I’ve written about my tips for surviving a music festival, but this post will be more focused around what to BRING to a music festival. Some of these things we brought and we loved. Others, we saw there and said “I wish we would have thought of that.”
Neutrogena Sunscreen Stick
This product is a must have. We loved it! Most festivals do not allow aerosol cans into the festival. But I NEED to reapply sunscreen multiple times throughout the day, or I’m just all sunburn and freckles. Its design is similar to deodorant, so it fits nicely in your purse, and no worry of it leaking. Also, lotion is near impossible to apply over sweat, and this product does a great job! Bonus: no lotion all over your hands – I know I’m not the only one who hates that.
Water bottle + carabiner
Check the festivals’ restricted items list, but most festivals only allow you to bring in an EMPTY water bottle. (Tip: If you’re staying in a hotel, fill it with ice before you leave!) A water bottle seems obvious to bring, but my boyfriend is a genius and brought a carabiner for it. So instead of carrying it around in my purse (no thanks), or holding it all day, he would hook it to his belt (belt, not belt loop, it will probably tear your belt loop.)
Hand fan
I get overheated easily, so I wanted to do everything I could to beat the heat. And this cute hand fan fit in my purse nicely and kept me cool when the heat started to get to me. I feel like fans help with sweat, and therefore also helps protect your makeup. I didn’t want a battery powered fan because those are a bit heavier and bulkier, and my purse wasn’t huge.
Wind pouch
We didn’t bring one with us, but we saw them everywhere there, and we (I) immediately wanted one. If you’ve never seen one, I’ll link a video below. But they’re basically a portable, inflatable, mini couch. They’re easy to inflate, and they break down really small – small enough to fit in a purse. Just don’t bother people by trying to take these too close to the stage. Back of the lawn ONLY!
Cold towel
You have options with this one! First, I saw a ton of people with regular hand towels around their necks. Dip it in a river (if there is one), or use the water from the bathroom sinks, but please do NOT use the water filling stations. Second, we saw a ton of people with those cooling towels – the kind you wet, then snap, then they magically get cold. They’re thinner and lighter than a regular hand towel. I haven’t used one yet but my roommate swears by them. Lastly, Forecastle Festival (one of our favorites) sold “frozen bandannas” (it was more of a buff, really). They were $5 and you grabbed one from the bottom of the ice bucket, and you could return to that tent throughout the weekend to dip it in the ice bucket. We even saw a few people asking beer tents to dip them in their ice buckets, and they happily dipped away!
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Hand fan- BEST RECOMMENDATION EVER! Seriously. There have been so many instances I have wanted one but never think to pack it!
I got mine on Etsy! It was a life saver. I used it constantly, and EVERYONE asked me where I got it! 🙂
Sunscreen is a must in my bag. I’ve never thought about a hand fan though. I’m going to a music festival next month, I’ll have to find me one. Great tips!
Thank you! I fully planned to bring my SPF 100 cooling sunscreen with me, but festivals don’t allow aerosol cans! The stick was a lifesaver. We just sprayed ourselves down at the hotel with the cooling [aerosol] sunscreen, and brought the stick with us to reapply throughout the day.
These are good tips and its good to go prepared so that you are comfortable and enjoy the festival more.
Thanks! I’m all about preparedness, it definitely helps me relax for the rest of the trip!
You are so right! Especially about the sunscreen stick! It’s an incredibly useful thing to have any time you will be outside for several hours.
I’m soooo pale I have to reapply several times throughout the day! Haha. Sure, the spray sunscreen would be easier, but I can’t name a single festival that allows aerosol cans, so the stick is a great alternative!
Haha, I’m trying to think of how many of these things I packed the last time I went to a music festival… None of the above. Lol. Not even water, which was a mistake. Next time! Thanks for the tips!
Haha I didn’t bring any of these to my first festival either! But you live and you learn 🙂 Bringing an empty water bottle is a must though! Most festivals get so hot, it’s super important to stay hydrated to keep your energy up!
This is the perfect guide and I found it just in time for festival season! Thanks for sharing your tips I definitely have to remember the fan and the sunscreen stick, it gets hot in a crowd full of people.
Glad I could help! I overheat easily, so the fan is an absolute must for me. Plus it’s so cute, people were asking me where I got it all weekend! 🙂
I always forget packing a hand fan. I have a must-pack essentials bag that I grab things from for every trip, so I’m going to add my fan to my bag now! Thanks for the reminder, and for the great tips!
Thanks! I love my hand fan, I take it everywhere. Festivals, fairs, concerts, wherever! It fits nicely in my purse, and it really does help cool me down and keeps my makeup in place!
Sunscreen stick? A towel that cools by snapping? Wind bag? What are these things and why do I not know about them??? I don’t even go to music festivals and yet I’m going to pin this for later reference!
They’re not just great for music festivals, but summer activities in general! And check out the “pin it” button at the bottom of my post 🙂
A wind pouch sounds like the perfect thing for a music festival – and I definitely wouldn’t have thought of it! Definitely need this list for summer festivals!
They’re great for when you just want to chill out in the back of the lawn! And they’re better than a blanket because they roll up MUCH smaller. I love them!