What to pack for a festival

Summer is just around the corner and with it brings the promise of festivals throughout the UK and abroad. Come rain or shine, people will be lining up across the globe to sample great food, try a variety of drinks, and dance in fields, on beaches and in tents. 

Despite all of the excitement in the build up to a festival, it’s all too easy to forget some of the essential items needed to have a good time and enjoy a weekend at a big event. From your ticket to your sunglasses, below is a checklist everyone should consider before embarking on a weekend away. 

Festival essentials

Some things on your festival packing list are more important than others, and some things will spell disaster if you turn up at the event without them. These items are the things you absolutely need:

• Ticket, money, bank card – The absolute essentials, you’re not going to get through the gates with no ticket and you’ll be really stuck if you have no money. Expect to turn back if you realise any of these are missing on your way to the festival.
• Driving licence – For those of us lucky enough to need it, ID proving our age is an absolute necessity for a music festival. Forget about drinks at the bar if you leave this at home.
• Glasses and sunglasses – Eyewear for the weekend is an absolute must. Your glasses and best festival sunglasses should be some of the first things in your bag when getting ready.  Our women’s sunglasses and men’s sunglasses are festival-ready with anti-scratch coating as standard, and come in a variety of styles suited to any event.
• Tent and sleeping bag – A good tent and sleeping bag will ensure you get a good night’s sleep and, more importantly, your valuables will remain protected from the elements.
• Waterproof coat or jacket – A waterproof should be high on your festival packing list. There’s nothing worse than all of your clothes being soaking wet halfway through the weekend.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste – Brushing your teeth is one of the only ways to feel fresh during a weekend spent living in a tent.

Festival optionals

Perhaps not as essential as the above, but the following list will definitely elevate your weekend festival experience. Bring these if you want to thrive: 

 

• Drinks – Most festival campsites allow you to take in your own alcohol to consume on the campsite, which could save you a lot of money and time compared to visiting the bar. Remember, your wine needs to be in a bag and your beer needs to be in cans – they don’t allow glass on site!
• Pillow – You will appreciate this more than you think. If you have the space to bring it, a pillow will make a festival a much more comfortable experience.
• Camping chair – UK festivals are renowned for the mud and the rain. Keep yourself elevated from the soggy ground by making sure you include a camping chair on your festival checklist.
• Wet wipes – It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when packing for a festival but wet wipes will be a lifesaver on the muddier days.
• Bin bags – One of the least glamorous packing items is bin bags, but these will do wonders to protect your car on the journey home.
• Portable phone charger – Don’t miss out on capturing the perfect photo or filming a once in a life-time moment because your phone is dead. A good portable charger should keep your phone charged for the whole festival.

Top UK festivals this year 

With a variety of festivals throughout the UK, there is something for everyone. From world famous music festivals like Glastonbury to boutique, local food events, people of every taste are catered for. 

With summer fast approaching and people visiting the UK from over the globe to watch bands at events all over the country, we thought we would put together a few festivals we are looking forward to this summer.

Reading and Leeds

Having previously been known for rock and indie music, both Reading and Leeds Festival, which run on the same weekend, now cater to a wider audience with bands and acts that span a variety of genres. The festival, which is a firm favourite with a younger audience, will still have rock bands performing, but will also heavily feature dance and rap music on their lineup.

If you opt for Reading or Leeds festival this summer, we suggest one of our best sellers, the Cyrus Sun frames in Gold. This classic sunglasses style will fit in perfectly to a festival with a modern lineup and a rock heritage. 

Glastonbury

Probably the world’s most well known festival. Glastonbury is a staple of the festival circuit and has been making history since its first event in the 1970s. This will be on the bucket list for any keen music fan, with some of the biggest acts in the world performing on its stages. Known as being a true festival experience, Glastonbury festival is known for its memorable stage designs as much as its artist bookings, and promises to be an unforgettable experience for the eyes and ears. 

We recommend a pair of Jesse Sun frames in Tortoise for anyone lucky enough to be attending Glastonbury festival. Expect to be sharing the same field as countless celebrities and music icons, so making sure to retain a luxury look while in a muddy festival is still important.

Parklife

Manchester’s flagship music festival. Parklife is known for outlandish outfits and lively music across the weekend. A non-camping festival, Parklife is a firm favourite for those not looking to stay in a tent, and the festival itself comes with bags of atmosphere when it opens its gates to thousands of revellers every year.

​​If you’re thinking about going to Parklife this year, we have the perfect frames to accompany you. Our Reign Sun frames feature reflective lenses that will help you stand out, but also match the crazy aesthetic of Manchester’s Parklife festival.

Try before you buy

While new sunglasses are an essential part of festival season, with so many festival sunglasses styles it can be difficult choosing the perfect pair to accompany you to your chosen weekend away.  

We offer a try before you buy service that makes this process simple. You can order up to four pairs of sunglasses free of charge, so you can try on whichever pairs take your fancy before you commit to purchasing them, meaning it’s never been easier to try glasses online.

Festival season with Arlo Wolf

Despite being infamous for rainy weather, the sun always peeks through at some point over a festival weekend in the UK, and sunglasses have the added benefit of hiding a multitude of sins from the night before.

Our men’s sunglasses and women’s sunglasses come in a variety of styles and have anti-scratch coating and UV400 protection as standard. Those looking for prescription sunglasses online should look no further, as we also offer prescription lenses with all of our frames, at no extra cost.