A festival packing list covers four things: tickets and money, power for your phone, food and water, and protection from sun, noise and weather. Festival rules decide the rest, so the organisers’ own pages should be checked before anything goes in the bag.
This guide uses published rules from two large Belgian festivals and public-health advice, and it belongs with the wider live music guide for anyone planning a season of shows.
Tickets, ID and payment
Many festivals have moved to digital tickets, so the phone is the first item on any list. Rock Werchter states that its tickets are exclusively digital and are available in a Ticketmaster account a few weeks before the festival. The organisers say they use mobile tickets to prevent ticket fraud and unofficial resale, and that opening the ticket in the Ticketmaster app beforehand stores it on the smartphone, so it can be scanned at the entrance even without an internet connection.
Payment is the second item. On its frequently asked questions page, Pukkelpop tells visitors that most car parks are cashless and not to forget a bank card. Rock Werchter also states that each festival ticket includes a personal train ticket for a round trip in second class from any Belgian departure station to Leuven or Aarschot, plus a shuttle bus to and from Werchter, which is worth knowing before deciding whether to pack for a car journey. A card, a small amount of backup cash if the organisers allow it and a phone that holds a charge cover most situations.
Power and phone
A flat phone can mean a lost ticket and a lost group, so a power bank belongs in the bag. Charging points also come with conditions: the Pukkelpop lockers with a socket say to bring your own adapter and cable, according to the same Pukkelpop FAQ.
Other phone habits help too. Save the ticket and any meeting point offline, agree a place to meet if the group splits, and keep the phone in a zipped pocket rather than a back pocket.
Food, water and what organisers restrict
Rules on food and drink differ between festivals, and they are the part of a list most likely to be wrong if it is copied from another event. The Rock Werchter FAQ gives a clear example. Folding chairs up to 50 cm in height are permitted, and visitors may bring their own food as long as it is not packaged in glass. Bringing your own drinks or other liquids is not permitted, but free drinking water is available in the sanitary facilities, and an empty water bottle that is not made of glass is allowed.
The same page sets different rules for campsites. Visitors may bring their own food and drinks there, glass and spirits are not permitted, and other alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine have a maximum limit of 24 cans per person. A reusable plastic or metal bottle is therefore a sensible item at that festival, and glass is better left at home.
For cooking, Pukkelpop’s FAQ mentions Food Islands with microwave ovens on its campsites and reminds campers to bring microwave-proof containers and their food. A bag of dry snacks and a lidded container is a lighter plan than a camping stove.
Sun, clothing and weather
Sun protection is a standard item. The NHS sun safety page advises covering up with suitable clothing and sunglasses, spending time in the shade when the sun is strongest, and using at least factor 30 sunscreen with at least 4-star UVA protection. It also recommends reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours, because the sun can dry it off the skin, and says a wide-brimmed hat is better than sunscreen for a head with thinning or no hair.
Clothing is a matter of layers. A light waterproof layer, comfortable closed shoes that can get muddy and a change of socks suit a day outdoors on grass. New, unbroken shoes are better left out of the bag, because a long day on foot is hard on feet.
Hearing protection
Earplugs address noise exposure, a cause of hearing loss that the World Health Organization describes as preventable. The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders advises on its noise-induced hearing loss page to wear earplugs or other protective devices when involved in a loud activity, and, if the noise cannot be reduced, to move away from it. The WHO states in its hearing loss fact sheet that over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices, and it adds that the most common causes of hearing loss in adults, such as exposure to loud sounds, are preventable.
The separate guide on hearing protection at concerts covers the topic in more detail, and this list simply keeps a pair of earplugs in the front pocket where they are easy to reach.
Camping extras and what to leave at home
Camping adds items: a tent that suits the pitch, a sleeping bag, a mat, a torch and a bag for rubbish. The practical advice in the guide to music festival camping tips expands on this, and the organisers’ own rules come first. Pukkelpop, for example, says that campsites are open day and night from Thursday 09.00h to Monday 12.00h, and that a €15 recycling deposit is returned if waste or a party tent is brought to a Recycling Point and the wristband is scanned after the festival. The figures come from the Pukkelpop FAQ, which also notes that a self-service supermarket at Camping Chill and Camping Relax stocks food and drinks for anyone who forgot something, and that a large camping shop is open 24/7.
Leave at home anything that organisers list as restricted, such as glass at Rock Werchter, along with valuables that cannot be replaced. A short list of items to skip is more useful than a long list of things to bring:
- Glass packaging and glass bottles, which Rock Werchter does not allow for food or at its campsites.
- Spirits at the campsite, where Rock Werchter does not permit them.
- Large amounts of cash and unneeded valuables.
- Anything that cannot be carried comfortably for a full day.
A compact checklist
For a day visit, the essentials from the sections above fit in one small bag:
- Phone with the ticket stored, plus a charged power bank and cable.
- Bank card and a little backup cash.
- Empty plastic or metal bottle, and dry snacks that are not in glass.
- Earplugs, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
- A light waterproof layer and comfortable, broken-in shoes.
Campers add shelter, bedding and a plan for rubbish, and everyone should re-read the festival’s own list the week before leaving.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my own drinks to a festival?
Show answer
It depends on the festival. Rock Werchter does not permit own drinks in the festival park but allows an empty water bottle that is not made of glass.
Do I need earplugs at a festival?
Show answer
Public-health bodies such as the NIDCD advise earplugs or other protective devices for loud activities.
How should I carry my ticket?
Show answer
Rock Werchter uses exclusively digital tickets, which can be stored in the Ticketmaster app and scanned without an internet connection.
What sunscreen should I pack?
Show answer
The NHS advises at least factor 30 with at least 4-star UVA protection.
