3 days. Pack everything up badly. Get KFC on the way home. Fall asleep in the car and freak out when mates take pics of you and post them on Instagram. Nearly die of Dust-Lung. Repeat in 2015.” Kelly Houghting
“Down a Black Label and shoot a tequila and then down a Back label and shoot another tequila (when you arrive)” Lizzy Mills
“Sorry for the prawns out there but I normally get greeted by the welcoming party Legend Frans and Ruan van der Vyver, walk to the bar along the red carpet and order a beer!” Sydney Tshabalala Daniel
“Red dust resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.” Garg Unzola
“Make your way to the top bar as soon as you arrive, brave that hill whilst you are still sober. Get drunk there and make your way downhill to the various acts you want to see. See if you can get through the road-block without getting pulled over. 1 shot for getting pulled over, 2 shots if they search your car and luggage.” Andre Pereira
“Open a beer and take a deep dusty breath. Going there stop for a beer after Brits and Wimpy breakfast for Sunday lunch!” Stefan Hurter
“Take a deep breath to celebrate the moment, regret said deep breath immediately as lung content is now 95% dust. Schadenfreude regarding the young people in queue ahead of us on road between farm and highway getting out sporadically to vomit… followed shortly by us getting out of car and vomiting.” Henry Cloete
“Roadtrip tradition: Listening to playlist of bands we’ll be seeing at the event and practicing our sing-a-longs. First thing: Always put up your tent up first…trying to put up a tent while drunk is NOT the most fabulous thing you can do to yourself. Straight after tent it up…BEER TIME! Then head off to put cash on your card, and get any merch now while they still have girlie sizes in stock.” Colette Carr
“Once you get there pitch a tent. Do this before even drinking a beer, or else you’ll regret it later. Besides the usual mooning, no, I don’t have a roadtrip ritual” Garg Unzola
“Have a few beers while setting up camp and take a group shot of everyone who came to the festival with us at the end.” Nikita Ramkissoon
“Set up tent while drinking beer. KFC in Harties on the way home.” Wayde Thomas Flowerday
“Go to the Red Frogs for free pancakes and water” Stephen Stifler Mogapi
“Have a couple of beers at the top bar when you get there, and then go BIG, as you’re obviously NOT going home (yet!)” Wim Van Vuuren
“Go Introduce yourself to the Medics!” Hendrik Gerhardus Luttig
“First we work, then we party, i.e. Get settled in and establish a defensive line around the perimeter. Unpack and sort things out. Roadtrip tradition: never listen to music from any of the bands that will be performing that year. It just sounds better when you see them then.” Dirk Koekemoer
“Driving through the gates we “whoop whoop” and then down a Hunter’s Dry. On our way back we always stop for breakfast at the Harties Wimpy” Lisa Kuntze
“Down a beer (possibly while taking a leak to mark territory). KFC Northam there and back. Not a brilliant KFC by any measure, but you have to do it.” Christo Baas De Beer
“Champagne and orange juice as we arrive, tents and then jol.” Jacques Budler
“Tent-partner stuff cause we’re still clean when we get there. On the Rustenburg road, cruise slowly and take pics at Northham Rock City sign – it’s small but significant. Stop at the home of the chicken pie on the way home.” Matt Black
Thanks to everyone that responded to this questionnaire on Facebook. Tickets to this weekend’s event are still available and selling like hot cakes. Remember to take one day off work if you really want to have a good time (I’m going to).
General admission tickets cost only R700 per person and includes camping for the weekend. This offer is available on the Oppikoppi Facebook page or on www.plankton.mobi. Please don’t buy tickets from unauthorized vendors, you don’t want the be that guy that gets denied entry into the festival. Spread the word by sharing this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is caring.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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