Festival Camping Checklist
Everything a first-time festival camper needs in one table, and why the event's own prohibited-items page decides what actually goes in the car.
Photo: Dan Kamminga / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Illustrative image.
A good festival camping checklist covers shelter, sleep, water, clothes for hot days and cold nights, rain and sun gear, light, first aid, cash and ID, but before you load the car, check the festival's official rules for what is prohibited, because banned items differ from one event to the next.
Pack for the campsite
Packing for a festival weekend can be a challenge, especially if it is your first multi-day event with a communal campground. The good news is that the list is not long, and most of it is ordinary camping gear:
| Category | What to pack |
|---|---|
| Shelter | Tent with rainfly, stakes, a mallet, a tarp or ground sheet |
| Sleep | Sleeping bag rated for cool nights, sleeping pad, pillow, earplugs, eye mask |
| Water and food | Refillable water bottle or hydration pack, non-perishable snacks, cooler |
| Clothing | Layers for heat by day and cold at night, spare socks, sturdy shoes |
| Rain gear | Rain jacket or poncho, waterproof bag for phone and papers |
| Sun | Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses |
| Light and power | Flashlight or headlamp, lantern, power bank |
| Health | First aid kit, daily medications in original containers, hand sanitizer |
| Money and papers | Ticket, photo ID, cash, cards |
| Camp chores | Trash bags, toilet paper, wet wipes, a camp chair |
Earplugs and an eye mask matter more than first-timers expect: campgrounds stay noisy late and get bright early. Keep medications in their original containers, since some festivals ask for that at the gate.
The items festivals most often ban
Many festivals ban glass of any kind, and fireworks, drones and weapons are close to universal on prohibited lists. Bonnaroo's published campground rules, at the time of writing, list glass, wood fires, kegs, weapons, drones and fireworks among prohibited items and say that all vehicles are searched before entry. Lost Lands bans glass except handheld mirrors under 12 by 12 inches, as well as bonfires, fireworks, drones and fires of any kind, though it allows a small propane grill. Rules on grills, generators, alcohol and wheeled carts vary even more, so never assume that what one festival allowed, the next one will too.
Pack drinks in cans or plastic, and repack food out of glass jars before you leave home. If a festival allows a stove or grill, check exactly which type and fuel it permits.
Leave no trace, and read the rules
The Leave No Trace principles published by the National Park Service start with "Plan Ahead and Prepare" and include "Dispose of Waste Properly," summed up as "Pack it in, pack it out." At a festival that means bringing trash bags, sorting recycling where the site provides it, and taking your tent, chair and leftovers home rather than abandoning them in the field.
Pack the essentials from the table, then compare your gear with the festival's own prohibited-items page before you load the car. Rules change between editions, so read the current official page even for a festival you have attended before.
