Festival Packing List

For a UK camping festival, pack for wet ground and cold nights even in summer, keep the load light enough to carry from the car park in one trip, and check the festival's own banned-items rules before you go. The list below covers the essentials.

Packing for wet ground and cold nights

At UK camping festivals, sleep and shelter matter most. Even in summer, the ground can be wet and the nights cold; the Met Office advises packing extra layers because temperatures drop quickly after dark. Take a tent that fits you, your gear and your companions, with a little space to spare inside, and a small repair kit or roll of duct tape. Pitch it once at home to make sure every pole and peg is there. If rain is forecast, the Met Office suggests choosing higher ground so the tent does not end up in a puddle at the bottom of a slope.

For sleeping, a sleeping bag suited to cool nights and an insulating sleeping mat or roll mat will keep you warm, because most of the cold comes up from the ground. A small pillow makes a difference too. Wellies or waterproof boots and a waterproof jacket or poncho are core kit, and a waterproof bag for clothes keeps a dry change ready if a downpour gets into the tent.

The festival checklist

• Shelter and sleep: tent, pegs and mallet, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, pillow, earplugs and eye mask.
• Clothes: waterproof jacket, wellies, warm fleece or hoodie, light daytime layers, spare socks and underwear, sun hat.
• Light and power: head torch with spare batteries, power bank and charging cable, waterproof bag for the phone.
• Documents and money: ticket, photo ID, bank card and some cash, emergency contact details written down.
• Health: prescribed medication, basic first aid kit, blister plasters, sun cream, hand sanitiser.
• Wash bag: toothbrush, wet wipes, toilet roll, small towel.
• Campsite basics: reusable water bottle, bin bags, dry bags, and a small chair if the festival allows one.

Pack light, then check the rules

Festival rules differ more than most people expect, so read the banned-items or campsite page for the event you have booked. Glass is widely banned, and many festivals rule out fireworks, flares, sky lanterns and open fires; some also restrict barbecues, gas canisters or large structures. Gazebos are a good example of the variation: large festivals such as Creamfields ban them, while a folk festival such as Sidmouth has permitted them on the campsite, with conditions such as secure anchoring. City festivals without camping may refuse chairs and camping gear at the gate altogether.

Everything you bring has to be carried from the car park or bus drop to your pitch, often across a field and sometimes a long way, so pack into one rucksack plus one bag you can manage without help. Check the Met Office forecast before you pack, check the festival's official site for its current rules, and leave anything not on the list at home.