Five essential bits of Butlins banter to get stuck into at Bloc

The final Bloc festival approaches, and we can’t wait to get stuck in to another weekend of raucousness. To ensure you make the most of this jolly at Butlins and have an experience that makes the last days of Rome look tame, we’ve compiled a handy guide of must-do activities. Check it out below.

There’ll be plenty of time for techno in the evenings, but don’t sleep the days away (or just don't sleep) because there’s lots more fun to be had during sunlight hours. Butlins is essentially one big playground, and you can really let your inner child loose by making full use of the onsite facilities.

You’ve listened to Drexciya before, but have you ever listened to their aqueous-themed electro while jumping through waves? You can live that dream at the 2016 Bloc Weekend. Alex Downey is opening proceedings at midday on Saturday (a solid two hours later than Friday’s scheduling finishes) with a special Drexciya-themed set at the indoor pool party, and Butlins has a wave machine raring to go – we rung up head office to check, don't worry.

A different kind of pool takes centre stage on Sunday afternoon, but this time it ain’t no party (unless spectators bring crates of Polish lager). A fiercely contested tournament of the cue sport, hosted by snooker ledge Steve Davis, featuring a number of celebrity DJ guests is taking place in the Skyline Arena between 4-6pm. Shanti Celeste, Space Dimension Controller, Sunil Sharpe, dBridge and Andrea Parker are among those battling it out, with the eventual winner then making through to the grand final and challenging the big man Steve himself. Check the full line-up here, and make sure you have some boisterous chants written to back your favs.

Chalet crack-ons are an integral part of any Bloc weekender, and making them as weird as possible is also key to getting the full Butlins experience. Wait until the hype of last night’s raving is just beginning to fade into tiredness, when the floor is strewn with more deflated latex than the aftermath of the Worldwide Balloon Covention (it’s a thing) and people are in immobile states stuck to sofas, then stick on the telly and immerse everyone in the absurdity of Bloc TV. If previous years are anything to go by, there’ll be a host of peculiar B movies with titles like Nudist Colony Of The Dead , Spongebob Squarepants clips edited into trippy mashups, and a whole channel devoted to showing Groundhog Day on an endless loop (unless we dreamt that). It’s not Bloc if you don’t break through to the other side, then suddenly come to at 5pm during your eighth straight viewing of the Bill Murray classic.

Bloc’s line-up is so stacked that you can pretty much guarantee being anywhere at any time and you’ll be having your mind blown by the music being played. But there are some picks we’re particularly excited for. DEBONAIR on Sunday afternoon is sure to be an absolute treat, check her slamming Impact mix for a taster of the energetic selections she’ll work through to ensure there’s no Sunday weariness at her stage. DJ Deeon is performing on British soil for the first time since 1994 this weekend, and there’s no telling when he’ll be back, so his Sunday headline slot is essential viewing/listening. Objekt is one of the most consistent DJs in the game so he’s nailed onto our timetable for guaranteed good times. We’re also looking forward to transcending during Leif and checking out what Steve Davis has up his sleeve. Oh, and keep an ear to the ground for secret sets, they’ve been promised.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter here