What to Pack for a Music Festival

The difference between a great festival and a miserable one is often a $3 pair of earplugs and a $15 headlamp. This list covers camping festivals (where you need everything) and day festivals (where you need much less), with specific callouts for weather conditions.

The Non-Negotiables

These go in your bag regardless of festival type, weather, or duration.

• Earplugs — Proper ones, not the foam cylinders from a hardware store. Musicians' earplugs (like Etymotic or Loop) reduce volume evenly without killing the sound quality. You will want them for sleeping near stages and for protecting your hearing during extended front-of-stage sets.
• Portable phone charger — Minimum 10,000 mAh. Your phone is your schedule, your map, your meeting point. A dead phone at a festival with 100,000 people is a real problem.
• Headlamp — Hands-free beats a phone flashlight in every scenario: finding your tent, navigating muddy paths, reading a schedule. Red-light mode preserves night vision.
• Sunscreen (SPF 50+) — Reapply every two hours. Festival sunburns happen because you lose track of time.
• Refillable water bottle — Most festivals have free water refill stations. A collapsible bottle saves space.
• Cash and card — Some vendors are cash-only, some are card-only. Carry both.

Camping Festival Additions

If you are sleeping on site, add these to the non-negotiables above.

Shelter and Sleep

• Tent — Practice setting it up at home before you leave. A tent you cannot pitch in 10 minutes after driving six hours is a tent that will defeat you. Pop-up tents sacrifice durability for speed; dome tents are the sweet spot.
• Sleeping bag — Check the nighttime temperature at your festival. Roskilde in Denmark needs a warmer bag than Coachella in the California desert.
• Sleeping pad or air mattress — The ground is harder than you think. Even a thin foam pad makes a meaningful difference.
• Pillow — A compressible camping pillow or a stuffed hoodie. Do not skip this.
• Tent flag or marker — A distinctive flag, balloon, or marker that is visible from a distance. At Glastonbury's 210,000-person campground, a sea of identical tents looks the same in every direction.

Comfort and Hygiene

• Wet wipes — The single most important hygiene item at a camping festival. Baby wipes work perfectly.
• Hand sanitizer — Especially before eating. Festival portable toilets are what they are.
• Microfiber towel — Dries fast, packs small.
• Toilet paper — Festival toilets run out. Carry a roll in a ziplock bag.
• Bin bags — For dirty laundry, rubbish, and keeping the inside of your tent liveable.

Food and Drink

• Cooler — If you are car camping, a cooler with ice keeps breakfast supplies and drinks cold for two to three days.
• Instant coffee or tea bags — Morning caffeine before the vendor stalls open is a necessity, not a luxury.
• Snacks — Granola bars, dried fruit, nuts. Festival food is expensive and the queues are long at peak times.
• Reusable cup — Many European festivals require them. Having your own saves time.

Weather-Specific Gear

Hot and Dry (Coachella, Stagecoach, Burning Man)

• Wide-brimmed hat or bandana
• Lightweight, light-colored clothing
• Electrolyte packets (add to water)
• Portable shade (small canopy or tarp for campsite)

Wet and Unpredictable (Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Download)

• Wellies or waterproof boots — Non-negotiable at any UK or northern European festival. Ankle-height is minimum; knee-height is better.
• Rain poncho (cheaper and more breathable than a rain jacket in crowds)
• Waterproof bag for backpack contents
• Extra socks — more than you think you need

Cold Nights (High-altitude or late-season festivals)

• Thermal base layer
• Fleece or down jacket (packable)
• Beanie and gloves for late-night sets

Day Festival Essentials

For urban festivals like Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, or Primavera Sound where you return to accommodation each night, the list is shorter:

• Everything from the non-negotiables section
• Comfortable shoes you have already broken in
• Light rain layer (even in summer, weather changes)
• Small crossbody bag or fanny pack (hands-free, secure, front-facing)
• ID and festival wristband/ticket

What Not to Bring

• New shoes — Break them in before the festival or suffer.
• Valuables you cannot afford to lose — Festivals are crowded. Leave jewelry, expensive watches, and extra credit cards at home.
• A full-size umbrella — Blocks the view of people behind you. Use a poncho.
• Glass containers — Banned at most festivals for safety.
• Expectations of cleanliness — By day three of a camping festival, everyone looks the same. Embrace it.

How do I keep my phone charged at a festival?+

Bring a portable charger with at least 10,000 mAh capacity (enough for 2-3 full charges). Turn on battery saver mode, reduce screen brightness, and close background apps. Some festivals offer charging stations, but the queues can be long. A solar charger works as a backup at multi-day camping festivals.

What shoes should I wear to a music festival?+

For dry festivals: broken-in trainers or hiking shoes with ankle support. For festivals with any rain risk: waterproof boots or wellies. Never wear brand new shoes. Never wear open-toed sandals in the main crowd areas — your feet will be stepped on.

Can I bring food and drinks into a music festival?+

Policies vary. Most camping festivals allow food and sealed non-glass drinks into the campground but not into the performance area. Day festivals typically prohibit outside food and drink entirely. Check your specific festival's policy before packing a cooler.