Festival camping tips: tents, sleep and staying dry

By Chris Pollitt · Updated 8 November 2026

Camping can make or break a festival. Get it right and you’ll sleep, stay dry and actually enjoy the mornings. Get it wrong and you’ll spend the weekend wet and knackered. Here’s how to do it properly.

The tent

Buy a tent rated for one more person than will be sleeping in it, so there’s room for bags. Look for a decent waterproof rating and a sewn-in groundsheet. Cheap pop-up tents are quick to put up but often don’t cope well with wind and heavy rain.

Put it up in the garden before you go. Check you have all the poles and pegs, and that you know how it works. Pitching a tent you’ve never seen before, in the rain, in the dark, after a few drinks, is not fun.

Where to pitch

• Get there early if you can. The best spots go first.
• Avoid the bottom of a slope, where water collects.
• Don’t pitch right next to the toilets or on a main path. It’s noisy, smelly and people trip over your guy ropes all night.
• Pitch near something you’ll recognise, and stick a flag or something bright on your tent. At night every tent looks the same.
• Leave the fire lanes clear. Stewards will make you move.

Sleeping

The ground is cold, even in summer. A roll mat or airbed matters more than the sleeping bag, so don’t skip it. Check your sleeping bag’s comfort rating and bring an extra layer and a hat for the night. Earplugs and an eye mask help, because the sun comes up early and someone’s speaker will be going till dawn.

Staying dry

Keep everything in your tent off the groundsheet edges, where water gets in. Pack clothes in bin bags or dry bags. Take wet stuff off before you get in and keep it in the porch.

Keeping things safe

Tents can’t be locked, so don’t leave anything valuable in yours. Most big festivals have lockers or a charging and storage service, which is worth paying for. Keep your phone, cards and keys on you.

Cooking and fire

Check the rules. Many festivals ban gas stoves and disposable barbecues in the main campsites. Never use them inside or near a tent. Food stalls are usually a safer and easier option.

Take your tent home

Thousands of tents get left behind at UK festivals every year and most end up in landfill. Take yours home, along with your rubbish. Some festivals run tent donation schemes, so check before you go.

For what to pack for the rest of the weekend, see our festival survival guide, or browse UK festivals.