It’s festival season! You’ve got your wristband, your outfits are planned, you’ve worked out your schedule.
But it’s the day of the festival and you’re staring at your backpack wondering, well, what do I bring with me?
The answer is, “only what you need.” You don’t want to lug a bunch of crap around with you; but you also need to make sure you have the necessities. If you’re like me, you’ll be down there for hours and don’t want to spend $5 on a two-pill pack of Advil at the little store because you forgot to pack some.
Below is a summary of my festival kit. These are the things I’ve found to be most useful when going to a festival. I keep most of these things in my festival bag, packed and ready, to save me time the day of. Better yet, pack it the night before. Always check to make sure you have what you need, and make sure you charge your devices!
- Must-Haves:
These are the things you absolutely must have…or you’ll regret it.
- Hand sanitizer
- A small roll of toilet paper, in a plastic baggie to keep it dry and clean (bonus, if it starts raining you can put your electronics in the bag)
- A Water Bottle(or appropriately sized Camelbak)
- Your charged phone
- A small thing of sunscreen—non-aerosol or they’ll take it from you
- Cheap sunglasses—don’t bring a good pair ‘cos you’ll break them or lose them.
- A small container of your favorite pain reliever in case that drunk guy behind you yells “FREEBIRD!!!!!” in your ear too many times.
- An extra hair tie if you have longish hair
*I also recommend pairing down your keys to save on weight in your bag.
- Highly Recommended:
Less essential but still good to have.
- A bandanna—to wipe sweat off your face, or to sit on if the ground is dirty
- A travel pack of tissues
- A portable phone charger
- Ear plugs
- A fan—especially important here in Texas for ACL
- A small sheet or piece of fabric or thin blanket to sit on(think something light that you can carry around/fold easily)
- Breath mints(share ‘em with your neighbors)
- Chapstick, preferably one with an spf
- A pen
- Also handy, but optional:
I bring most of this stuff, too, but you won’t die if you don’t have ‘em.
- A couple of band-aids—for blisters if you didn’t take my advice to wear comfortable shoes, or if you get bitten by the barrier or someone’s nails
- A book—or, if you’re me, knitting—for those times you’re waiting around. Better, bring an e-reader.
- A hat—This is the one thing I opt out of, but if you burn easily and it’s sunny it might be a good idea for you
- Look at the forecast! Is it gonna rain? Bring a poncho, or at least a couple of garbage bags for sitting/protecting your stuff. I bring one of each.
And that’s it! With this list you should be prepared for anything, and you shouldn’t be too bogged down with stuff as your tramping from one end of the festival to the other.
