Steve PMHReady to rock out to your favorite artists at the upcoming music festival? Then, you need to master packing for it.
Music festivals are a fantastic way to get loose, jam out with friends, meet new people, and even explore places you’ve never been before. To make sure you have as much fun as possible, the last thing you want to be is unprepared.
Sure the music and the food will be great, but you won’t feel so good leaving with a sunburn or only a couple of pictures because you forgot your portable charger. So if you’re wondering what to bring to a music festival, the list below has all the essentials that’ll guarantee you a good time.
What to Bring to a Music Festival
For camping:
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Blanket
- Air mattress or sleeping bag
- Multi-tool or knife
- Tarp
- Hammer or mallet
- Flashlight or headlight
- Extra batteries
- Flag
Your essentials:
- Phone
- Money
- Portable phone charger
- Fanny pack or belt bag
- Sunscreen
- Hat or headscarf
- Sunglasses
- Trash bags
- Water bottle
- Wet wipes
To make life easier:
- Selfie Stick
- Battery-operated fan
- Plastic bags
- Portable chair
- Portable speaker
To wear:
- Light clothes
- Layers
- Wet weather articles
- Comfortable shoes
- Swimwear
- Bandana
For hygiene and medical emergencies:
- Hand sanitizer
- Dry shampoo
- Towel
- Deodorant
- Emergency kit
- Painkillers
- Special medicine
- Sanitary products
What You Need for Camping
Unless you’re staying in a hotel, chances are you’ll be camping for the duration of the music festival. Since having a decent shelter is a top priority while away from home, items for camping should be at the very top of your checklist.
1. Tent
If you don’t want to end up sleeping out in the open where everyone can see, then you have to bring your own tent. Make sure it’s durable enough to handle rough conditions (also, to last you several more music festivals) and big enough to fit all your stuff.
2. Sleeping bag
Pick the material of the sleeping bag depending on the weather, and don’t forget that it can get pretty cold at night even during summer. The size of the sleeping bag should also match your own.
3. Extra Blanket
Always nice to have an extra blanket when you want to get more comfy and cozy.
4. Sleeping Mat or Air Mattress
“Sleeping on bare ground is so comfortable” “Wow, sleeping on grass feels like fluffy clouds”, said no one ever. Pack an air mattress or a sleeping mat and do yourself a favor; save your body the cold, wetness, and hardness of ground/grass.
If you go for an air mattress, don’t forget to pack a pump along with batteries, a patch kit to fix punctures, and some sheets.
5. Knife or Multi-tool
You never know if you’ll need to do any cutting, scraping, sanding, or grinding while setting up your tend.
6. Tarp
To protect yourself or your belongings from elements like wind, rain, and sunlight.
7. A Hammer or a Mallet
To help you pitch your tent when stakes are involved.
8. A Headlamp or a Flashlight
Some light at nighttime will save you from fumbling around in the dark trying to find your sleepwear, water bottle, or any other item. You can even hand up your light source from the tent’s ceiling and enjoy a hand-free, illuminated night.
9. Extra Batteries
These can be a life-saver in case your lights or any other battery-powered gear go out.
10. A Unique Flag
You’re not the only one who’ll bring a tent, which means you need to make yours stand out so you can easily find it among the sea of other tents (some may even look identical to yours!). Setting up a flag on your tent can help you quickly pinpoint its location, just make sure it looks unique.
Must-Have Essentials
In addition to camping-related items, the following are things you absolutely don’t want to miss during your music festival adventure.
1. Phone and Money
Your phone is your connection link with others. A smartphone lets you contact your companions, take pictures, post on social media, text people, check the weather, or use the GPS.
Money in the form of cash is how you’ll buy food, drinks, or party merch.
2. Portable phone charger
When you’re in the middle of a desert or a field, electrical outlets are a luxury you can’t afford, even if there are phone charging points at the festival, you’ll have to wait for a turn which will cost you some music and fun.
A portable phone charger can be your best friend out there.
3. A Fanny Pack or Belt Bag
You want your hands to be free while your phone and money stay safe? Easy, just use a fanny pack, a belt bag, or even a bra stash.
4. Sunscreen
Prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to sunburns. Bringing sunscreen is just as important as remembering to apply it!
5. A Hat or Head Scarf
These will protect your head from sun rays and even keep sweat from dripping down your face and neck.
6. Sunglasses
During the day, you want to be able to actually see what’s going on and watch the performances. Yes, the sun may have you squinting like crazy, but a pair of sunglasses will save you the hassle.
7. Trash bags
Besides helping you keep your campsite clean (like any decent person should!), trash bags can also serve as a ground mat or a make-shift raincoat.
8. A Water Bottle
If you don’t feel like spending all your money on bottled water, especially as it tends to be expensive in such events and you’ll need to buy several, bring a water bottle so you can enjoy free tap water and stay hydrated.
