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Written by Savi, 11 Comments

I’m sure you would agree that the pure joy of discovering a new band that makes just the kind of music one loves is unparalleled. The heart beats just that little bit faster doesn’t it? Vid and I had a series of such epiphanies when we attended The Wilderness Festival last month.

 

Come summer, Europe is abuzz with festival calendars, and getaways and itineraries tailored around music festivals. While festivals like Tomorrowland, Benicassim, and Lovebox reign the popularity charts, Vid and I wanted to attend something a bit more laid back. We enjoy alternative, indie, and electronic music, so we knew Wilderness was the one as soon as we saw London Grammar, one of our favourite bands, on the line-up 🙂

 

The Wilderness Festival takes place deep in the English countryside. Cornbury Park is just 2 hours away from London. This August, we spent 4 perfect days with our best friends camping along with thousands of other wild ones at Wilderness ’14. Lazy days were spent attending forest raves under the glorious full moon, discovering trippy music at the Busking Stage, partaking in neo-pagan rituals, drowning ourselves in feathers and body glitter, attending spiritual workshops, and participating in book clubs. Wilderness Festival is a hedonistic wonderland peppered with fairy dust – highly recommended if you’re a hippie at heart!

 

If you’re just venturing into the world of camping at music festivals, here’s what you should be packing :-

 

 

#1 Camping Gear

The foundation of an amazing camping experience is a weather-resistant tent and warm cushioned sleeping bags. So it’s only fitting that we begin our guide to packing for a music festival with examples of some sturdy camping gear. We researched quite a lot before buying our camping gear. For this we hit Millets, UK’s premier outdoor store – the store has an enviable range of tents and sleeping bags to suit all budgets, so it worked perfectly for us.

 

We ended up choosing a tent that has received good reviews from the pros. The Vango Beta 350 XL is a spacious tent that is easy to pitch and folds into a compact case in less than 10 minutes. It shielded us from UK’s infamous rain and windstorms on more than one occasion during the 4 days. As for sleeping bags, we opted for Blacks‘ own-brand sleeping bags and they were snuggly as ever.

 

guide to packing for a music festival Vango tent
We opted for a Vango Beta 350 XL tent and Black and Millets’ sleeping bags

 

guide to packing for a music festival
Our tent was spacious but compact once packed

 

Vango Beta 350 XL Tent
Sleeping under the stars in our Vango Beta 350 XL Tent

 

 

#2 Cheap and cheerful clothes

You’ll be camping aka roughing it out, so leave your pretties behind. Don’t take anything you might regret losing – branded sunglasses and watches, expensive tablets and laptops, and designer shoes should stay firmly stationed at home.

 

Instead opt for quirky but reasonable clothes. Rich colours and breezy silhouettes work best. This watermelon tee and these Lennon-esque sunglasses are perfect for the laid-back vibe of music festivals and their affordable price means you won’t think twice before stepping into that mosh pit and enjoying what you’re there for – the music! 🙂

 

Outfit Details :-

Watermelon t-shirt (nom, nom, nom!) – still available on OASAP

Mirrored round sunglasses – still available on OASAP

Coin necklace – OASAP

 

guide-to-packing-for-a-music-festival-fashion-tie-dye
Music festivals are perfect for quirky and colourful clothes – go as bright as you dare 🙂

 

guide to packing for a music festival
Watermelon tee – nom!

 

 

#3 Kimonos

Kimonos might be a festival staple for some people but if you’re anything like me, I’m sure you enjoy wearing them on city breaks, beaches, and everything in between. The loose fit of the kimono is perfect for channeling a bohemian vibe, something I just can’t say no to 🙂

 

Recently I’ve been loving this tie-n-dye number in black and white. It’s perfect for throwing over maxi dresses, playsuits, and loose trousers or wearing as a dress (just belt it up and voilà dress!). The white printed kimono is just tasselled perfection – I’ve been living in it this summer. It’s perfect for prancing around in golden fields while the clouds roll overhead 🙂

