The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
Festival essentials checklist 2023 for Creamfields, Lost Village and more
From tents and camping chairs to dry shampoo, SPF and wellies, tick off this list while you pack
Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts
Sign up for our free IndyBest email
While Glastonbury, Boardmasters and Latitude have come and gone this year, festival season is far from over, with Reading & Leeds, Creamfields, Lost Village and All Points East all still to come. To ensure you pack everything important (at best you forget dry shampoo, at worst your ticket), a thorough checklist is a must.
Whether you’re pitching up for the weekend, heading to your favourite day festival in the city or flying abroad for a blowout on the beach, your packing list should span beauty, toiletries, camping gear, clothing and more.
While most festival essentials are non-negotiable (think tents, toothbrushes, underwear, sunscreen and reliable shoes), others can simply make your experience a much more pleasant one (we’re talking cordless hair tools, pyjamas, camping stoves and eye masks).
To prevent you from being that person in the group asking to borrow everything, the exhaustive list below includes everything you need for your next festival (you’re welcome), whether it’s an all-day rave or a four-day camping stint.
Festival checklist
Festival camping
Festival toiletries and beauty
Festival clothing
- Wellies (men’s, women’s)
- Cowboy boots
- Walking boots (men’s, women’s)
- Trainers (men’s, women’s)
- Summer dresses
- Waterproof raincoat (men’s, women’s)
- Jacket
- Summer hat
- Crossbody/bum bag
- Comfortable bra
- Sweatshirt
- Pyjamas
Miscellaneous
- Festival ticket
- Compact mirror
- Cards and cash
- Breakfast bars
- Wine, spirits and cans
- Snacks
- Eye mask
- Ear plugs
- Phone charger
- Disposable camera
- Reusable water bottle
- Railcard
Best festival essentials
Best festival tent – Coleman cortes octagon tent: £219.99, Outdoorworlddirect.co.uk
Taking the top spot in our festival tent round-up, our tester praised Coleman’s eight-person model as roomy and great value for money. “This geodesic beauty is categorised as an eight-man tent but we’d suggest sleeping six plus gear, or two or four with tons of living room,” they said. Taking just 10-15 mins to errect, the waterproof design is perfect for festival season.
Best camping roll mat – NHOWIN self-inflating camping mat: £30.99, Amazon.co.uk
Dubbed the best budget buy in our round-up of camping mats, this NHOWIN offering is self-inflating, comfortable and lightweight. Lauding it as “compact when rolled up” and “an effective bed” once inflated (complete with a “brilliant pillow”), the bargain mat is ideal for festival season.
Best festival sleeping bag – Outwell contour lux double sleeping bag: £69.95, Outdoorworlddirect.co.uk
The most affordable option in our round-up of sleeping bags, Outwell’s double sleeping bag is a cosy option for festival season. “Two zips make it easy to share this roomy bag, which can also be opened up into a full-sized double duvet that’s ideal for glamping or for popping in a campervan. Two built-in pillows are a nice place to rest your head,” they said. Generously sized and warm enough for use from spring through to autumn, this bag was rated by our tester for its price and comfort.
Best camping chair – Ozark trail inflatable moon chair: £14, Asda.com
Having gone viral on TikTok for everything from movie nights to festivals, Asda’s moon chair is back in stock and costs less than £15. A stellar option for camping, it wont take up too much room in your bag as you can pump it up when you arrive, while the fun range of colours and LED lights will make it quite the party pleaser. With a slightly flocked surface, this chair is said to be incredibly soft and, being blow-up, it also moulds to your body, so you can truly sink in.
If you’re after a more classic camping chair, this budget buy from Argos (£9, Argos.co,uk) looks like it will do the job.
Best camping bag – Lifeventure waterproof packable backpack: £36.99, Amazon.co.uk
Our favourite budget travel backpack, Lifeventure waterproof packable bag is just what you need to haul your essentials to a camping festival. “It’s extremely light and squashes up into its very own pouch, but still felt fabulously comfortable, thanks largely to ergonomically contoured shoulder straps and a hip belt.” our tester said. With a durable, waterproof design and 22l capacity, it ticked all the boxes.
Best powerbank – Belkin BPB012 portable charger 20K: £26.99, Amazon.co.uk
If you want enough phone charge to find pals, take pictures and look up set times, a good power bank is a must-have, whether camping at the festival or just heading to one for the day. This nifty Belkin model will get you 78 extra hours of battery life with MagSafe compatible Apple iPhones and Samsungs.It ensured our phone was never out of battery during a four-day camping stint – plus, up to three devices can be charged at the same time, through two USB-A ports and one USB-C port.Available in three sleek colours, Belkin’s pack looks good, too.
Best face SPF – La Roche-Posay anthelios UVmune 400 oil control fluid: £13.60, Amazon.co.uk
Considering you’ll spend most of the festival outside in the sun, a good SPF is essential. Our favourite hails from La Roche-Posay, with its anthelios oil sunscreen praised for ticking every box. Including UVA, UVB and long UVA protection, it’s suitable for sensitive skin, and it has a non-greasy and lightweight formula. “Reducing shine, we found you’ll still get a fresh-faced glow minus any sticky or oily sensation, and it keeps you safe from the sun,” our tester added.
