Here at KnowYourStuffNZ, we party hard like the best of them, but we are also nerds, so when we head to a festival, we come PREPARED.

If you’re heading to a summer festival for the first time, or just need a refresher on some handy things to bring along, we’ve got you covered. We bring to you the KYSNZ-approved packing list for festival attendees this summer.

Keep in mind, every person is different, and every festival will require slightly different things, so this is by no means a comprehensive or definitive list, but should hopefully help you get started.

Some things to keep in mind when getting ready

Think about the planet

Try and invest in things you will use again, and avoid single use stuff that will just end up in the landfill. If you invest in a good tent it’ll last you for years and you won’t be stuck buying a new setup every year. Also, ditching your stuff and hoping the festival staff will clean up after you is a dick move.

Team up with friends

Sharing resources with friends can make festivals a lot easier to prepare for and more affordable. Sharing communal tables, cooking equipment, chilly bins etc at a campsite can be a big win while also giving you a place to all come together and check in with each other at the start and end of the day.

Tips to help locate your phone if you lose it

At the beginning of the festival change your phone’s lockscreen to a notes page that says “if found please call” with a list of your fellow festival friends’ phone numbers. This gives people a much better chance of getting hold of you if they find it.

Planning on taking drugs? Make a plan, and bring kit along to make that happen

Make sure you have either weighed out your drugs ahead of time. Keep in mind that scales are easy to spot at bag searches so prep your dose before you go.

Bring your own snorting tools – sharing equipment for snorting can mean sharing lots of diseases. It doesn’t need to be fancy, a short straw can work well to snort lines; they’re easy to pack and take a bunch extra to give to friends. Remember, sharing ISN’T caring when it’s covid.

Make sure you have your hand sanitizer and baby wipes handy, and give any surfaces that will come into contact with what you are going to take a quick wipe down. Let the surface dry before using it.

If you find or…er…”find” drugs at the festival, make sure you get them checked if there’s a checking service. Just because it looks legit that doesn’t make it legit. And no, the taste test/sniff test doesn’t count.

The list

This is a lil’ something we’ve put together to give you some ideas about what you might need.

For your shelter/home base

Try and make your shelter as cozy as possible, so you have a nice place to be at the end of a long night. Coming back to a warm, dry shelter and a dry change of clothes can be the difference between ending on a high and ending on a meltdown, especially if you happen to be coming down.

Bare minimum

• Tent
• Something to put under your tent like a ground sheet, in case of heavy rain
• Decent sleeping mat/air mattress
• Sleeping bag with sleeping liner
• Couple of blankets for added coziness
• Pillow

Add for Acceptable

• Hot water bottle – great for frosty NZ nights
• Power bank
• Lights for your guy ropes (the other kind of trip hazard)
• Pen and notebook so you can leave your camp-mates messages if you go on a solo adventure

Add for KYSNZ Gold standard

• Camping chair
• Sleep mask
• Solar fairy lights for inside the tent
• Dry bag/laundry bag – great for dirty or muddy clothes to keep your tent clean and dry when there is a downpour

Meat suit maintenance

This depends on how long the festival is and how much water you’ve got access to. If it’s a short festival with showers the list won’t be as extensive as if you’re heading in for a week beside a river in the middle of nowhere. (Also depends on how…er…pungent you’re comfortable being on the drive home)

Bare minimum

• Toothbrush, toothpaste
• Prescription medication
• Baby wipes/soap
• First aid kit
• Sunblock
• Sanitary products (If you menstruate)
• Hay fever and allergy tablets
• Deodorant
• Hairbrush/comb (if your hair is long enough)
• Quick dry towel – good for if there is a swimming opportunity, or for drying off in a downpour
• Blister patches/ plasters for tender feet

Add for Acceptable

• Bug repellant
• Face cloth
• Mouthwash
• Dry shampoo
• Moisturiser
• Chapstick (plus a spare)

Add for KYSNZ gold standard

• Makeup remover
• After-sun cream
• Wet shampoo and conditioner
• Electrolytes

Quick pack bag for adventures

Festivals are filled with side quests, so even if you only plan to be out on a short wander let someone know where you’re going, and pack accordingly.

Bare minimum

• Drink bottle/keep cup
• Toilet paper (portaloo roulette is not a game you want to lose)
• Money/eftpos card (if it’s that kind of festival)
• Sunscreen/sun hat during the day
• Head torch at night
• Ear plugs (plus have some spares handy)
• Snorting straws/spoons, nang balloons, or whatever you need to reduce your risks while taking your drugs

Add for acceptable

• Snacks
• Tissues
• Hand sanitizer

Add for KYSNZ gold standard

• Fidget or flow toys
• Lip balm

Recovery

If you’ve been out on an adventure and had a lil’ something the night before, the morning after can be a bit rough.

Bare minimum

• Pain relief
• Electrolyte drinks

Add for acceptable

• Low-effort, easy to eat food

Add for KYSNZ gold standard

• Fresh fruit
• Multivitamins
• Ginger chews or seasick tablets

Clothes

Sometimes they’re optional, sometimes they’re not, depending on the festival. Either way they’re a good thing to have between your skin and the weather.

Bare minimum (pun not intended. Maybe)

• Rain jacket or poncho
• Gumboots, hiking boots or something similar (hiking boots are often fine, unless you expect it to rain a lot for multiple days)
• Spare socks and undies in a ziploc bag in case everything else gets wet

Add for acceptable

• Festival-ready clothes – whatever that looks like to you
• Cozy layer for the evening
• Waterproof sliders (great for the showers or loo visits late at night)
• Something with proper-sized pockets or a bum bag to keep hand sanitiser/gum/tissues/cool rocks you find in

Add for KYSNZ gold standard

• Costumes
• More costumes
• Bit more costumes

(No, you can’t replace your tent with costumes even if it does feel like it’s taking up valuable costume space)

Food and alcohol

Check your specific festival rules around the bringing in of alcohol first. Some festivals ban bringing your own alcohol, some ban glass containers, some ban bringing your own food and drink completely.

KnowYourSnacks

It can sometimes be easy to let the day go by and realise you haven’t eaten enough. Having easy to prepare snacks available will make it a lot easier. Remember energy in = energy out. High energy snacks like muesli bars, peanuts, or pretzels are good for keeping your energy up.

Food can also be a great way to get my hydration into you without making you feel bloated. Things like juicy fruit (apples, oranges, peaches etc.), cucumber sticks, apple sauce pouches.

Other helpful food things to bring

• Salty, familiar snacks for when you are intoxicated
• Chewing gum or chewy snacks (for when the gurn hits)
• Gentle on the stomach foods if you are feeling a bit queasy the morning after

Putting a bit of thought into what you bring can be the difference between Type 1 and Type 3 fun, so pack wisely and guarentee your good time.