A festival is not a gig — it is several days of living in a field
At a gig you arrive for three hours. At a festival you arrive for two or three days where you have to sleep, eat, charge a phone, hide from sun and rain and find your friends in a crowd. So packing is closer to camping than to a night out, and most things that go wrong are about logistics rather than music.
Site rules vary a lot: what you may bring in, which containers, whether there is camping, whether cash works. Read the prohibited list on the event’s official page — arguing at the gate achieves nothing.
What decides three days
| Item | Why it hurts without it |
|---|---|
| Shoes you can stand and walk in | The main source of suffering by day two |
| Waterproof and a warm layer | Weather in a field turns faster than in a city |
| Power bank | The phone is ticket, map, wallet and contact at once |
| Water and a way to carry it | Dehydration in the sun creeps up unnoticed |
| Earplugs | Sleep in the campsite and hearing protection at the stage |
| Cash | Signal and card terminals in a field work intermittently |
About camping
If you are in a tent: a mat and sleeping bag rated for the night temperature, a head torch, wet wipes, bin bags and something to mark your tent — at night every tent looks identical. Do not pitch in a dip: rain turns it into a puddle.
Agreements with your group
Crowds and weak signal destroy any “we’ll call each other” plan. Agree in advance: a meeting point, a time, what happens if someone gets lost and who is responsible for what. A simple landmark rendezvous beats any group chat.
Safety and how you feel
Sun, noise and dehydration are the three main reasons people leave early. Drink water, eat properly, protect your hearing and do not hesitate to step out of a crowd if you feel unwell. Find the medical point on the map when you arrive, not when you need it.
When packing is done
Tickets and documents saved offline, the prohibited list read, shoes and clothes for the weather, waterproof and warm layer, power bank charged, water and cash sorted, camping kit packed, a meeting point agreed and someone at home knows where you are.