Best body SPF – Coola classic body organic sunscreen spray: £22.95, Amazon.co.uk
It’s just as important to top up your body sunscreen – and Coola’s classic spray is our top pick for summer 2023. “With a unique ‘pina colada’ scent that is sweet without being overpowering, it’s a delight to apply, a process made much easier by the spray applicator, which means the sunscreen is quickly absorbed into the skin,” our tester said. Soft and nourishing, more than 70 per cent of the ingredients are organic.
Best aftersun – Bioderma photoderm refreshing after-sun milk: £13, Escentual.com
If you do burn, having some aftersun on hand will be a god-send mid-festival. Bioderma’s formula came out on top in our round-up of the best aftersuns, with our tester lauding the lightweight product for its immediate cooling effect. “Allantoin and ginkgo biloba gel soothe overheated skin, while patented cellular bioprotection technology works to protect your skin against cell damage from UV rays and other stressors,” they said.
Best dry shampoo – Batiste naturally dry shampoo green tea and chamomile: £2.83, Amazon.co.uk
Keeping your hair fresh between showers at festivals (or if you’re not planning to shower at all), dry shampoo is a must-have toiletry. Batiste’s formulas are affordable favourites and its green tea and chamomile bottle earned a spot in our round-up of the best dry shampoos. Our tester loved the “luxe” scent, which reminded them of sandalwood perfumes.
Best festival rain jacket – Rains storm breaker: £95, Rains.com
Scandi brand Rains has somewhat of a cult following for its minimalist yet practical rain-appropriate clothing. Its unisex storm breaker boasts a sporty look and extra wet-weather functionality (perfect for current conditions). Complete with a hood and built-in cap, two-way zipper, doubled-welded pockets and elasticated cuffs, the jacket will ensure you’re prepared for whatever the weather throws at you this festival season.
Best festival wellies – Barbour abbey wellington boots, black: £64.95, Barbour.com
Our favourite pair of wellington boots for summer 2023, these robust Barbour boots offered a “flexible fit for movement”, and the chunky soles provided good grip while walking. “There’s chic Barbour branding throughout, from the tartan pattern inside to the logo running up the back,” our tester said. A solid, stylish and reliable choice for festivals.
Best festival bag – Uniqlo round mini shoulder bag: £14.90, Uniqlo.com
The bag of the moment, Uniqlo’s TikTok-viral crossbody bag is perfect for festival season. Roomy, adjustable, affordable and available in an array of fun colours to make a style statement, the styled-up bum bag is just what you need to carry your essentials around the field. Coming in minimalist black, beige and white finishes or playful yellow, red and green, there’s a reason why Lyst named it the hottest product in the world.
Best cowboy boots for festivals – AllSaints Kacey metallic leather cowboy boots: £289, Allsaints.com
Metallics is this season’s most show-off trend and we are smitten with this take from AllSaints. The Kacey cowboy boots retain all the classic western details with the pointed toe cap, slight heel and embroidering, while the silver finish brings them bang up to date. Keep your dress simple and let the boots take centre stage. Giving them extra kudos from us, we wore these for the first time to a day festival and we didn’t get a single blister.
Best festival eye mask – Soap & Glory the rest assured sleep mask: £4.87, Boots.com
Waking up hungover in a tent is never fun – but a good sleep mask can make the experience a lot less painful. “Made from polyester, Soap & Glory’s mask has a silky feel that’s lovely and smooth against the skin, while the extra-long shape wraps around the head and blocks out almost all of the light,” our tester said.
Best festival ear plugs – EarHub sleepwell silicone earplugs, 6 pairs: £7, Amazon.co.uk
If you struggle to get any shut-eye at festivals, make sure to pack some ear plugs for sleeping. Proving you don’t have to spend a fortune on good buds, these EarHub plugs impressed our tester. “These putty-style, soft silicone earplugs are moulded into shape with your fingers and placed over your ear opening (not inserted into the ear canal), forming a sealed covering,” they said, adding that they blocked out sounds better than foam buds.
Best cordless hair tool – Babyliss 9000 high performance cordless straightener: £90, Next.co.uk
Boasting a high-performance lithium-iron battery, three heat settings (160C, 180C and 200C) and some of the biggest plates found in cordless straightner models, this is a great option for keeping hair tamed during festivals. With three hours of charge, you can enjoy up to 30 minutes of styling time (it can also be used plugged in). Making light work of our curly, frizz-prone hair, it smoothed flyaways and left us with a just-washed glossy finish.
Best reusable water bottle – Contigo chill couture autoseal vacuum-insulated water bottle, 720ml: £29.95, Amazon.co.uk
This top-rated reusable water bottle was praised by our tester for being “utterly leakproof” with double-wall vacuum insulation keeping drinks cold for up to 28 hours. “We also liked the fact the twist-off lid is attached to the bottle, so there’s no chance of losing it while drinking,” our tester added.
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on festival essentials, try the links below:
Find more camping gear recommendations in our tried and tested reviews
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.