The Ultimate Music Festival Packing List

You found it! What follows is the Ultimate Music Festival Packing list! These are the essentials for any camping festival but this list will also come in handy for any other music fest. The product links are Amazon Associate links that give Festival Survival Guide a small commission, we hope that is cool with you as we work hard to bring you this amazing content. 🙂 If there is anything you think we are missing from the list feel free to tweet us @festsurvival or hit us up on Facebook with your suggestions!

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Camping Supplies

• Tent – This Coleman Camping Tent rocks!
• Sleeping bag – Here is the perfect sleeping bag to keep you snug while camping.
• Extra blankets are a must!
• Pillows
• Air mattress (if you pack this also include pump or extra batteries for the pump, a patch kit for repairs, and sheets to cover it with)
• Head lamps
• Lantern
• Tarp
• Hammer
• Pocket knife
• Extra toilet paper
• Bath towels, at least one per person and an extra
• Chairs
• Coolers (it’s a good idea to pack a large for drinks and to use as a table and a smaller one for food
• Febreeze for the tent
• Lysol spray for the tent
• Cleaning spray (Windex, etc.)
• Jugs of water
• Stereo or music player (also include extra batteries, CD’s or whatever you need for this)
• Car inverter for electronics
• Jumper cables
• Tent locks
• Extra car keys (if you are camping with friends you may want to give them extra car keys or keyless entry devices so they can store valuables in the car and have access to it if you get separated)
• Hand warmers, hot hands
• Flag or tiki torches (to mark your campsite so you can find it easily)
• Optional items like a fold out table (regulation beer pong size or otherwise), or a rug
• Hammock
• Shade Awning-Small shade tents, large umbrellas, and Sunbrellas can be helpful to block out sun and rain during the shows if the festival allows them in the venue
• Tapestries to hang up for decoration
• Ash trays
• Trash bags

Food & Cooking Supplies

• Camping stove
• Extra gas canisters
• Biodegradable dish soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Pots, pans, pot holders, spatulas, silverware, plates, napkins (a good rule of thumb is to figure out what kind of food you are bringing and make sure you have the necessary equipment to prepare it)
• Cups
• Straws
• Ice (fit as much as you can into the coolers, making sure to keep half a bag in the plastic to use for drinks.  Ice will be sold on the festival grounds but it will be twice as expensive as in the real world so stock up as much as possible before entering)
• Condiments (butter, ketchup, mustard, etc.)
• Shot glasses
• Flasks (often no glass bottles are allowed inside so put your liquor in big flasks when possible)
• French press for coffee
• Coffee or instant hot chocolate and cider, and don’t forget cream and sugar
• Lots of bottled water

Food (as far as food goes it’s up to you what to bring but I try and pack things that are easy to snack on as well as meals that can be easily prepared in the dark or with limited supplies.  We always pack lots of chips, sandwiches, and granola bars because those seem to be the things we eat the most.  Grilled cheese and soups are also good, especially when it‘s cold outside.)

Toiletries & Personal Items

• Travel shampoo/conditioner
• Solar Shower
• Face wipes
• Baby wipes (there are not always convenient showers available so if you refill jugs of water you can use these to brush your teeth and hair.  Baby wipes can help you stay clean throughout the day) *please do NOT dispose of these in porta potties!
• Toothpaste/toothbrushMouthwash (this is convenient when you are getting ready to go to sleep and you’re too blotto to deal with toothbrushes and water)
• First aid kit (Band-Aids, Neosporin, etc.)
• Pain medicine
• Pepto and antacids. Any medications you are taking (birth control, anti-anxiety pills, motion sickness meds, etc.)
• Cold medicine
• Vitamins
• Emergen-c or airborne
• Cotton swabs
• Sunscreen
• Lotion
• Razors or shaving kit
• Condoms (if you don’t mind dirty festival sex)
• Hair brush, clips, ties, bobby pins, headbands

Clothes & Gear

As far as clothes go it’s up to you what to pack.  My only suggestions are to bring things you don’t mind getting messed up because you will be outside partying all weekend and things can get pretty dirty.  Especially if there is any chance of rain, make sure to pack extras of everything so that you can put on dry clothes whenever you want to.  Also make sure to bring some long sleeves even if it is a summer festival because if you get a little sunburned it can be chilly once the sun goes down.

• Shoes (pack at least one pair of walking shoes as well as flip flops and sandals)
• Rain shoes or crocs
• Socks
• Skirts, jeans, shorts
• Tanks, t-shirts, hoodies, jacket
• Sleeping clothes, sweat pantsBathing suit
• Bandanas (these can be wildly handy for many reasons as well as for fashion)
• Hats
• Sunglasses
• Belts
• Undies and bras
• Scarves, gloves, skull caps
• Rain coat
• Jewelry
• Back packs or Camelbak

These are the essentials but you should also think about fun stuff to do at the campsite like hula hoops, glow sticks, Frisbees, soccer balls, playing cards and anything else you like to do.  I also like to bring a book in case I need a few quiet minutes away from the madness.  Also a paper and pen can always be good to have around.  People often also wear crazy costumes and things like that so go nuts.  And don’t forget your camera!