9. Wet Wipes
You’d think I’d save these for the hygiene department of the list, but I believe them to be an essential item that you can’t go without. Wet wipes will have your back when an emergency shower is due or when you need to pay a visit to the toilet.
How to Make Life Easier
While you can survive a music festival without the following things, they can sure make your time there a whole lot more enjoyable!
1. Selfie Stick
It downright sucks when you have to ask others to take pictures of you or a group picture with your friends, mainly because you’ll want to shoot hundreds of photos and most people will be busy taking their own.
A selfie stick will solve this issue and let you capture as many moments as you want.
2. A Small Battery-Powered Fan
This faded can come in handy when you need an extra dose of cooling.
3. Small Plastic Bags
These will work wonders when it comes to protecting your phone, accessories, and other stuff from getting wet.
4. A Portable Chair
When you get tired of standing, a portable chair allows you to have a seat at any time and in any place.
5. Portable Speaker
When bands and artists are done performing for the day, you can keep the party going with a portable speaker.
What Clothing to Pack
When packing for a music festival, what you’ll wear will play a huge role in your overall comfort. Keep in mind that even though such events usually take place in summer, the weather can be unpredictable. Preparation is key to ensure you’ll have fun no matter what.
1. Light Clothes
Of course, you’ll want to pack lightly to combat the heat. This means tank tops, shorts, dresses, and t-shirts. Don’t forget, sunscreen goes on all that exposed skin.
2. Layers
Clothing layers are important to stay warm when the cold night hits, so it’s a good idea to pack a hoodie, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, and some pants. These can also save you from annoying mosquito bites.
3. Wet Weather Articles
You should also be ready to deal with any rain, so bring a thin raincoat and rubber boots. Not only will you stay dry, but you also won’t have to deal with mud.
If you want to cut back on packing space, you can make it work with a few disposable ponchos as they’re both lightweight and very foldable.
4. Comfortable Shoes
You’re going to be doing a lot of standing, jumping, dancing, and generally moving around, so you want your feet to be as comfortable as possible throughout the festival. Aching or injured feet are the last thing you need out there — your whole trip could go downhill.
To avoid this tragic scenario, make sure you pack comfortable footwear such as sneakers and flip-flops. However, be sure you can live with these shoes getting ruined a little bit. That’s inevitable in music festivals.
5. Swimwear
Having a swimsuit available can be very useful for taking showers (privacy isn’t a music festival’s strongest suit). You can also turn to your swimwear when the weather is too hot to put on any other clothes.
6. Bandana
Wearing a bandana on your head isn’t just stylish, but it’s also a good way to keep your hair out of the way. You can also wrap it around your neck or tie it on your wrist, and whenever too much dust is floating around or you need a face mask on the fly, just untie it and wrap it around your nose and mouth.
How to be Hygienic and Ready for a Medical Emergency
Last but not least, going away for a few days to a music festival can be an awesome way to let your worries fade, but never let your guard down when it comes to your hygiene and any potential medical emergencies.
1. Hand Sanitizer
Washing your hands regularly will prove to be a challenge when you’re at a music festival.
Let’s face it, you’ll be touching so many people and things that you don’t want to imagine the number of germs lurking on your hands by the end of the day. This is where hand sanitizer comes in handy.
2. Dry Shampoo
Again, washing your hair from sweat and products may not be possible out there. This is exactly what dry shampoo is made for; keeping your hair fresh when you don’t have the means or the time to give it a full-blown wash.
3. Towel
Bringing a towel is essential to dry yourself after a shower or in case there’s rain and you didn’t reach your tent in time. If you’re going with a group of friends, make sure you pack your own towel because, seriously, who would want to share a towel?
Consider bringing a microfiber towel instead of a regular towel as it doesn’t take as much room.
4. Deodorant
There’s nothing worse than partying in a sea of unpleasant body odor, including your own. So start with yourself and make sure you pack a strong deodorant to keep you smelling nice and fresh, especially in hot weather.
5. A Medical Emergency Kit
If you scrape your knee or arm after tripping or slipping, you’ll want to get that disinfected and patched up as soon as possible. Similarly, you can get any simple injury sorted if you have a small medical emergency kit at hand.
6. Painkillers
Headaches are your worst nightmare while attending a music festival. After all, with all the sounds blaring around you, a throbbing headache will definitely keep you from having fun.
Be sure to bring some painkillers so you can pop a couple and be as good as new whenever you feel a headache threatening to ruin the fun.
7. Special Medication
If you take any special medicine, such as a diabetes shot or blood pressure pills, make it a top priority to pack enough of it to last you the whole journey.
8. Sanitary Products
This one is for the ladies. Since you can never be too careful with when your period hits, it’s better to go prepared and pack whatever sanitary product you prefer to use down there.
