Your ultimate festival packing checklist for Northern and Southern countries + Infographics

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In this post, you’ll find the ultimate festival packing checklist for Northern and Southern countries plus some useful infographics to help you pack for the festival properly, if you plan to travel to one in the future.

It’s summer! And you probably know what it means: the festival time has officially started. I should’ve probably released this blog post a bit earlier, let’s say, around May, but I was waiting for the Alfa Future People Festival to pass, so I would write a more detailed post about festivals.

First of all, you need to learn more about the geolocation of the festival, where you would like to go. It’s possible to divide the festivals into the 2 categories:

Festivals in the North and the Southern festivals:

Let’s start with the festivals in the North, e.g. in the Northern Europe or the UK. I would definitely recommend you to find a hotel/ hostel/ apartment/ capsule or whatever there is, otherwise the cold nights in the camping probably will be a nightmare for you. There are pretty high chances, that it’s going to rain during your festival and you’ll end up being soaked, dirty and freezing! The shower facilities on camp probably won’t resemble a bathroom in Ritz Carlton, so you’ll end up freezing even more and then sweating in your sleeping bag, full of mosquitos.

When I went to the Reading Festival in England (which usually takes place around the end of August), I stayed there for just one day and God knows, how I didn’t get sick! The weather was changing pretty radically every 30 minutes: from ice-cold showers to the sizzling sunshine (I’m a bit exaggerating, but everybody knows about the weather in England). If I stayed in the camping for all the 3 days of the festival, I would’ve probably gotten very sick.

Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 21.17.41

The situation at the festivals in Finland, Russia or Sweden is usually better apart from the fact, that the weather changes could be quite radical. You might start packing when the weather forecast promises sunny weather and 24 degrees, but when you actually arrive at the place you’ll find out that the forecast was changed to 15 degrees and drizzle.

Festival Checklist for a Festival in a Northern Country or the UK

  • Sneakers (or better huge skater shoes, they will survive the festival for sure)
  • Wellingtons (rubber boots). Even if rain is not forecasted, the field might already look like a big dirty mess. Check the page of Hunter Boots – they have a pretty awesome summer collection of colourful wellies!
  • Raincoat! Forget about umbrellas, which could only block the view for the other visitors of the festival standing behind you.
  • Waterproof phone case (you might want to record the performances of your favorite artists even if it rains)
  • External power bank for the phone (also waterproof), because who knows, when will you be able to charge your precious smartphone
  • Inflatable sofa/bed/sleeping bed like lamzac. Standing all day long is just very tiring and this thing will help you take a nap/relax (of course, if it doesn’t rain at the moment)
  • Onesie hoodie – they are warm and soft and pretty cool to run around during the cold night, however, if you plan to get closer to the stage, you’ll boil in your onesie. So be careful with them.
  • Warm socks – because your feet will get cold eventually! and you’ll be in the need for warm and cozy socks
  • Insect-repellent, in case there are plenty of mosquitos hungry for human blood
  • Multiple-layer clothes. As I said before, the weather in the North tends to change a lot, so you’ll only be happy to wear a top, blouse, hoodie, leggings, and skirt for girls (because you can easily get rid of some parts and same easily get them back on depending on the weather)
  • Waterproof backpack. Don’t even thing you can walk around with a clutch or tiny bag, even if you stayed camping not far away. Yep, that means you’ve got to dance with the backpack on but where else would you out all that stuff you need for the festival?
  • Dry shampoo (because in the end, you might end up not wanting to take that cold shower)
  • Ear plugs (in case you want to sleep at night)
  • Painkillers (it’s possible to get a headache from loud music)
  • Wet wipes or kitchen towels in order to clean your super muddy shoes.

So well, visiting a music festival in a Northern country is a mess… but it’s still worth all the pain & struggles!

festival checklist

Festivals in the South: festival packing checklist

Well, going to a festival in the South looks like a totally different activity: weather forecasts are much more stable, you don’t need thick and heavy sleeping bags, wellingtons, layers of clothes and so on. You can just enjoy the life at the festival, however, there are other dangers, like, for example, severe sunburns! Also, hangovers are much worse in the hot weather! And finally, you can simply get a sun stroke, so be careful there too.

Festival checklist for the Southern Festivals

  • Insect repellent – in case, there are some insects at night
  • Sunscreen lotion with the SPF of the level 50
  • Some sort of hat or cap to avoid sunstroke
  • Blouses with long sleeves (In case you’ll manage to get burned or just want to avoid the sun)
  • Inflatable sofa or bed is always an amazing option to take a break and lay down, however, in the south you could do it on the grass as well
  • Sneakers, because the surface (field) will be quite dusty because of crowds walking on it. And in case there was grass before, believe me, there will be a desert after the first day of the festival
  • Ear plugs for sleeping at night
  • Sunglasses (preferably made of plastic, you don’t want them to fall down, break and shutter, making the place dangerous for people wearing sandals and flip-flops)
  • Many band-aids – I love Compeed – they are the best! In case, you’re wearing sandals and other summer shoes, there’s a high possibility that you’ll get blisters at some point!
  • Painkillers, because loud music might cause a headache
  • Lip-balm (your lips will be dry if it’s very hot outside and you don’t drink enough)
  • Wet-wipes – to clean your hands etc before eating, for example. Or to clean your extra-dusty shoes
  • Dry shampoo – everybody sweats from heat, you probably aren’t an exception, but do you want to look good & with fresh hair, don’t you?
  • Some pretty awesome temporary tattoos maybe? They look amazing!

That’s pretty much it regarding festival packing checklist! In case you’ll realize that you’re out of clothes, you can always buy something at the merchandise store (like T-shirt, cap or hoodie).

festival checklist

Good luck packing, my fellow festival-goers!

P.S.: The Festival Packing Checklist infographics as promised:

FestivalChecklistInfografiks

P.p.s.: check my review of the AFP Festival 🙂

Hopefully, this festival packing checklist will be your best friend when packing for your next festival! Liked this post about the festival packing checklist for the Northern or the Southern countries? Spread the word, share it on Social Media:

Festival packing checklist: what to bring when you travel to Southern and Northern countries. Reading Festival checklist

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