Essentials to Pack for Your Next Festival

Going to a music or food festival is exciting and being prepared just takes a little planning. To make sure you have the best experience possible, it's important to think ahead and create a checklist of all the festival essentials. 

I keep my festival survival kit in a bag in the closet and this guide will help you make sure that you also have all the necessary items for your next event. With these items in your festival survival kit, you'll be ready for whatever comes your way.

Portable Charger

Something that is essential for everyone is a portable charger. During the festival you will be busy taking pictures and videos. The phone will also be trying to get data and Wifi. Long story short, you don't want to be at 15% when the festival ends and need an Uber. Trust me! This is a quick, cheap fix though. Charge your phone and the portable charger the night before and be sure to bring the charging cord with you to the event.

Hand Sanitizer

Absolute must!  Most likely, you’ll be using a port-o-potty and the hand washing stations usually runs out of water on the first afternoon. I get small packets from Dollar.25 Tree that hardly take up any space.

First Aid Kit 

This may seem a little extra but it costs $1.25 and I like to be prepared for anything. I grab them at Dollar Tree and keep one in my work bag, festival fit, car, etc because it doesn’t take up much space.

“Wal-Mart” Bag

Muddy shoes, event merch or items from the vendor, rain cap for your hair, you can’t go wrong.

Ear plugs

This will be my first festival season bringing earplugs. I’m almost 40, have amazingly sensitive ears and, you guessed it, I grabbed them from Dollar Tree. I’m usually running on such a rush at the end of the day that I don’t care about the ringing in my ears but I’m trying to do better. 

Poncho

Another Dollar Tree special and you'll be glad you have one if it rains. At a summer festival in Indiana they were charging $15 for ponchos and sold out so some people were stuck in the rain.

Clear Crossbody or Backpack

You’ll need a bag to carry all your festival essentials. More and more venues are requiring clear bags. It’s frustrating getting to the front of a long line only to be sent back to your car to put up a purse or bag that isn't approved so tote a clear bag with you. The Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta has a valet that you can pay to hold your bags but that's an unexpected, unnecessary expense.

Comfy Shoes

I usually wear Brooks because I’m picking comfy over cute EVERY time but  I also love to step out of my shoes when there’s grass. Sometimes I wear my Lisa Frank crocs. Crocs have come a long way, style-wise. Dreamville even dropped an exclusive design a few weeks prior to their festival.

Clutch Loop or other phone leash

If you’re doing it right, you should be enjoying yourself- feeling footloose and fancy free. Always a bad apple in the batch, cell phone theft is high at festivals. A clutch loop or similar product is a great way to make sure you go home with memories and the device you came with. They simply fit into the case that you already have and keep your phone on your person.

These are a few fest essentials that I always keep on hand. What are yours?

A Vibe Called Fest keeps you up-to-date with all the important information for festivals and events centered around Black culture. Subscribe then check out our FesTEAval Blog posts and the Next Fests list.