Camping at a Festival

Check out our top tips for camping at a festival.

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Planning on camping at a festival this year? Here are some of our top tips to keep in mind.

Pack light
Heading into a festival for the weekend, the last thing you need before you even pitch your tent is to tire yourself out lugging lots of unnecessary stuff into the campsite with you. Only pack the essentials. Think about what you’ll wear each day and bring a spare outfit just in case, but don’t pack half your wardrobe!
Leave the valuables at home
Don’t bring anything you would be upset about losing. So that rules out iPads/tablets, expensive speakers or even clothes and shoes you would hate to see ruined. While security will always do their best to prevent theft at a festival, they can’t guarantee your stuff will be safe, so just leave it at home.
Pack your stuff in plastic
Consider putting your clothes in plastic bags within your main bag. This can help prevent your clothes from getting soaked if the unthinkable happens and your tent leaks. Bring a sandwich bag for your phone to keep it safe from rain and mud too.
Bring a bigger tent than you need
If you can afford it, bring a tent that will fit your camping party plus your bags. For example, if your camping with one other person, bring a 3 man tent so there’s enough room for everyone and their bags.
Mark your tent
In a sea of tents it can be hard to spot your home for the weekend, so before you arrive at the festival, think about marking your tent to make it stand out from the crown. Maybe give it a bit of a paint job, or make a personalised flag to stick to the top.
Pick your spot carefully
Try to get to the festival as early as you can so you can pick a good spot to pitch your tent. Go for high ground if possible and stay away from the toilets. You might think it’s convenient to nip out in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, but after a few days, the smell will probably outweigh the convenience.
Pack some food
As much as you will end up eating from the many food vans at a festival, you might think about bringing some snacks to have over the weekend too. Just remember to bring plastic cutlery if you need it because you won’t be getting into the event even with just a butter knife. And don’t forget the water, this is very important, especially if you will be drinking alcohol.
Stick with your buddies
Make sure you stick with at least one friend. Should anything go wrong, at least you’ll have somebody to help, and nobody wants to miss their favourite act because they’re searching for their friends. Pick a meeting point at the start of the weekend, so if you do get lost, you can meet up there.
Bring a torch
It can be a long walk back to the campsite after a night of revelry and it will be even longer if you can’t find your tent in the dark. So bring a small torch along so you’ll be able to find your way.
Bring everything home
The last thing you will probably want to do at the end of the festival is to clean up your campsite but you really should. Don’t leave it to someone else just because you’re feeling lazy. It’s your mess so you should take responsibility for it.