Festival Packing List Essentials
Is this the year you’ll head back to your favourite music festivals? Or maybe at long last,
you’re planning your first festival experience. Ireland hosts an amazing amount of music
festivals for a small island. Whether you’re heading to a big name event such as Electric
Picnic, Longitude or Body & Soul or a smaller festival, it’s important to know what to bring to
a music festival.   

 

1. Cooler Bag – Some festivals have amazing food, but bringing some food with you, or
even some cold drinks, can really help keep the event more affordable. For that, you’ll
need a good cooler bag. The best options are roomy but easy to carry. Backpack style
cooler bags are a great way to bring your own food and drink.

2. First Aid Kit – Accidents happen. Scrapes and sunburns are not uncommon at Irish
music festivals. A basic first aid kit doesn’t take up much room, and it can help ensure
that minor mishaps stay minor.

3. Tent & Sleeping Bag – If you’re going for more than a day, you’ll need a tent and a
sleeping bag. If you love live music in the open air, it’s worth getting a tent you can use
for years. An air mattress means you can wake up ready to dance again rather than
feeling you’ve aged a decade overnight.

4. Hat & Sunblock – You risk sunburn even at a festival in Ireland! It might not be all that
hot out, but remember that unlike a normal day, you’ll be out in the sun for hours and
hours. A hat with a rim and a quality sunscreen with a high enough SPF will protect you.
The right bucket hat will do double duty if, no when, it rains.

5. Rain Poncho – Yes, in Ireland we have to plan for both the sun and the rain in the
summer. A hooded poncho can keep you dry, and when the temperatures dip in the
evening, you’ll be warm.

6. Towels – It’s a given that you’ll get wet and muddy at a festival, so bringing a couple of
beach towels is essential.

7. Water Bottle – Yes, for water. Staying hydrated is important if you’re spending the day
dancing in the sun. Get a refillable one and you can spot yours in a crowd and feel glad
you’re doing your bit for the environment.

8. Power Bank for Phone – What is it about music festivals that seems to drain your
phone’s battery so fast? (Might be the 8,000 photos you take…) Stay in contact with the
outside world by bringing a power bank for your phone.

9. Toiletries, Etc. – Loo roll, baby wipes, lotion, toiletries, loo roll, toothbrush and paste,
loo roll and don’t forget the loo roll. Because at a festival, it’s the only thing that goes
faster than your phone battery!

Rain or shine, nothing beats a day listening to your favourite beats in the open air with some
friends and thousands of other fans. When you pack right, you can ensure that you stay
pretty comfortable at the music festival too.