Whether you’re heading to a festival for just two nights or you’re doing a five-night trip, there will be plenty of things that you need to pack! From the bags you’ll need to the camping gear and toiletries, here’s the perfect camping music festival packing list! If it’s your first time heading to a festival, the walk from your car to the campsite can be horrid. So, it’s essential to only back the must-haves, my recommendation is a Granny Trolley to go alongside your camping backpack, as they help make the walk so much easier!
Bags
- Camping backpack
- Bumbag
- Backpack
First up we’ve got bags, you’ll need a sturdy and proper camping rucksack. They can be quite expensive, but if you get a cheap one you can really tell the difference and it will make your journey to camp A LOT harder! You don’t want it to be too large but you’ll want it big enough to fit the majority of the packing list. Then there’s the bumbag/backpack, bumbags are perfect for festivals and it’s a must-have item I always take. If you’re going to a festival like Glastonbury where you can take your own drinks through, you’ll need a good backpack too!
Camping Gear
I love festivals, I hate camping, but for the best festivals and to get the proper authentic experience you have to camp. To make your sleep the best, the below are essentials!
- Tent
If there’s a large group of you, a bigger tent which requires being put up with poles is perfect. If there are less of you than a pop-up tent is ideal, my recommendation is the three-man two-second pop-up tent from Decathlon, it’s £54.99 and super light!
- Tent Pegs
It’s likely you’ll get some which come with your tent, however, I’d recommend buying another pack of them. You can pick them up in pound shops, so they aren’t expensive!
- Sleeping bag
Tents can get very cold at night, so it’s essential to get a good sleeping bag, which is warm!
- Roll mat/blow up bed
I usually take a lilo (they always end up deflating after one night!) or a roll mat, I don’t usually take a blow up bed as it’s a lot heavier, but I’m off to Glastonbury soon, which is five days long and will be taking one this time!
- Pillow
You can get festival pillows; however, I prefer getting some cheap normal pillows from Wilko and taking an old pillowcase to put them in, a lot comfier!
- Camping chair
Not an essential if you don’t mind sitting on the floor, but having a camping chair makes the drinking by the tent a lot comfier!
- Bucket
And this isn’t for using as a loo! If you aren’t showering for a few days, you can fill this up with water every morning and use it splash your face and clean your teeth.
- Granny Trolley
The best thing I’ve got for a festival, I’ve used the plastic trolleys with small wheels which grass and mud get caught in. I then purchased a granny trolley a few years ago and it’s changed my whole journey. The bigger wheels help with not getting anything caught in them as well as being more sturdy and fitting more in.
- Toilet roll
An obvious one! You’ll be lucky to find loo roll at some festivals and if you do, it won’t last long, so take your own!
- Black bags
If you leave rubbish lying around outside your tent, you’re going to attract flies, wasps and maybe even something worse!
- Shewee
I’m a bit rubbish at using these, but they’re a godsend to some!
- Blanket
After a fun-filled day dancing, you may congregate back at your tent after, it will be cold; therefore, a blanket is the perfect way to keep you warm!
Toiletries
Some of these are obvious, so I don’t need to go into more detail!
- Baby wipes
- Suntan lotion
- Micellar Water
- Moisturiser
- Deodorant (some festivals won’t allow you to take aerosols in)
- Hairspray
- Dry Shampoo
- Hair Brush
- Hairbands
- Paracetamol
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Anti-bacterial hand wash
- Mirror
Ideally, a stand-up mirror as it allows you to have both hands when doing your make-up, hair or putting your glitter on!
- Glitter
One of my favourite things about festivals is being covered head to toe in glitter and not being judged! I’m also known as the glitter queen at festivals and am asked on a daily basis to do peoples glitter! I’ve purchased glitter from numerous places, the last big order I got was from eBay, this time around I stocked up from Gypsy Shrine– they also do biodegradable glitter!
- Vaseline
The perfect and cost-effective way to apply glitter is by using Vaseline!
- Face mask
It may sound like an odd one, but this year I’ve packed a few face mask sheets for Glasto! You feel drained from little to no sleep and you can’t freshen up in the shower, sheet masks leave me feeling refreshed at home, so can imagine they’ll do the same in a tent. They’ll help with getting the glitter/make-up off too!
Clothes/Shoes
I don’t need to mention packing your outfits, so this just covers the basic clothes and shoes you’ll need!
- Waterproof coat
When it rains, it pours! You don’t want to pack a big coat; therefore, a lightweight, waterproof coat is an essential! It doesn’t need to be expensive, Primark has a great bunch of waterproof coats which are cost-effective!
- Wellies
If you’re going to a festival in the UK, it’s highly likely you’ll need wellies! It rains probably 80% of the time (maybe a bit of an exaggeration!) and if it doesn’t rain while you’re at the festival, the ground could still be muddy.
My advice, get some good wellies which are comfy! My first camping festival I took some cute floral wellies which hadn’t been worn before, bad mistake! They completely cut my legs and feet to shreds, and that was on the first day. I now have a trusty pair of black Dunlop wellies (which cost around £7), but they’re comfy. So go comfort over style!
- Welly socks
I could have eliminated half of my issue with my first pair of festival wellies by investing in welly socks. Essentially, these are just socks which come up past your wellies which help stop the rubbing!
- Trainers
If the weather isn’t too bad and the ground isn’t too muddy, trainers are also a great option. Don’t take trainers which you don’t mind ruining and ones you wouldn’t mind losing (in case they get stolen!).
- Warm PJs & Hoodie
Tents can be both a sauna and a freezer, throughout the night temperatures can really drop so you’ll be grateful for some warm PJs and a hoodie!
- Extra Clothes
Always pack an outfit or two more than is needed in case of bad weather!
Electrics
- External charger/Power bank (or two!)
Another godsend! iPhone batteries are rubbish, and it’s likely you’ll want to capture some of the memories you make on your phone, so you’ll need an external charger, or two, depending on how long you’re going. You can get external chargers in a lot of places now, but I’d recommend finding one which may cost a little bit more money, but in turn, charges your phone up more times than a cheaper alternative.
Food/Drink
Again, I think the following items are pretty obvious! Usually camps will have a water source, so you can refill your bottle. Crisps are the perfect snack to have at any time as well as breakfast bars being the perfect thing to wake up to! Capri Suns are a nice alternative to water and your alcohol of choice. Pack some snacky bits like cold pizza, pasties or the little picnic packs you can get from most supermarkets to get you through the first few days!
- Water
- Crisps
- Alcohol of choice
- Breakfast bars
- Capri Suns
- Cold pizza (first day or two!)
And there we have it, my camping music festival packing list! Hopefully I’ve covered the majority of things you’ll need, I’ve definitely learned a lot from the sheer amount of festivals I’ve been to and picked up a lot of tips over the years! If you have any other essentials you think should be added to the list, leave me a comment below, I’d love to pick up some more hacks! ??
Still not completely sold on heading to a festival? My 10 reasons you should go to a festival blog will make you think differently!
