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A UK festival is an experience unlike any other. Come rain or shine, festival-goers sling on their bumbags, slap on plenty of suncream and head out onto well-trodden muddy paths to support their favourite acts. But packing for a festival is a tricky task at the best of times – not least when you're faced with the UK's unpredictable weather. Below, we've created the ultimate guide to packing for UK festivals, featuring all of the gadgets, gizmos, clothing and essentials you shouldn't forget.
Essentials
A day bag
You’ve got through the gates, pitched your tent, and unpacked all your essentials. Now it’s time to start loading up your day bag so you can head out and explore. A sturdy, smaller rucksack is great for festivals where you’re allowed to take in your own drinks – the weight is easier to manage as you move around the site (we like this lightweight option from Dickies, which has a roomy pocket at the front plus more than enough space in the main compartment for extra drinks). If you’re not planning on carrying heavier items (like cans) around with you, opt for a smaller sling or bum bag – one that’s just big enough to fit in your phone, a portable charger, a bank card and some SPF is ideal, as you can always clip a water bottle to the strap – leaving you hands-free all day. Moth Drinks has just released a game-changing option – a crossbody bag that doubles up as a drinks cooler, so you can carry your cocktail cans and beers around without them getting too warm.
A power bank
Keeping your phone charged at a festival is no easy feat – often, you’re camping without access to mains power for four or five days, and queues for charging tents on site can be long. Save yourself the trouble by packing a decent portable charger. We recommend buying a power bank that charges your device fully at least three times, if not more, and taking one charger per device, you want to charge up while away, or purchasing a heavy-duty power bank that you leave in your tent and a smaller, lighter option for charging emergencies during the day. Top tip: if the service is poor, turn your phone on flight mode to preserve battery – letting it constantly search for a signal is a surefire way to drain your battery, fast.
Water bottle
Staying hydrated is a must during any travel – but never more so than at a festival, when it can be hot and crowded. Pack a reusable water bottle that will keep water cold and refill it at water stations around the camp. Top tip: fill up a camping water bottle like this one before you go out each day, and leave it at the tent – it means you can rehydrate when you return to the tent at night without having to go on a tipsy walk to the nearest tap in the pitch black.
Flask
If you’re allowed to take alcohol into the stage areas at your festival, bringing a hip flask is a great lightweight option that can keep costs down by allowing you to swerve the pricey spirit measures at the bar. Just buy a soft drink and top it up with a dash of your drink of choice.
Clothing
Slip-on shoes
While you’ll spend most of your time on-site in comfortable trainers, walking shoes or (if the weather gods aren’t playing ball) wellies, a pair of slip-on shoes is non-negotiable. They’re perfect for walking around at your camp, making middle-of-the-night dashes to the toilet or walking to the water taps in the morning.
A raincoat
We all hope and pray that the sun will shine on us while we dance in a field. But if you’re attending a festival in the UK, there’s a good chance there will be at least some rain. There’s nothing more miserable than being damp and cold, so pack a waterproof just in case. A water-repellant jacket like this one from Rains will keep you (and your clothes) dry, although if it’s warm as well as wet, a heavier jacket like this might get you hot and bothered in a crowd. A lighter-weight option, such as a rain poncho, is a good alternative (and they often come in funky patterns and colours, like this one). Make sure you take more t-shirts, socks and pants than there are days in case things get wet – being able to change into dry clothes once the weather clears is a game-changer.
A warm jumper
Packing for a festival means packing for all types of weather – and even if the weather forecast predicts glorious sunshine in the days, do not underestimate how cold festival sites can be at night. Pack at least one warm jumper for when the sun goes down, and make sure you have warm options with you in the evenings or risk having to pop back to your tent to layer up. This Patagonia fleece is the perfect item to pop in your bag and pull on once the temperature drops.
A hat
A hat is so much more than an accessory, ideal for protecting you from the sun and rain – and a perfect way to cover up any final-day greasy hair. Go classic with a groovy bucket hat (we like this one from Free People and this cute crocheted version from & Other Stories), understated with a baseball cap or embrace the fancy dress vibes with a cowboy hat.
Wellies
While we can manifest sunny, warm weather, in the UK, you’re more than likely to get a spot of rain. And with hundreds of thousands of feet dredging through mud tracks, it doesn’t take long for deep bogs and mucky paths to develop. There are two ways to approach buying wellies: channel your inner Sienna Miller and purchase a sensible, sturdy pair that’ll last you for years and are great for dog walks or marshy strolls, or go for a more fun option: sparkly, loud and colourful.
Camping gear
A camping chair
We’re not recommending plonking down a camping chair at the front of a packed main stage – but packing a small, foldable chair to use at your camp or during the day at roomier stages will preserve your energy and give you a place to sit if the ground is muddy. Make sure to check that you can take chairs into the festival you’ve booked – if all else fails, taking something water-repellant (like a bin bag) to sit on is a budget option that will save your clothes from any swamp-like terrain.
Tent
While you’re not likely to be spending too much time at your campsite, the few hours of sleep you’ll get are precious. There are so many options when it comes to buying tents, from small one-man pop-ups to giant teepees with all the gadgets attached. Which one you opt for depends on your price range and needs. but if we can recommend one non-negotiable, it’s that the tent you buy should be waterproof. In recent years, UK summer festivals have tended to fall on the warmer side, but when it rains, it pours. You’ll be grateful for a temporary home that doesn't have puddles by your pillow.
