The Ultimate Festival Packing List + FREE CHECKLIST

It’s festival season…you’re ready to dance the night away, make life long memories, plan your awesome outfits and camp amongst fellow festival goers. However, knowing what to pack for a long week of festival camping can be daunting, confusing and a complete nightmare! As a result, I’ve created the ultimate festival packing list with a free downloadable PDF checklist to make packing that little bit easier.

Packing the right clothing, camping gear and other items can pretty much make or break your festival experience, and either make for an enjoyable or miserable time. Whether you’re a festival veteran or a complete newbie, you will find new tips in this festival packing list.

I absolutely love festivals, and have been to my fair share of them over the years including EDC, Tomorrowland, Ultra to name a few. Of course, some items depends on where you are but I’ve included absolutely everything to make this the best and only festival packing list on the internet that you will need!

So without further ado, here is the ultimate festival packing list:

Essentials

These are items that you absolutely need, and most likely won’t be able to get into the festival without.

1). Tickets. Make sure to either print off your tickets before hand or have them on a fully charged phone. No ticket will mean no entry, so make sure to come prepared. This is also the same for parking tickets, pre festival party tickets and others so make sure to have them at hand ready to show at the entrance.

2). Photo ID. Pretty much all festivals will need a photo ID to verify you are that person holding the ticket. Usually a passport or drivers license are the best forms of ID, but check on your festivals website for accepted forms of ID. In addition, you’ll most likely need photo ID to be served alcohol, so make sure to keep it on you at all times.

3). Money + Cards. If you’re headed to a festival abroad, make sure to withdraw local currency. You’ll need to pay for food and drinks and possibly souvenirs too, so make sure to keep some cash or your cards on you at all times. Some festivals like Tomorrowland have a wristband that you load money onto, whereas some still use cash/card payments. Look this up before you leave.

4). Phone & Charging Cables. Even though phone signal at festivals can be dodgy to say the least due to the sheer number of people, it’s always a good idea to keep your phone on you incase of an emergency. If you loose your friends, you’ll need it and I’m sure you’ll want to take a few photos in your awesome outfits during the festival!

Suitcase or Backpack?

This is really down to personal preference, how far you’ll be walking and the terrain you’ll be walking on. If you’ve got a long way to walk, and the terrain is fairly flat then I’d recommend taking a suitcase. If you’re walking through muddy fields a backpack is probably your best bet.

However, if you want the best of both worlds, I recommend buying a backpack that has wheels like this Osprey Sojourn one. Meaning, if it’s a long walk you can use the wheels and tow the suitcase or if you’re walking through muddy terrain then you can wear it as a backpack.

Now you’ve chosen the main bag for your trip, you’ll most likely want a smaller carry on sized bag to pack some items of clothing, toiletries, and other miscellaneous items as your main bag will most likely carry your inflatable mattress, blanket and other camping gear. As a result, I recommend the Osprey Farpoint 40 Litre backpack, which can also be used as a carry on bag for flights.

Camping Essentials

Obviously if your festival doesn’t include camping, if you’re chosen a different accommodation option or you’ve pre booked a camping set up this section won’t apply to you. However, for most people camping is one of the main parts to your weekend, as a result having the correct camping essentials in your festival packing list will make your time much more enjoyable.

1). 4 Man Tent / 6 Man Tent

This goes without saying really, having a decent tent is so important. If it rains you don’t want the tent to be soaked in water, you also don’t want to get the wrong size (some festivals restrict the size depending on the party size). Personally, I would always buying a slightly larger tent so you have more room for luggage and sleeping. For example, if you’re a party of two I’d buy a 4 man tent.

There are a huge range of tent options, from the ultra plush to the very basic. If you’re wanting a good investment which you can bring to multiple festivals that will last, I recommend the following:

2). Compact Inflatable Sleeping Mat with Pillow

This is one of my best buys for festival camping; it’s lightweight, packs up small meaning you can easily fit it into your luggage unlike other larger air mattresses and it’s super comfy with an inbuilt pillow! Click here to get the Uoune Ultralight Sleeping Mat.

