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Your ultimate festival checklist to avoid a last-minute Glastonbury packing frenzy
Festival packing 101.
Handout/Getty Images/David M Benett
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Writing your own festival checklist is all well and good – until you arrive bleary eyed at 7am to realise you've forgotten pants or, worse, your actual ticket.
We've all been there, desperately borrowing toilet roll and face SPF, but as we settle into our late twenties and early thirties, we've decided it's time to get our acts together and do festivals RIGHT. It pays to be organised.
With the one-and-only Glastonbury festival a mere matter of days away, it really is time to get to act together. So, thanks to yours truly, you can do exactly that: arrive to your arena or field of choice equipped for every outcome. Whether you're a pack light type of festival goer or a seasoned pro who arrives with a cool box and camping stove in tow, our festival checklist will have you covered. And, yes, we've even remembered those all-important hydration salts to get that inevitable hangover gone in a jiffy.
We've broken our list down into a couple of categories, mainly so that those of you in a hurried panic can find what you're missing ASAP. So, let's get into it and get sorted so you can enjoy the likes of Shania Twain, Coldplay and Dua Lipa with minimal effort and faff.
1. Clothes, footwear and accessories:
- Pants (two pairs per day of the festival)
- Socks (two pairs per day)
- Cosy socks to sleep in (two pairs)
- Bras (two plus any multi-way/strapless ones as required)
- Evening/festival outfits (one per day - depending on the festival, you may wear this all day)
- One cosy sweatshirt or hoodie
- Waterproof jacket or poncho
- Non-waterproof jacket to layer up in the evenings
- For daywear, one pair of shorts, a pair of leggings/jeans and one t-shirt or dress per day
- Full length pyjamas (you can layer up with your cosy sweatshirt and socks)
- Cosy hat
- Bucket or baseball hat
- Wellies
- One pair of sliders or flip flops to use around your tent
- One pair of trainers (that you don't mind getting muddy or dusty)
- Small day rucksack and/or bum bag to carry your valuables
- Sunglasses
- Bikini or swimsuit for hot days/if you plan on showering
- A handful of jewellery pieces to elevate your looks (perhaps some gold pieces to see you through plus a couple of coloured bits to stand out)
2. Toiletries and first-aid kit essentials:
- Make-up, minis if you can find them (primer, foundation, concealer, setting powder, bronzer, blush, highlight, eyebrow pencil/powder/pomade, eyebrow gel, mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip liner, lipstick/gloss, setting spray, make-up brushes and sponges)
- Moisturiser
- Lip balm
- Biodegradable make-up remover wipes
- Dry shampoo
- SPF for face
- Sunscreen for body
- Aftersun (a must for sunburn)
- Deodorant
- Perfume/body spray
- Nail polish to top up, plus an emergency nail file
- Two packs of baby wipes or shower wipes
- Two packs of biodegradable toilet wet wipes - if it's a wash out, toilet roll will fall apart (shop our top pick)
- Hand sanitiser (shop our top pick)
- Toothpaste and mouthwash
- Toothbrush
- Tampons, sanitary pads, menstrual cup and/or period pants
- Insect repellent
- Hayfever tablets
- Two packs of painkillers (paracetamol, ibuprofen etc.)
- Plasters and blister plasters
- Any daily medication you take (the contraceptive pill, mental health medication etc.)
- Hydration salts (e.g. Dioralyte) to stave off the worst of the hangover
- Optional: Pro Plus/caffeine pills
- Optional: Berocca/effervescent vitamin C
- Optional: Buscopan for tummy aches and bloating
- Optional: Leave-in conditioner or detangling spray
- Optional: Mini shampoo, conditioner and shower gel if you plan on showering
3. Camping equipment:
- Festival tent, we recommend buying ‘one man’ bigger in size than you plan to have using it (shop our top pick for five people here)
- Camping rucksack (shop our top pick)
- Roll mat, camping mat or airbed (shop our top pick here)
- Camping pillow (shop our top pick)
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- Sleeping bag (shop our top pick here)
- Lightweight, foldable camping chair (shop our top pick)
- Expandable 10L water holder for stand-up showering and easy campsite water bottle refills (shop our top pick)
- Tent light (shop our top pick)
- Camping towel (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Camping stove (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Camping cookware set (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Ground sheet (most tents have these built in)
- Optional: Carabiners to hang things off tents/clip things to your bum bags (shop now)
- Optional: Aeropress Go compact espresso maker (shop it now)
- Optional: Shopping trolley for drinks and heavier items (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Camping washing line (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Campsite canopy/gazebo (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Small torch
- Optional: Spare tent pegs (alternatively, check yours are all in good nick before you leave)
4. Miscellaneous essentials and recommendations from team GLAMOUR:
- 🚨YOUR FESTIVAL TICKET🚨
- ID
- Cash and bank/credit card (top tip: festival cash machines usually charge)
- House keys
- Breakfast bars - you may buy lunch and dinner, but having something on hand for the mornings when you're too groggy to head to the nearest food stand will be a lifesaver
- Snacks (chocolate bars, Pringles etc.)
- Plastic bags/bin bags for rubbish and wet clothes and towels
- Hair brush
- Compact mirror (shop our top pick)
- Eye mask
- Ear plugs (shop our top pick)
- Your alcohol of choice (shop our top pick)
- Reusable water bottle (shop our top pick)
- A lighter
- Hairbands/hair elastics (shop our top pick)
- Condoms
- Phone charger lead
- A portable charger (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Biodegradable glitter and vaseline/glitter glue (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Disposable camera (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Cordless hair tools (shop our top pick)
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- Optional: Travel speaker (shop our top pick)
- Optional: Inflatable sofa (shop our top pick)
- Optional: A Camelbak reservoir for your water or, at festivals that allow you to have your own alcohol by the stages, transporting your wine/beer/spirit (shop our top pick)
- Optional: A drinks cooler (shop our top pick, it keeps ice frozen for five plus days)
- Optional: A flag so friends can find you in the crowd or, alternatively, to signpost your tent among the masses
- Optional: A Shewee or Travel Jane for when toilet queues are too long
GLAMOUR's top tips for packing your festival rucksack:
- The renowned UK festival organisers at Glastonbury recommend that you label all of your bags and loose items with your name and phone number in case they go missing. The festival also don't allow any glass, so make sure to decant your perfumes, spirits, wines and beers.
- If you do end up having your bag searched upon entry, having your toiletries, clothing and camping essentials easily split into separate packing cubes or recycled plastic bags will make both your and the inspector's lives easier.
- Prepare for all weather! It may be 26 degrees the day before you travel, but history has proven that anything can change in 24-hours, so don't be the only one left cold and wet when a rain shower turns your plans awry.
- Only pack what you can carry. From experience, we'd recommend only having one thing to lift. For instance, if you're taking a rucksack, you would either have one tote bag with extras or perhaps one trolley or cart. Alternatively, lots of people choose to carry their alcohol as it tends to take up too much space to fit into a rucksack.
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For more from GLAMOUR UK Commerce Writer Lucy Smith, follow her on Instagram @luceeeeesmith.