Festival Checklist for Girls

NEW FOR 2015: ‘LIGHT’ EDITION – For those on public transport!
There’s tons of festival check lists about, some are ridiculously excessive, others are suspiciously small (one reads: “Ticket, wallet”).

This one works for me, and it’s been crafted over six years of various festivals.

This list is created with Glastonbury in mind. It’s aimed primarily at girls in the sense that it covers the basics you’ll need.

Not aimed at girls who spend ten minutes with their heads under the taps shampooing their hair (AGHH! Just stay at home, festivals are clearly not your bag!)

Please feel free to add anything on if you think I’ve missed it… let’s be super thorough!

REMEMBER! You can buy literally EVERYTHING at the site if you want/have to!

&&&

‘Expect to lose everything’ when packing. Don’t want to lose your £700 camera? Leave it at home.

Don’t take tons of accessories/ outfits/ tat (fairy wings etc) Because {a} You’ll look like a moomin {b} it weighs a ton, and, {c} You will end up wearing the same things most of the time anyway!

Here we go…

ESSENTIAL:

Ticket.

ID : Nobody cares if you’re 30/ you’re in the army/ your mates are in the club etc. VALID PHOTO ID is just as essential at festivals as it is at home. In-date passport, photo driving liscense/ provisional. Don’t be a div.

Money : How much? My friend once did it on £100, I like to take £600 to last from Tues-Mon. See my festival budget blog for more money issues!

BIN BAGS!! : Can not stress enough how imperative these are! They can be make-do rain ponchos, seats if it’s muddy, laundry bags etc. etc.

Duct tape : Fixes ANY festival problem*

*Might not actually fix any problem.

Space blanket : Incase it’s hot, cold, you get a hole in your tent etc. etc. You pick them up for about £1, you will pay £5+ at a festival for them.

Sleeping bag

Tent : Pop up ones are fantastic, just take it down a few times before you bring it to a festival. It’s an arduous challenge!

Alcohol : There’s no ‘arena’ at Glasto, which means that you can take your own booze anywhere. Don’t bring it in glass. Bear in mind how it’ll taste when it’s warm. We take a few crates of Koppaberg Pear, and it’s in small cans and doesn’t taste too vile when it’s warm! Also, you can’t fall off with  vodka, or even malibu (or it’s fake equivalent). Decant into plastic bottles. Buy mixers there. Or again if you’re on a budget, bring your own!

Cigarettes/ tobacco : You can get a limited selection all over the site, but if you’re on a tight budget they’re around £8 for 20, so it may be wise to stock up!

Sack barrow & Bungee cables : Even if you pack light, you have a decent couple of miles walking at least, through tractor tracks and hills etc. A sack barrow with sturdy wheels (CHECK THE NUTS ARE TIGHTENED!) will be your best pal.

One year, my friend bought a wheelie bin from a hardware shop and carried everything in it: Clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag, booze etc. It also doubled up as an actual bin at the camp site too; bonus.

Camera : More ‘Kodak moments’ than you can shake a stick at.

Contraceptive pills etc.

Contact lenses/ glasses : sight is something you’ll need.

Hand sanitiser : 100,000 people ‘going toilet’ in the same hole is enough to make even the hardest of festival goers shudder. Don’t risk getting ill, sanitise your hands!

CLOTHES

Dress x3 : Skip midi dresses, nothing more uncomfortable than muddy skirt rubbing on your poor leggies!)

T-shirt/ Top x2

Vest x2

Jumper/ Sweatshirt x2 : They’re heavy and you WILL end up wearing the same one all weekend, unless it gets wet.

Denim shorts x1

Leggings x2 : Comfortable, light to carry, don’t crease, dry quickly, keep you warm at night, double up as pjs!

Oversized shirt x1 : Throw over you when the sun is beating down, or use in place of a jumper on a night when it gets chilly.