If you’re taking a car then you may want to consider bringing a larger air mattress like this one for a single or this for a double, however you’ll still have to carry it to your campsite. Also do note that’ll you need to bring a pump with you if there isn’t one at the festival to use whereas the sleeping mat can be pumped up with your mouth!

3). Sleeping Bag

Having a good nights sleep is so important at a festival and you won’t want to be shattered for when the main events are taking place. I recommend this sleeping bag, it’s compact, lightweight and built for temperatures down to -3c so you won’t freeze your butt off! It’s also very affordable at only £15.99 and has some of the best ratings for a sleeping bag on Amazon!

4). Foldable Camping Chair

You’ll most likely be walking a long way and on your feet all day. As a result, a foldable camping chair can feel like pure luxury once you get back to your campsite. Also during the day when you’re just relaxing it’s nice to not have to sit on the floor. You’ll definitely be comfier bringing this, and the Trail Outdoor Padded Camping Chair is a great lightweight and affordable option at just £19.99.

5). Picnic Blanket

Perfect for lying out in-front of your tent or beside it, during the day sit outside and catch the sun or eat some food and chat to your neighbours. I recommend this compact picnic blanket.

6). Camping Lantern/Torch

When it goes dark and when you’re walking around the campsite at night to the toilet, to brush your teeth etc, having a camping lantern or torch is necessary. I recommend this Lanktoo 2 in 1 rechargeable lantern that also comes with a power bank to recharge your electricals! Although you can use your phone torch, I recommend against that as you’ll be wanting to save your battery as much as possible, and using your torch really drains it.

7). Pop Up Canopy

A pop up canopy only applies if you’re arriving by car or have space to carry this extra piece of equipment without huge struggle. Also some festivals have banned canopy’s due to space restrictions and wind, so check on the festivals website before you depart.

Festival canopy’s are great to shield you from the midday sun, protect you from the rain and are a great place to chill out during the day with a group of friends. It’s also really useful for meeting other people, invite them over, have a few drinks and enjoy the shade!

This Deuba 3×3 Pop Up Canopy is a great option as it packs small, it’s light and super easy to set up! It also comes in a variety of different colours.

8). Portable & Foldable Camping Table

Again, I’d only take a portable camping table if you’re arriving by car and have space to carry it. However, having a camping table is one of the handiest items to have when at a festival. This Heavy Duty 6 foot Foldable Camping Table is perfect. It’s lightweight, great value and has near perfect reviews on Amazon.

You can prepare meals, cook, put all your drinks on, and even play beer pong and other drinking games on it. If you can, I wouldn’t attend a festival without one!

9). Cooler/Esky

Instead of bringing a hard cooler, I recommend a cool bag like this Thermos 30L Cooler. It can hold up to 36 cans of drinks of your choice and can keep items cool for over 5 hours. This is all you really need as every day you’ll fill it with new drinks. It’s also super easy to carry over the shoulder instead of a bulky hard cooler. With these you also don’t need to buy ice, saving you some money.

If you’re unsure of which cooler to buy, this comprehensive guide on the best drinks cooler will definitely help you!

10). Country Flag

Apoligse for the awful quality! This photo was taken at Tomorrowland 2019, and honestly having the GB flag around me was probably the best accessory of the weekend. So many people came up to me and started chatting to me as they knew I was from the UK. I made life long friends from this, and won’t be going to any other international festival without one!

I love repping for my country when I’m overseas, so I highly recommend you do the same! Here is a durable and great 3×5 Foot Flag with many country and state choices.

Toiletaries & Personal Items

1). Extra Toilet Paper – a lot of toilets at festivals run out and don’t get restocked.

2). A MicroFibre Travel Towel – lightweight, quick drying and takes up near to no space.

3). Baby Wipes – sometimes a shower isn’t always available so these are a life saver.

4). Make Up Wipes – easy to pack and use facial wipes to take off your makeup.