 

Outfit Details

Black tie-dye Kimono –  Rosewe

White printed tasseled kimono – Rosewe (hurrah for free worldwide delivery 🙂 )

 

guide to packing for a music festival kimonos
Kimonos are a staple when it comes to packing for music festivals

 

guide to packing for a music festival kimonos
Tie and dye kimonos are just perfect for summer

 

guide to packing for a music festival kimonos
I’ve worn this kimono so much this summer 🙂

 

guide to packing for a music festival kimonos
Can you tell I love my tassels? 🙂

 

 

#4 Wellies

This one is dedicated to those of you who are planning to attend a music festival in UK. The atmosphere at a music festival might have you dreaming about tropical flowers and palm trees but a downpour is never far away when one is in UK. Make sure you pack waterproof shoes and a rain coat. Millets have a great selection of Wellington Boots, with everything from the iconic Hunter boots to more affordable ones. Vid chose funky Peter Storm wellies, befittingly adorned with vinyl records, while I went for a sedate black pair.

 

guide to packing for a music festival wellies
Wellies are a must for festival goers

 

guide to packing for a music festival kimonosguide to packing for a music festival wellies
That’s us flaunting our wellies while listening to some amazing music in a barn 🙂

 

 

#5 The Crazy Stuff – Flower crowns, moustaches, body glitter 

Aah now comes the fun part. Once the essentials are out of the way, it’s time to go wild (quite literally). Music festivals provide the perfect excuse to play ‘dress up’ with flower crowns, feathered ear cuffs, fake moustaches, body glitter, and body stamps.

 

All you’re getting ready for are lazy afternoons spent sitting cross-legged on picnic rugs with friends, endless conversations, and night-long concerts. Who can argue with that? 🙂

 

guide to packing for a music festival
There’s no festival without flower crowns and bohemian jewellery is there?!

 

guide to packing for a music festival
A bright backpack is perfect for carrying essentials around once you’re at the festival

 

guide to packing for a music festival
A hippie monkey invaded the greens in our camping area 😉

 

Guide to packing for a music festival
We weren’t kidding about packing fake moustaches

 

 

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PACKING CHECKLIST FOR A MUSIC FESTIVAL

  1. 1 sturdy tent
  2. 1 pair of Wellies or waterproof walking boots per person
  3. 1 waterproof parka/raincoat per person
  4. Torchlight – you never know when you might need it
  5. 1 secure yet colourful backpack
  6. A battery pack for your photo/camera unless you want to opt for a bit of a digital detox like we did
  7. Swimwear – you never know when you might be overwhelmed by the need to take a dip in that country-side lake
  8. Colourful, bohemian, and quirky clothes – we love kimonos, maxi dresses, and Lennonesque sunglasses
  9. Dry shampoo and Hand Sanitizer – you won’t have regular access to running water, so these are a must
  10. Wet wipes – let’s just say these are the only things that will help you navigate grubby port-a-loos
  11. Flower crowns, moustaches, body glitter – go all out!!
  12. First aid kid
  13. Your most adventurous and bohemian self – get out there and have a blast without a worry in the world

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If you enjoy bohemian fashion, check out our posts from the time I wore an oriental kimono in Saigon, a maxi kimono in Mauritius (which I still love!), and an eye wateringly bright one in Mui Ne

 

Do you guys enjoy music festivals? Which is your favourite festival? 🙂

 

Till later, Happy raving

 

 

11 thoughts on “A first timers’ guide to packing for a music festival

    1. Hey Michelle, couldn’t have agreed more. We wouldn’t know how to survive a festival without some wellies 🙂

  1. You know it’s funny that you’ve mentioned the floral headbands because I recently went to a friend’s hen party, where were all had floral head bands on and when we arrived at this swankly London restaurant, the first thing lady at concierge said was, “love the floral headbands – have you all been at a music festival?!” 😀

    1. Hehe true that – floral headbands seem to have become synonymous with music festivals. But I do love wearing them all year round 🙂

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