Festival Survival Kit – The Essentials

When you’re packing for a festival, there are so many things to consider. Especially, if like me, it’s your first big festival, you’re going for 6 days AND it’s Glastonbury!

Alongside the obvious things such as a tent and sleeping bag, I’ve put together a list of useful things to consider that I definitely would have been lost without!

1. Tangle Teezer – if you don’t own one of these beauties, get one! I could not sing tangle teezers praise more, it’s the most magical hairbrush and both small and lightweight and washable for a festival! You’ll need this to brush through that dry shampoo!
2. Wind up torch and phone charger – don’t hate on me, but I actually had some luxury at Glastonbury as I was staying in the medics campsite and had electricity access. However, most of the people I knew on site still ran out of juice in their portable chargers before the end of the weekend, so a wind up charger is a great plan, and a torch is essential for not tripping over though guy ropes!
3. Toothbrush and toothpaste- an obvious one right? If you’re like me, even if the rest of me is filthy, one of the nicest ways to feel cleaner is having minty fresh breath!
4. Ear plugs – before I went, I had no idea that it would be quite as noisy as it was. For 4 days straight if you want to go and hear bands or DJs at ANY time of day, you can. Plus, 200k people packed into 2 miles of campsites makes a noisy all site. You’ll need some sleep to enjoy it to the max.
5. Antibacterial hand gel – EVERYTHING you touch will be pretty dirty, and as much as that’s something just to embrace, getting the shits on day one would not have been fun, no siree. Hand washing with water has huge queues, so anti-bac will be your best friend!
6. Mirror – be careful with this one, on the main site you’re not allowed to bring any glass whatsoever, including mirrors. You can get plastic mirrors, or, y’know, just go with the flow and enjoy a whole weekend without worrying what you look like!
7. Water bottle – one of the things I worried about most was not having enough access to water. Water aid actually managed this SO well and there was fresh free drinking water everywhere! For a girl who usually drinks 3L a day, I definitely stayed hydrated. Useful fact to know as well is that you can take your own drinks onto site, alcohol included as long as it’s in plastic or cans. So definitely take some and save mega bucks once you’re there!
8. Deodorant – need I say more? We had the HOTTEST few days at the start of last week and honestly, I felt like I was sweating from every pore.
9. Baby wipes – if you’re going the whole hog and camping on site, just face the fact you won’t shower from Wed-Mon. That’s 6 days without a shower. Combine that with sun cream, sweat, mud, dust, glitter and face paint, you’re going to get very familiar with wipes!
10. Dry shampoo- reiterating the point above, dry shampoo will become your next best friend! Either that or glitter partings cover up all manner of greasy roots!
11. Loo seat covers – I actually didn’t have to use these as I only ever weed onsite, but the loos are really something else. I’d say your best bet is adopting the “festival squat” over the hole, but perhaps if you do need to poo, a compost loo is your best bet for a comfortable seat, or one of these handy loo seat covers!
12. Plasters – if it’s wet, you’ll get blisters from your wellies. If it’s dry, you’ll get blisters from your trainers. Being at a festival involved a LOT of walking, all day every day, so plasters really is a must. I’d also recommend wearing walking boots to avoid twisted ankles and sore feet!
13. Condoms – these aren’t featured in the photo as I’d given them to my younger brother before we went (wayyyyy) but seriously guys, if you’re going to get down and dirty, please be careful. An FYI, if anything does go wrong and you need it, emergency contraception is available at any of the medic stations, and it’s holy advised that you get STI checked once you’re home. LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor have a great guide on sexual health and treatment for nasties such as Chlamydia.
14. A Shewee – of everything I took with me, a shewee was a fantastic addition. I’ve never used one previously so I was excited to try it out! Practicing at home proved that it was actually far easier than it looked. Plus, at Glastonbury there are some fantastic shewee only loos which are the only ones which didn’t have queues!
15. Vitamins – keeping up your five a day is not on most people’s priority list at a festival, but there are tonnes of stalls selling vegetable abundant wares, which were not only delicious, but also keep your tummy happy (especially if it’s spending a lot of time trying to digest all the alcohol! As well as this, topping up with a effervescent vitamin tablet each morning really helped!
16. Sun cream and after sun – SO important, even when it seems cloudy. I saw so many people who were burnt to a crisp and not only is that horrendous for your health, but it’s also seriously painful. Cover yourself in a high factor, strong UVA/B sun cream, and try and avoid the sun during the midday hours. Then for any accidental missed bits, I’ve always found aloe Vera gel works as the best healing after sun.
17. Rain poncho – you’re going to a festival, it’s likely to rain. We were so lucky that this year was dry, and it only drizzled on two occasions, but as you just never know, stocking up on some cheap rain ponchos allows you to throw them on as and when the weather turns without having to lug around a heavy bulky coat.
18. Glitter!! – as a lover of fancy dress in all forms, Glastonbury was prime for wild and wacky wear. I may not have gone as far as the themes this year for nipple tassels, sequinned swimming costumes and mermaid leggings, but glitter has overtaken UV paint as the face decoration of choice. I got mine for about £2 including the fixing gel on Amazon before I arrived. This glittered 4 of us on 2 separate days and the pot still isn’t empty!

Of all the packages I’ve ever been sent by brands, this festival survival kit from Push Doctor was incredible. Very thought out, and I used every single item, some, every single day! Overall, there are so many other things you can consider taking with you, but if you’ve got to lug it all from the car, it’s worth trying to pack light. Hopefully this list has helped you consider some of the more unusual things you may not have considered taking, but overall whatever festival you’re attending this summer, enjoy, you lucky little badgers!

***This post is a collaboration but I genuinely used all of these products and all opinions are my own***