Festival survival guide: what to pack and how to get through it

By Chris Pollitt · Updated 8 November 2026

A UK festival can give you sunburn and trench foot in the same weekend. The people who have the best time are the ones who planned for both. This is what’s worth taking and how to get through it.

Check the rules first

Every festival publishes a list of what you can and can’t bring. Many ban glass, gas canisters, gazebos and large speakers. Some have bag size limits, and city day festivals often allow small bags only. Read it before you pack, because security will take banned items off you at the gate.

The packing list

• Your ticket, wristband details and photo ID
• A fully charged power bank, plus a spare if it’s a long weekend
• A waterproof jacket, whatever the forecast says
• Wellies or waterproof boots, and comfy trainers for dry days
• Suncream, sunglasses and a hat
• Earplugs, for the stages and for trying to sleep
• Toilet roll, wet wipes and hand sanitiser
• A refillable water bottle (check if it needs to be plastic or empty at entry)
• Some cash as well as your card
• Any medication you need, in its original packaging
• Warm layers for the night. It gets cold, even in summer
• Bin bags, which are useful for rubbish, wet clothes and sitting on

If you’re camping, see our separate festival camping tips.

Leave at home

Anything valuable you don’t need. Expensive jewellery, your good watch, spare cards. Phones go missing at festivals all the time, so keep yours in a zipped front pocket and turn on Find My or Find My Device before you go.

Getting through the weekend

Make a plan, loosely. Download the festival app, star the acts you want to see and work out the clashes. Then leave room to wander. Some of the best sets are the ones you stumble across.

Pick a meeting point. Somewhere obvious that won’t move, like a sign or a bar. Phone signal at festivals is often poor, so agree a time and place in case you lose each other.

Eat proper food and drink water. Long days in the sun, dancing and drinking will catch up with you. Use the free water points and eat a decent meal every day.

Pace yourself. It’s a weekend, not a night. If you go all out on Friday, Sunday will be a write-off.

If something goes wrong

Every festival has medical tents and welfare teams. Welfare can help if you’ve lost your mates, your phone has died, you feel unwell or you just need a sit down somewhere calm. Nobody will judge you. If someone collapses or is in a bad way, get a steward or medic straight away.

Find a festival

See the full list of UK festivals, with dates, line-ups and tickets.