What to Pack for a Summer Music Festival
byPresented by Pemberton Music Festival
Festival season is upon us and while you get excited to see our favourite artists on stage in unbelievable venues and settings, you also have to be prepared for several days of bone-shaking music, unpredictable weather, and inevitable portable toilet lineups. Here are a few of my recommendations to get you through multi-day extravaganzas of summer fun so that you can focus on having the time of your life.
1. Battery Pack
No matter how hard you’ll try to disconnect, you know you’re going to be using your phone while you’re at a festival for looking up the lineup on an app, locating friend, taking pictures, and showing the outside world just how much fun you’re having. Portable battery chargers come in all shapes and sizes (good ones range in price from $20 to $50), some are packed with AA batteries and others are rechargeable. You can plug in almost any mobile phone via USB and have hours (sometime days) of extra power at your finger tips. Pemberton Music Festival has charging stations, to top up our phone or to refill your portable battery back on the fly.
2. Hand Sanitizer
Readily available outside (or inside) portable toilets, you’ll want to give your hands a wipe quite often at a festival where the main food source come from a truck parked in a field and you’re most likely sitting in dirt. It’s a basic step, but every bit helps to make sure you stay healthy to enjoy the rest of the ‘fest.
3. Ear Plugs
I know it sounds like I’m aging myself but as someone who has attended 100+ concerts and festivals over the years, I can tell you that it’s worth protecting your hearing AND that you do not miss out on sound quality if you have the proper hearing protection. If you can feel the bass vibrating the hairs on your arm, just imagine what it’s doing to your ear drums. Quality ear plugs run at about $15-$20 from your local drug store and provide hearing protection without taking away from the live sound experience of the show. Sometimes they even make the sound better!
4. Key Pieces of Clothing
The rain won’t stop you from having a great time at a festival, it often encourages even more dancing and jubilation in the summer heat, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. A top layer that you can remove (and sit on if need be) and a hat are at the top of my list, then sensible shoes so that you can skip across the grounds from one stage to the other with ease.
5. Water Bottles
Bring your empty, re-usable bottle to the festival grounds and fill it up throughout the day at water stations. Staying hydrated is key when you’re outdoors all day having fun (and perhaps enjoying some adult beverages in designated area) and many festivals, like Pemberton Music Festival, have free filling stations so there’s no excuse not to have delicious, refreshing water by your side throughout the day and night.
Whatever you decide to bring with you, be sure to read the list of what NOT to pack (aka banned items) which is usually readily available on your favourite festival’s FAQ section.
