We found the inventor of the Rizla hat, festival season’s most vital acc-sesh-ory

It’s three in the morning, you’re in a forest on the outskirts of a rural village that only people who grew up within a five mile radius have heard of; and your favourite DJ is currently laying down a set for the ages. As the music ramps up, your serotonin levels are peaking, pleasure rushing through your veins, every inch of your body tingling. It’s a perfect moment.

A slight nicotine craving cuts through the bliss, and you plunge your hand into your pocket, scrabbling around for that rectangular cardboard pack of papers. Shit, all out. Your eyes dart around desperately to your peers, but hands pat empty pockets and gesture apologetically into the air. Panic begins to set in. The queue to get back into this arena means leaving isn’t an option, unless you want to spend the remainder of the night alone. The perfect moment has been broken.

Then you see it. Like a mirage at first, but after several eye rubs the vision remains. It’s real: a figure wearing a bucket hat decked in Rizla has wandered into your path, like a guardian angel descending from sesh heaven. Gathering yourself, you approach. “Can I...,” you falter, voice trembling, emotions brimming, “...can I have a Rizla, mate?”. “Of course, mate,” the figure responds, smiling maternally.

Said figure is one of many people who have stunned revellers across the festival calendar this summer by gluing packs of Rizla onto a bucket hat and wearing it in the dance. It doesn’t sound like much, but in these troubled times we cling to hope where we can find it, and this act of charitable altruism, helping your fellow raver out of a distraught situation with no want of reward, has become a beacon of dance music community spirit. Mother Teresas of partying, trading the religious habit for bucket hats. Humanitarians of the sesh.

Or, y’know, it’s just pretty jokes, innit?

Either way, Rizla bucket hats have become a viral sensation in 2017, springing up at events across the UK. The movement really seemed to get going at Houghton festival in Norfolk, at which a Rizla bucket hat wearer was the talk of the dance. And following a post on popular meme account Ketflix & Pills, the world took notice.

We tracked down the Houghton attendee and possible inventor of the Rizla bucket hat, Henry Senners, who first rode out the acc-sesh-ory back in 2016, to trace the beginnings of the movement and ask what’s next.

We also spoke to Stewart Eagers, who donned a Rizla bucket hat earlier this month at Forbidden Forest, and went viral again after we posted it and is now getting invited to clubs as a VIP, to explore what makes a Rizla bucket hat wearer tick.

Check the Q+As below.

When did you decide to make the Rizla bucket hat?

It started last year. There's a festival all my mates and I go to called Beat-Herder and they have a fancy dress policy. Last year everything had to begin with the letter 'R' so I went as a Rizla. I bought a T-shirt off eBay for like seven quid with a Rizla logo on it, and then made the Rizla hat as well.

Was it a moment of divine inspiration?

It must have been something like that. Me and my mates had a good laugh last year, and I wore it at Boomtown as well, but it sort of seems at Houghton this year is when it got a bit more attention than it had done previously.

Why do you think that is?

I dunno. I was walking down into the Quarry stage on Friday afternoon, and I'm over six foot so pretty tall compared to most people. It must have just stuck out because I've never seen so many people fixated on one thing. My friend Vic was like, 'I don't understand what is going on.'

Were lots of people sampling the hat? What was the most popular colour?

Yeah. I think what sold the hat in particular is the orange liquorice Rizla. The colour is one thing, but it's not something that most people have seen, people definitely like to try them. And obviously the big skins. People never expect the big skins.

What’s your favourite type of Rizla?

That's a qood question. I'm more of a blue man.

How much did you spend on Rizla for the hat?

You can get a four pack for about a quid, and I think that hat cost under a tenner, which considering fancy dress is something that people go to a lot of effort for, it was cheap and pretty easy to be honest. People go to a lot more effort and get a lot less...

Attention?

A lot less functionality, if anything.

Festivals are ripe for exaggerated outpourings of emotion. What was the best response you got to the hat?

It was just the number of people who came up and went 'that's a great hat'. And then they were absolutely lost for words when they realised it actually had a function as well. I lent it to my mate on the Saturday night; I was watching him and you could just see everybody constantly going over like 'what the fuck is that?'.

So you not only gave away Rizla, but the full hat. Is there any end to your generosity?

I lent it to my mate, and obviously with something like that it's weather dependent. On Friday at Houghton it was beautiful and I thought, the weather's looking a bit bad for Saturday so I better crack it out. I gave it to him on Saturday and it got a bit rainy, and I don't really know what happened to it. It's probably somewhere in Norfolk right now, still doing the God's work.

Will this remain a festival essential from now on for you?

I think we probably will see a few Rizla hats next year in the festival season, but I don't know, maybe not for me. I'm not a creative person to be honest. It was a good joke between me and my mates but I didn't really expect a lot of people to get so much enjoyment out of it. It is just a ridiculous, ridiculous item, but also essential at the same time.

They've started popping up at other festivals and lots of other people have been making them. How does it feel to have started this movement?

