Here is our ultimate festival checklist to help you make sure you’re ready for the summer season.

You may want to spend your time at a festival being carefree and enjoying the music, but to reach this state it’s important to make the right plans first. Here is our list of essential festival preparation to help you out.

Festival Essentials

These are the things you just can’t forget, or you may not even get into the festival at all.

Tickets
If you don’t have your tickets on you, you’ll have to just turn around and go back home, even if you do pack everything else on this list. While some festivals will now send you e-tickets over the internet, it’s still best to print them out rather than show them on your phone. This will preserve all-important phone battery for the moment you need it most: later on to take festival selfies.

Money
You may have already shelled out a three figure sum for the tickets, but the spending isn’t over. Make sure you bring money with you so you can buy food, drink, and souvenirs while you’re there. But don’t keep it all in one place or it could get lost or stolen.

Tent and Camping Materials
It’s very unlikely that you would forget your tent, but what about the tent pegs? You’ll benefit from bringing a torch, pillows, sleeping mat, and some duct tape, just in case something goes wrong.

Plenty of Clothes
With no laundry facilities to speak of, bringing enough clothes to wear each day is another festival essential. Even if your first outfit does miraculously stay clean, you don’t want to wear the same thing every day.

Multiple Pairs of Shoes
As well as clothes, you might need more than one pairs of shoes with you. One pair might get wet, damaged, or even lost (it happens!) so bringing another pair as a backup is strongly advised.

Bum Bag
You wouldn’t be caught dead wearing one anywhere else, but when it comes to festival couture, bum bags are the season’s biggest essential. Strap one on to carry your valuables around all day without having to carry anything on your shoulders.

Phone and Portable Charger
It goes without saying that you’ll bring your phone wherever you go, and while some festivals now have charging tents, it’s best to bring a fully-stocked portable charger of your own so you can charge your phone whenever you need to without having to leave the action and wait in line.

Weather Essentials for a Festival

The weather so far this year has been proof that the British summer can be completely unpredictable. Check the forecast and pack the weather-related items you need.

Wellies
Much like bum bags, wellies come into their own at festivals. Completely essential for those taking a trip to Worthy Farm, other festivals can have their own share of mud, too. Do your research to find out if you need them where you’re going this year.

Sunscreen and Aftersun
You’ll spend most of your time outside at a music festival, so it’s important to use sunscreen if the sun is in the sky. The lead up to summer 2018 has been one of the hottest ever, so it’s more than likely that you will need sunscreen with you wherever you are going. Pack a small spray bottle to carry around in your bum bag for ease of reapplication.

Umbrella, Poncho and Waterproof Trousers
Wellies alone will not suffice if your festival faces a full-on rainstorm. Even though the sun has been shining so far this year, the weather has been completely unpredictable, and there’s a fair chance you could find your festival experience drenched in rain. Best pack these just in case. Waterproof trousers are for the truly dedicated.

For more summer festival reading, see our guides to dance music festivals and Outlook Festival 2018.

Main image by Thesupermat – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link