Festival packing list: what to bring and what to wear

Most festival problems are packing problems. A dead phone, wet socks, a tent you can't put up in the dark, a bag the gate won't let in: all of them are fixed before you leave the house. This checklist goes through everything in order, from the things you can't get in without to the small extras that make a weekend in a field genuinely comfortable. There's a short version for day tickets near the end, and a list of what to leave at home.

One rule before you start: check your festival's own list of banned items. Every festival publishes one, and they differ. Glass, gas canisters, large bottles, umbrellas, chairs, gazebos and some bags are commonly restricted, and anything on that list will be taken off you at the gate.

The essentials (don't leave without these)

Your ticket, saved offline. Signal at festival gates is often terrible, so screenshot or download it before you go. If the festival sends a physical ticket or wristband by post, put it in your bag the moment it arrives.

Photo ID. You may need it at the gate, at the bar, or both. Bring the one you'd least mind losing that still gets accepted.

Phone, charging cable and a power bank. There are never enough places to charge at a festival. A fully charged power bank (or two) is the single most useful thing in your bag.

A card and a little cash. Many festivals are cashless now, but card machines go down, and a little cash is a good backup. Keep it somewhere other than your phone case.

Earplugs. Musician's earplugs cut the volume without muffling the music. You'll want them near the speakers, and you'll want cheap foam ones for sleeping.

Any medication you need, in its original packaging, with enough for an extra day in case travel home goes wrong.

Camping kit

A tent you've put up before. Practise once at home or in a park. Putting up a tent you've never seen, in the dark, in the rain, after a long journey, is a festival rite of passage nobody needs.

Something to sleep on and in. A roll mat or air bed (and a pump if it needs one), a sleeping bag rated for colder nights than you expect, and a small pillow or a stuff sack you can fill with clothes. Fields get cold at night, even in summer.

A head torch. Hands-free light for finding your tent, your toilet roll and your friends at 2am. Bring spare batteries.

Extra pegs, a mallet and bin bags. Bin bags keep wet clothes away from dry ones, line your bag in a storm, and help you leave your pitch clean.

Something to find your tent by. A flag, a bright ribbon or a strip of fairy lights. Hundreds of tents look the same in the dark; yours shouldn't.

What to wear

Shoes you've already broken in, plus wellies if there's any chance of rain. You'll walk and stand for hours on uneven ground; new shoes and a weekend on your feet don't mix, and sandals get stood on in a crowd.

Build every outfit in three layers: a base (a T-shirt or vest), a warm layer (a hoodie or fleece) and a light waterproof. On a hot afternoon you wear one, by midnight all three, and the jacket ties round your waist in between. Quick-drying fabrics beat denim, which takes hours to dry once it's wet.

Plan one outfit per day around the forecast, with spare socks and a spare base layer for each. Wear the outfit you care least about on arrival day, because putting up the tent is the dirtiest job of the weekend, and save your favourite for the headliner you most want to see.

More socks than you think. Dry socks are the cheapest luxury at a festival. Pack one pair per day, plus two spare. Add something warm for night (a field at 2am is colder than the forecast suggests), a hat for the sun, and one dry outfit sealed in a plastic bag that you don't open until you need it.

Style is up to you. There's no dress code: some people treat a festival as a fashion weekend, others wear the same hoodie for three days. Put the fun in things that survive weather, like a bright jacket, a hat or a band shirt. If you want sparkle, choose biodegradable glitter, and leave big hats for the back of the crowd: the person behind you came to see the band.

Spring, autumn or city festival? Think of it as a long gig night: comfortable shoes for walking between venues, a coat you can check into a cloakroom, and a light layer for hot rooms.

Wash bag

Toilet roll and hand sanitiser. Toilets run out of both. A pocket pack of tissues and a small bottle of sanitiser go everywhere with you.

Wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. Showers at festivals can mean long queues, so plan to manage without them.

Sun cream and lip balm, even if the forecast looks grey. A cloudy day in a field can still burn.

Plasters and blister pads. Feet take the most damage over a festival weekend. Deal with a rubbing shoe early.

If it rains

A proper waterproof jacket, not just a shower-resistant one, and a cheap poncho as backup. Many festivals ban umbrellas in the crowd, and they block the view anyway.

Wellies and thick socks. In real mud, trainers last about an hour. Wellies with a warm sock are the difference between a story and a miserable weekend.

Dry bags or zip-lock bags for your phone, power bank and ticket. Everything else can get wet; those can't.

If it's hot

A refillable water bottle. Most festivals have free water points. Check whether bottles need to be empty at the gate, and refill often: you'll need far more water than you think.

A hat, sunglasses and high-factor sun cream. Reapply every couple of hours, and after you've been dancing.

Something to sit on in the shade. A light picnic blanket or a foldable seat pad (check the chair rules first) makes the hot middle of the day far easier.

Food and drink

Snacks that survive a bag. Cereal bars, nuts, crackers and fruit that won't bruise. Festival food is part of the fun, but a breakfast you brought yourself saves money and a queue on the first morning.

Check the rules on food and drink before you buy it. Some festivals let you bring food and a limited amount of drink into the campsite but not into the arena; others restrict glass, cans or quantities. If cooking is allowed, check what kind of stove is permitted: many sites ban gas canisters and disposable barbecues.

How to pack it all

One big bag you can carry, not three you can't. A rucksack leaves your hands free for the tent and a bag of drinks. Wheeled cases struggle on grass and in mud.

Pack in layers of when you'll need things. Tent and sleeping kit at the bottom, clothes in the middle, and the things you'll want on arrival at the top: wristband or ticket, a waterproof, head torch, toilet roll and a snack.

Bag your clothes by day. A bag per day (or per outfit) means you're not emptying everything onto a wet tent floor to find a clean T-shirt.

Day ticket? The short version

Going for one day and sleeping at home? You need much less. A small bag (check the size limit), your ticket saved offline, ID, phone and power bank, card and a little cash, earplugs, a refillable bottle, sun cream, a light waterproof, and comfortable shoes. Plan your trip home before you go, and know when the last train or shuttle leaves.

What to leave at home

Anything on your festival's banned list. Read it, because it changes from festival to festival.

Valuables you'd hate to lose: expensive jewellery, a good camera you won't use, your best jacket. Festival lockers exist for the things you must bring.

Brand-new shoes, glass, and more than you can carry. You will carry everything from the car park or the bus stop to your pitch, sometimes for a long way. Pack, lift the bag, and take one thing out.

The three things everyone forgets

A power bank, toilet roll and spare socks. Put them in your bag first, then pack everything else around them.

And one thing worth planning rather than packing: who you're going with and where you'll meet if you get split up. Phones die and signal drops, so agree a landmark meeting point on the first day.