It is pretty funny. I think what we need now is a bit of innovation, we need some more enterprising ideas. I think I've exhausted my potential; we need someone else to take the reins and come up with something better for 2018. I can't honestly say I can think of anything better; there are people much more creative than me.

Have you considered manufacturing and selling the Rizla hats or would that betray its intrinsically anti-capitalist nature of free sharing?

There's probably a certain papers company that would have something to say about that. I think you might be looking into it a bit deep here. There's no enjoyment in selling things, there's enjoyment in having things and having a bit of a laugh. That's all it was meant to be, and I think it's probably best kept that way.

You've got to free it up to everybody and then they can innovate and improve. At the end of the day, it is very simple, I think that's why people like. It does what it says on the tin. Simple, functional, ridiculous.

We decided with the Glastonbury bread raver that his actions were inherently political. An example of the “For the many not the few” message. Do you think the Rizla hat was political?

The Glastonbury bread raver? I think I saw a photo of that…

He fed people bread at Glastonbury.

I've never needed a slice of bread at five in the morning. With the hat, people were sort of saying, 'what, can I have one?' I was like, well I can't smoke it all myself. I mean, I could try, but I probably wouldn't have enough time.

Do you think we could see the movement branching out from festivals, to clubs, pubs, supermarkets, job interviews?

When I first considered turning Rizla into some festival gear, I thought people only really wear bucket hats at festivals. Well, people in Lancashire maybe do it a bit more often. For me, bucket hats are for festivals so I thought that's probably a good way of translating it to that kind of vibe. I think it's probably best staying there, because you'd look like a bit of a tosser to the common man.

I saw on your Facebook that you recently graduated from university. What has been a greater symbol of success in your life, your graduation mortarboard or the Rizla bucket hat?

Hmm.

It's tough, I'm sure.

We're going to have to separate that into different categories. One definitely took a lot more effort and I seem to have got a lot less response for; one took very little effort and there's been a big response. I'll let that be the answer.

Where did you get the idea of making the hat from?

We were out the night before drinking and I ran out of Rizla the last time I was at Forbidden Forest in May. The lads were like 'we're not running out again, Stew. Stick a load to your bucket hat'. So we did it in the morning just before leaving. We didn't run out.

We saw another guy wearing a Rizla bucket hat at Houghton Festival in August. Had you seen that before you made it?

No, I hadn't seen it. It was only when someone said 'someone else has done it as well'. I was like 'oh, great minds think alike!'

How long did it take you to make?

About five minutes. Literally, I woke up absolutely hanging and was like 'oh, I've got that to do.' So yeah, hot glue gun for the win.

And you're a smoker yourself?

Unfortunately I am, yeah.

How many rollies did you get through on the day?

God, it's hard to say. Probably about 20 or 30. It's quite bad to be honest.

What brand is the hat?

It's just a cheap one, I don't even know. My little sister bought it for me ages ago. There's no label inside or anything.

I bet your sister's happy that it's gone viral.

Yeah, she can't believe it!

Was everyone at the festival hassling you for Rizla?

Not really hassling me, just like 'can I take one?' I was like 'yeah, go for it. That's what it's here for.' We all ran out last time and no one else needs that struggle.

How many people asked for photos?

Ah, loads. I lost count. Loads of people are still sending me photos now from all over the UK like 'oh, it's you.' It's pretty cool.

You're not going to let the fame go to your head, are you?

No, no.

Did you keep the hat on your head at all times? I guess you didn't want to lose it.

No, it never came off. I took a spare hat just in case someone tried to nick it, but everyone left it on so happy days.

Did you manage to get it back home in good condition?

Yeah, it's back home. It's hanging up on the wall. It's all there in one piece, apart from a load of packets being empty.

Do you reckon you'll remake it and wear it at other events?

Yeah. Nico The Beardo from Beatswang in Leicester has asked me to go up to that. He said bring the hat up so I've got to refill it ready to go again.

He asked you up especially because of the hat?

Yeah, I'm on the guestlist. Pretty cool, pretty cool.

So, do you reckon you'll be like the Love Island guys and get a load of DJ bookings from this?

Hopefully I'll make it there. You never know.

Would you be looking to make a few more hats and sell them on?

Yeah, definitely. My mates have already asked me to make some for them as they're going to the big festivals like Creamfields and Boomtown next year.

What famous people or DJs would you like to see wearing your hat?

Any of them really. My Nu Leng would be a good one. Shy FX, Beardo. All of them lot. There's some big ones out there.

It's the type of thing you might see on Art Attack back in the day. Was that a childhood favourite of yours?

Yeah, it was actually. That and restoring things and making stuff. That's why I've become a mechanic. It's never left me!

Did you like the Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan when you were younger, too?

Yeah, yeah. He was alright. I dunno what he's like now.

Just to finish off, what's your life motto? You looked pretty happy in that video.

Yeah, just enjoy myself. It's a break from work and my time to relax.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, finding the Rizla bucket hat inventor ranks higher as a life achievement than his degree, follow him on Twitter

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, he has a poster of Neil Buchanan on his bedroom wall, follow him on Twitter