Your first festival: the complete guide

Your first festival will be one of the best weekends of your year, and almost everything that goes wrong at one can be avoided with a little planning. This guide goes through it in order: choosing the festival, tickets and money, what to pack and wear, planning who you'll see, camping, food, weather, looking after yourself, finding your friends, and getting home. There's a quick FAQ at the end.

Choosing your first festival

Start with the line-up, not the name. A festival where you love five or six acts beats a famous one where you know two. Look at the whole bill, not just the headliners: the afternoon slots on smaller stages are where most people find their new favourite band.

Think about size. Huge festivals have the biggest names and the most to do, but also the longest walks, the biggest queues and the hardest time finding friends. Smaller festivals are calmer, friendlier and easier to get around, which makes them a great first choice.

Consider a day ticket or a city festival first. One-day and city festivals let you go home to your own bed, which takes the pressure off camping, packing and days of weather. If you love it, go for the full weekend next year.

Check how you'll get there and back before you buy. Some sites are a short train ride away; others need a shuttle bus, a long walk from the car park, or a coach that leaves at a fixed time.

Tickets and money

Buy from the official seller or its listed resale partner. Festival tickets are a magnet for scams: avoid tickets offered on social media or by strangers, and never pay by bank transfer to someone you don't know. Many festivals tie tickets to a name or a photo, so a ticket bought second-hand from a stranger may not even get you in.

Budget for more than the ticket. Travel, food, drink, a locker or phone charging, and merch all add up, and festival prices are higher than in town. Decide on a daily budget before you go. Many festivals are now cashless, so check whether you need to top up a wristband or bring a card, but keep a little cash in case card payments go down.

Check the rules before you pack. Every festival publishes a list of what you can and can't bring in: glass, large bottles, gas canisters, umbrellas, chairs and some bags are commonly restricted. Five minutes on the festival's website saves having things taken off you at the gate.

What to pack

Pack for the worst weather and hope for the best. The essentials:

Ticket and ID, with the ticket saved offline. Phone, charger and a power bank, because there are rarely enough places to charge. A card and a little cash. Earplugs, for being close to the speakers and for sleeping. A waterproof jacket even if the forecast is sunny, plus sun cream and a hat even if it isn't. A refillable water bottle, hand sanitiser, wet wipes and toilet roll, a small first-aid kit (plasters, painkillers, blister patches), and any medication you need.

If you're camping, add a tent you've practised putting up at home, a sleeping bag suited to cold nights, a roll mat, a head torch, a spare pair of socks per day, and bin bags to keep wet things away from dry ones. Pack light: whatever you bring, you'll be carrying from the car park or the bus stop.

What to wear

Layers beat one big coat. Festival days can swing from hot afternoons to cold nights, so wear things you can add and remove: a T-shirt, a warm top, and a light waterproof you can tie round your waist.

Shoes matter more than anything. You'll walk and stand for hours. Wear comfortable boots or trainers you've already broken in, never new ones, and bring wellies if there's any chance of rain. A small cross-body bag or bum bag keeps your phone and money in front of you and your hands free.

Plan your line-up (loosely)

Once stage times are out, mark the acts you can't miss and the ones you'd like to see. Then check for clashes: two favourites on different stages at the same time is the classic festival heartbreak, and it's better to decide in advance than to sprint across a field halfway through a set. Allow time to walk between stages, especially at big sites.

Leave gaps. The best festival moments are often the band you wandered past on the way to food. On OutTwo you can build your own line-up for a festival by tapping the acts you want to see, and share it with friends as a single link, so everyone knows where you'll be.

Camping

Arrive early if you can: you'll get a better pitch, near the toilets and water but not right next to them, and on flat ground that won't turn into a puddle. Remember where you pitched: drop a pin on your phone map and note a landmark like a flag or a tall tree, because hundreds of tents look identical in the dark. Something distinctive on your tent, like a flag or ribbon, helps too.

Keep valuables on you, not in the tent; use the festival's lockers if there are any. Never cook or use a heater inside your tent. And campsites are some of the friendliest places on earth: say hello to your neighbours on the first afternoon, and they'll be the ones lending you a tent peg or a lighter on day three.

Food and drink

Festival food has come a long way, but it's expensive, so a few snacks from home (cereal bars, fruit, crisps) take the edge off the budget. Eat a proper meal at least once a day, ideally before the evening sets, when queues get longest. Refill your water bottle every time you pass a tap. If you drink alcohol, pace yourself and alternate with water: a long day in the sun hits harder than a night out in town.

Rain, mud and heat

If it rains: wellies, a proper waterproof, and a dry set of clothes sealed in a bag in your tent are the difference between a story and a miserable weekend. Walk slowly in mud, keep your phone in a zip bag, and accept that you will get dirty.

If it's hot: sun cream every couple of hours, a hat, sunglasses, and far more water than you think you need. Find shade in the middle of the day, and take breaks from the crowd at the front. Heat exhaustion creeps up on people who are having too much fun to notice.

Looking after yourself

Sleep when you can, even if it's a nap in the afternoon. Wear earplugs near the stage: hearing damage builds up, and you only get one pair of ears. Look after your feet: change into dry socks, and deal with blisters early.

Find the welfare and medical tents when you arrive, so you know where they are if you or a friend needs them. Festival staff and welfare teams are there to help, not to judge. If you need accessibility support, check the festival's accessibility page before you go: many offer viewing platforms, accessible camping and companion tickets, but they usually need to be booked in advance.

Front-of-stage etiquette

Being near the front is the best feeling at a festival, so a little etiquette goes a long way. Get there early rather than pushing through once the set has started. Watch the show, not your screen: film a song if you want, but keep your phone low and your arms down so the people behind can see. If you go on someone's shoulders, do it for a song, not a set. And if someone falls in a mosh pit, pick them up; that's the one rule everyone follows.

Staying safe and finding each other

Phone signal can struggle when tens of thousands of people share one field, so agree a meeting point with your group before you split up, somewhere you'll recognise in the dark, and a time to check in. Keep your phone charged, keep your drink in sight, and tell someone where you're going if you head off alone.

Going to a festival on your own? It's easier than you'd think, because everyone is moving between stages all day. Our guide to going to a gig alone has more on it.

Getting home

Leaving takes longer than arriving. Pack up in the morning if you can, check what time the last shuttle or train leaves, and expect queues at every exit. Take your tent and your rubbish home with you. Plan a quiet day afterwards: everyone needs one.

And when you get home, write down what you saw before it blurs: every band, every stage, every moment you want to remember. That's what a gig diary is for.

First festival FAQ

Is it OK to go to a festival on my own? Yes, and plenty of people do. Festivals are among the easiest places to go solo, because everyone is moving around and talking to strangers.

Should I camp or get a day ticket? If you've never camped, a day ticket or a festival near home is a gentler start. If you want the full experience, camping is half the fun; just practise putting your tent up first.

What's the one thing people forget? A power bank, earplugs, or toilet roll, usually in that order.

How do I avoid fake tickets? Buy only from the festival's official seller or its listed resale partner, and never by bank transfer to a stranger.