Waterproof trousers : Unattractive? Yes. Unflattering? Yes. But you’ll be way smug if it’s knee deep mud and you get to sit on the floor without getting a wet bum

Waterproof coat : See above. But waterproofs are really light so there’s no need to cry about carting them around.

Underwear x8 : Never underestimate the feeling of fresh underwear on a morning!

Bra x2 : You don’t need a new one every day, they just take up valuable space! If you’re lacking in the boobs department, why not make like the hippies and go, like, totally braless, man.

Wellie socks x4 : The more expensive, the better. These are good. Worth their weight in actual gold if it’s muddy. Nobody likes blisters.

Socks x5 : See underwear.

Tights x5 : They weigh nothing, they hide stubbly festival legs, they keep you warm, they need to go in the bag! Take a selection of black and nude, or even colourful ones.

SHOES.

Ankle boots

Sandals : We can only hope for sandals weather

Wellies : TAKE TO SITE WITH YOU! Even if it’s glorious sunshine when you go to pitch your tent. There’s too many fun things to be doing, and trudging to the car in knee deep mud for your wellies is not one of them.

ACCESSORIES.

Day hat : You can buy good ones there. Just don’t go for jester hats, or the like. You will look like a tool.

Wooly hat : It gets nippy on a night, and it hides a multitude of hair sins.

Head scarf x2 : Again hides hair, but can also come in handy when you least expect it!

Day bag : Think something with a zip, something you’re not bothered about losing and something that goes across your body, so that you can close it and forget about it! You get a free tote bag on the way in, so you could use this if you like, but just be careful no valuables fall out!

Sunglasses x2 : Try get a yellow-tinted pair. They don’t look amazing but it’s unbelievable how much happier a grey day looks- Absolute pick me up first thing on a morning, promise!

Gloves : Mostly for those nights when you decide to ‘sleep’ at the Stone Circle etc.

MAKEUP.

It’s the last thing you’ll be bothered about. Keep it minimal!

– Highlighter
– Eyeliner
– Powder

* TIP * Get eyelash extensions a day or so before the festival. They make you look awake, only cost around £15, last for up to 3 weeks, and save you putting makeup on!

TOILETRIES.

Here is where you could go on forever. I generally take these things and get by just fine.

Dry shampoo : Who wants to spend 15 minutes washing your hair under a freezing tap? It wastes water and is therefore anti-glasto, everybody will hate you in the queue, and you look like a knob. Dry shampoo is just fine. Failing this, wear a hat and man up.

Razor : Not essential, but always good to have.

Brush

Hair grips

Bobbles x1 pk

Doughnut/ bun shaper : Takes a minute, makes you look half decent, gives you lots of time to do more interesting stuff.

Toothbrush/ Toothpaste

Mouthwash : Nothing is quite as amazing as swilling Listerine.

Femfresh x3 : You’ll be getting rather familiar with long drops. Make it that bit more bearable.

Baby wipes : Your new best friend. Take a large pack. Use for cleaning your face, ‘showering’, cleaning excess mud off your newly-one-stone-heavier-wellies etc. etc.

Toilet roll x1 : The information tents hand out free toilet roll, so there’s no need to bulk out your already bulging bag with it!

Sun block : Also available at information tents, but is scarce if you get a scorcher

MISC.

Pillow : Not essential, but nice! If you get a cheap brand new one it’ll be compressed into a nice neat package and will therefore be easier to carry!

Mirror : Be careful it doesn’t get taken off you at the gates!

Torch : Tackling guide ropes in the pitch black, after a night of drinking and antics is nigh on impossible. However I’ve tried (and succeeded) in making it to my tent in one piece numerous times. THAT feeling is pretty special. (Think winning Olympic gold).

Cup : In case you get sick of drinking from bottles. Make sure it’s NOT glass. This one’s cute.

There you go! If I’ve missed anything, please feel free to add it below! Please remember that it’s aimed at girls too!

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Glastonbury 2013 in video! Did you make the final cut?
• Festival Budget: How much is enough?