Metal Festival Camping Checklist

What should you pack for three days of camping at an open-air metal festival? Whether it is a giant event such as Wacken Open Air in Germany or Hellfest in France, a fortress setting like Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic, or a Portuguese summer festival such as Vagos Metal Fest, the basics are the same. Use this checklist and adjust it to the official rules of your festival.

Tent, sleep and clothes

• Tent you have pitched at least once at home, with poles and a few spare pegs
• Groundsheet or tarp, sleeping mat or airbed, and a sleeping bag suited to cold nights
• Small pillow, eye mask and a spare pair of earplugs for sleeping
• Waterproof jacket or poncho, a warm layer for the evening and spare socks
• Boots or sturdy shoes that can take mud, plus light shoes for the campsite
• Hat, sunglasses and a few changes of T-shirts and underwear
• Bin bags to keep clothes dry and to carry your rubbish out

Even summer festivals can swing from heat in the afternoon to cold rain at night, so pack for both. Keep dry clothes in a sealed bag inside the tent.

Health, food, money and documents

• Earplugs for the shows, ideally reusable filter plugs that keep the music clear
• Sunscreen with a high protection factor, lip balm and after-sun
• Refillable water bottle; many festivals have free water points
• Easy food that needs no cooking, such as cereal bars, fruit, bread and nuts
• Basic first-aid kit: plasters, blister plasters, painkillers, antiseptic wipes and any personal medicine
• Hand sanitiser, toilet paper, wet wipes and a quick-dry towel
• Phone, charging cable and a charged power bank, plus a head torch
• Ticket, wristband information and ID
• A card and some cash, since payment systems vary from festival to festival
• A photo of important documents and an emergency contact written on paper

Drink water regularly, especially on hot days, and take shade breaks seriously. Heat and long days on your feet are a common cause of festival problems.

What festivals usually forbid

Most festivals publish a list of banned items for the campsite and the concert area, and the two lists are often different. Glass bottles and containers are commonly banned. Many festivals also restrict or ban gas bottles, open fires, barbecues, fireworks and flares, especially in dry summer conditions. Weapons, sharp objects, flagpoles, large umbrellas and professional cameras are often limited in the concert area. Some festivals use a cashless payment system on site, and some limit the size of bags you can take in front of the stages. Rules change from year to year, so what was allowed at your last festival may not be allowed at the next one.

The practical next step: open the official website of your festival a week before you travel, read its campsite rules and its list of forbidden items, then tick off this checklist and pack the night before.