5). Mini First Aid Kit – includes plasters, scissors tweezers etc.

6). Mini Shampoo & Conditioner.

7). Mini Shower Gel.

8). Mini Face Wash.

9). Plenty of 30 SPF+ Suncream. I’m very fussy with mine and highly recommend Riemann P20 Once A Day Suncream.

10). Medication.

11). Berocca/Vitamin C Tablets – to keep you energised throughout the festival.

12). Hand Sanitiser – a lot of porter-loos and toilets do not have sinks to wash your hands after and camping can get pretty grimy.

13). Toothbrush & Toothpaste (Mouth Wash for when you can’t clean your teeth).

14). Tangle Teaser Hairbrush – Wouldn’t use any other make for my hair!

15). Razor/Shaving Kit – I love the Gilette On The Go Razor.

16). DrawString Trash Bags – always leave no trance after ending the festival.

17). Deodorant – no one wants a stinky or smelly camp mate.

18). Dry Shampoo – you may not always have access to showers, so this can work wonders if you can’t wash your hair.

19). Hand Held Mirror – to do your makeup!

Other Useful Items

1). Portable Chargers – I’d recommend packing at least two as some festival do not have charging points.

2). Camelbak Hydration Pack – It’s so important to stay hydrated throughout the festival and this is a great way. Also saves spending money on bottled water!

3). Collapsable Water Bottle – again hydration!

4). Portable Bluetooth Speaker – during the day, after the festival ends for the evening keep the party going!

5). Plastic Cups & Ping Pong Balls – Beer Pong!

6). Holographic Glitter – probably one of my favourite accessories to have at a festival, you’ll get a lot of compliments!

7). Deck of Cards – For drinking games.

8). Travel Adapters – If you’re going to a festival overseas you’ll need to bring adaptors to charge your electric devices.

Clothing & Gear

As far as clothing goes, it’s really up to you on what you want to wear and pack. It also depends on where you are going and the climate you’ll be in. For example, EDC Vegas is going to be sweltering compared to Glastonbury in England. You may need to pack for all weather conditions or you may know it’ll be boiling clear blue skies the entire time. My advice is to look up the weather forecast before you go and pack accordingly. Even if it says clear blue skies and sunny, you may want to pack a rain mac and a warm jumper just incase.

Here are a range of items to take:

1). Festival Outfits – I LOVE dressing up and going all out at festivals. I usually plan a different outfit theme each day. These are my two favourite websites I get my outfit ideas and items off: Dollskill and iHeartRaves.

2). Comfortable Shoes you can walk miles in – I personally wouldn’t bring any form of large high heeled boots despite them looking awesome. Instead wear comfy trainers.

3). Flip Flops – these are great for walking around the campsite and showering in.

4). Socks.

5). Shorts, Trousers/Jeans & Skirts.

6). Crop Tops, Bralets, T-shirts and Strappy Tops.

7). Warm Jumper depending on the climate.

8). Waterproof Festival Poncho.

9). PJs.

10). Bikini/Swimsuit.

11). Bandana.

12). Underwear and Bras.

13). Hats.

14). Sunglasses – have a normal pair and a funky pair.

15). Kaleidoscope Goggles – trust me when I say you should have a pair for raves/EDM festivals.

16). Funky Earrings and Cheap Jewellery.

17). Wellies – these are only necessary for festivals where it might rain or is muddy.

18). Laundry Bag – super useful to keep your dirty and clean clothes separated.

Overview

So there you have it, the ultimate festival packing list! I’ve tried to include everything you’ll need for any festival weather you’re driving there, flying there to a desert festival to a festival where it most likely will rain! You’ll most likely be walking a lot so remember that when packing.

To make it easier for you and so you’re able to print out a PDF when packing to tick off as you go along, download my festival packing list PDF here!

Are there any other festival packing list essentials that I’ve missed out? Let me know in the comments and also I’d love to know what festivals you’re wanting to go too/have booked!

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