Large rucksack or duffel bag
The type of rucksack you buy largely depends on what type of packer you are. But regardless of whether you’re packing 25 different outfits or going minimal, you’ll need ample room for toiletries and, more importantly, alcohol. You can’t go wrong with a classic Osprey option – sturdy, reliable, spacious – and Patagonia offers some really great sustainably made rucksacks. Go for one which has multiple sections or pockets – you’ll be grateful for minimal effort going into sorting through your stuff when you’re rushing to catch an act on the other end of the festival.
Sleeping bag
Buying a sleeping bag for a UK festival is a tricky job. You want it to be warm enough so you’re not freezing at night, but light enough that you don’t wake up in a pool of your own sweat come sunrise on a summer’s day. It also ideally should be waterproof so it doesn’t soak up any rain leakage or alcohol spillage, and the easier it is to pack away, the better (no one wants to be getting hot and bothered trying to squeeze it back into the tiny bag when you’ve got a coach to catch).
Air mattress
As mentioned, no one sleeps a huge amount at a festival, so you want to make sure the sleep you do get is restorative so you’re ready to go again the next day. I’ve been to festivals both with and without an air mattress, and the difference it makes is ginormous. Having an air bed means you’re not directly pressed against the cold (sometimes wet) ground, so you don’t wake up shivering throughout the night, and you won’t wake up with a dead arm/leg/shoulder from the hard surface. It’s an investment, but if you’re a regular festival goer, it’s worth it.
Camping pillow
The same applies here – your head will be sore enough in the morning, you don’t need to exacerbate your hangover with a cricked neck. A camping pillow is not essential (a rolled-up jumper would do the trick), but it’s just quite nice to have at least some home comforts when your head is spinning and you can hear thumping music just beyond your campsite.
Cool bag
There are few things worse than warm beer when you’re already feeling fragile. Again, this is more of a luxury than a necessity – most cool bags are bulky and can be heavy. But when you’re in need of hair of the dog, an ice-cold drink is the only thing that’ll get you through it.
Portable shower
Speaking of hygiene, some may refuse to be without a shower for more than a day or two. Yes, you could join the often-inordinate queues for the onsite showers, but that means eating into precious time in the day when you could be watching the bands. This portable shower from Go Outdoors lets you fill up and wash with ease right from your campsite, meaning that you’ll be a right-sight fresher than your festival companions.
Toiletries
Eye mask
Decent sleep is a festival essential – you can’t be expected to wander from stage to stage all day running on empty. But it’s also hard to get. Give yourself the best chance possible with a decent eye mask – most British festivals take place in the summer when the sun rises early, and the last thing you need is to be awoken by the sunrise mere hours (or minutes) after you go to bed.
Ear plugs
As above – earplugs are great for blocking out the sounds of those still partying when you finally call it a night, and essential if you need a midday nap. We especially like Loop's offerings, which are more stylish than your average, and have controllable noise-cancelling qualities in some instances. See our full review.
Hand sanitiser
Showers are typically not an option at most festivals, and toilets tend to be very dirty places with poor hand-washing facilities, so it’s best to take plenty of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser to stay hygienic. There are several cheap options, but if you’d rather have some nicer-smelling alternatives, brands such as Beauty Pie and Luna offer some lovely products that aren’t too harsh on your skin.
Mini first aid kit
Unsexy, but essential. Pack paracetamol, plasters, anti-heartburn medication, contraception, hayfever tablets and anything else you might need to see you through sore feet or a hangover. We also recommend packing some kind of electrolyte to rehydrate you each morning. Note: most festivals require that prescription medication be brought in its original packaging.
Beauty
SPF
There have been some scorching summers in the UK in recent years. At festivals, you’ll be spending 90 per cent of your time outside, the sun beating down on you, without any shade in sight. You should be wearing SPF as part of your daily skincare routine anyway, but it’s hugely important to remember to pack lots of sunscreen for your next festival – burnt shoulders are not the one when you’re jostling your way to the front of a packed crowd.
Eco-friendly glitter
Festivals are one of the few times when you can really go all-out with your look, and glitter is the best part of that. Yes, you’ll be finding it on all of your clothes for the following month, but it’s worth it to look like a glimmering disco ball for one day. Remember to buy eco-friendly glitter – otherwise, the tiny microplastics end up in the soil and farms, and work their way into our food and ecosystem.
Eco wipes
For the same reason, your face and body wipes should be eco-friendly, too. Sadly, so much rubbish gets left behind after most festivals, so doing your bit and choosing sustainable, biodegradable options is the right thing to do. In general, wipes are normally the only way you’ll be able to clean yourself if you’re at a multi-day festival, and in the future, you will thank past you for wiping off at least some of the makeup and glitter you applied the day before.
The drinks
Do your back a favour and be clever with your drinks of choice. Avoid the dreaded morning coffee queues by stocking up on Grind's iced coffee cans – options include mocha, oat flat whites and caramel lattes. For the evening, stock up on NIO's ready-to-drink cocktails. Best-sellers include fruity cosmopolitans, reviving espresso martinis and punchy negronis.
Other essentials
Packing for a festival essentially means anticipating all the things you might want when spending a long weekend with thousands of strangers in a field – and what you might not be able to get your hands on while you’re there. Pack a torch so you can find your way around at night, bin bags for clearing up rubbish at camp or sitting on during rainy days, and a cosy blanket in case it gets cold at night. Packing your own snacks can save lots of money while on-site – we recommend store cupboard items such as nuts, cereal bars and sweets to nibble on between sets. And toilet roll – pack plenty of toilet roll.