Below I’ve provided an easy check list for what to take to Glastonbury – which hopefully should cover all the essential kit you need to think about! (the legal bits anyway). Hopefully you won’t have to walk too far with your tents and booze and I’ve also included stuff that you might need if you’re an older festival goer like me and my friends. No doubt you’re all getting excited now! It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a mud bath (thank god) so I’m not adding wellies this year, but make sure you have comfortable footwear for all those steps you’re going to have to do!
TICKET AND ID (AND CAR PASS IF YOU’RE DRIVING)
PHONE
This year it’s Vodafone at Glastonbury, which may mean that if you’re not a Vodafone customer (like me) you may have more difficulty with getting a signal at times. Make sure you know where you’re meeting your friends in advance!
PORTABLE CHARGER(S)
Unless you have a great battery on your phone, these are essential as phone charging not easy and if you vape you also need a charger (as no single use vapes this year!).
GLASTO APP
Download it – a smart tool to help you create a line-up you can share with friends and get reminders when you’ve totally forgotten who is next on your list to see.
ALCOHOL
We bring wine in boxes and spirits to decant. Can get ice and mixers on site.
BIN BAGS
Loads of them – used mainly for stuffing muddy wellies and clothing into for the long journey home.
TENT
The team are recommending this year that you buy a solid, long lasting tent that you can take home (if you can find it).
ROLL MAT
Waterproof and as thick as possible.
CAMPING CHAIRS
For when you’re socialising near your tent and don’t want to sit on the floor.
PLASTIC GLASSES
Classier than drinking your wine directly out of the bladder!
INSECT SPRAY
Essential if you want to avoid bringing a tick home with you.
SLEEPING BAG
It gets cold at night – put it in a bin bag during day so that it doesn’t get muddy and damp.
EYE MASK
You will want to stay asleep long after the sun comes up as you will have only just gone to bed. Trust me. This is essential.
EAR PLUGS
I know I’m sounding really old now and will have to pass them to all my fellow travellers to avoid waking them up with my snoring, but the music literally goes on all night so you might not want to stay up until 6am listening to electronic music.
TORCH
I know you think you will use your phone torch, but your battery will be dead relatively often and this is necessary to get yourself out of the tent and off to the loo (OK another old comment as probably most of you won’t need to go to the loo in the night).
NO GLASS
A Glasto rule because of the cows. Not even glass perfume bottles or mirrors.
SUNGLASSES
WELLIES (AND COMFORTABLE SOCKS TO GO WITH THEM)
If you are taking wellies the socks are essential for the 50 mile walks you will be doing every day and trust me, even if it’s not muddy, the loos are revolting and wellies are useful (and maybe support inserts as not good for plantar fasciitis!)
WALKING SHOES/GOOD SOCKS
You need really comfortable shoes, I’m going to have to take my really unattractive walking boots as Timberlands were just too uncomfortable after 25K steps in the early hours of the morning. Any thoughts of glamorous footwear to go with a floaty skirt is just not happening this year. You’ll need decent socks too.
BLISTER PLASTERS
Helpful
FLIP FLOPS
For that night time wander off to the loo and a morning shower if you’re lucky!
SUNTAN LOTION
Ever hopeful!
HAT
Ditto
MEDICAL KIT
OK so my kit won’t contain contraceptives or tampons but apart from that the contents will be similar: painkillers, insect repellant, throat spray and insect cream (for bites), Berocca (trust me on this – or Dioralyte or similar for rehydration in the mornings, of which there will be many), plasters (loads of walking in wellies!)
Hand sanitiser – I don’t wish to scaremonger, but not only is there a new strain of Covid about, but apparently measles is on the increase – which is an airborne virus, but you can also get infected by touching a surface contaminated with droplets, so might be good to be vigilant in the hand cleansing department!
WATER BOTTLE
Reusable water bottle required as they’re not selling plastic bottles of water anymore, but there are lots of places you can top up your water.
HIP FLASK
As above, but not to fill with boring old water.
CHEAP WATCH
For when your phone has died and you’ve got to get to your favourite next band.
DAY BACKPACK
You won’t be going back to your tent much so you need a bag with your days provisions in.
LOO ROLL
Essential for obvious reasons and they don’t want you to bring wet wipes this year
MAKE UP AND TOILETRIES
Keep it simple – make up essential obviously. As is dry shampoo, a hair brush, TOOTHBRUSH and TOOTHPASTE, DEODORANT and maybe perfume, but not in a glass bottle. You can get the biodegradable glitter when you’re there (not recommended if you have wrinkles though)
CLOTHES
We don’t do the crop tops and the tiny bikini tops (no explanation required) but this year I am going to bring a few sparkly items to get into the spirit! Otherwise, just enough clothes to last the four days (with a few spares for the rain and the mud) and some fun hats and glasses too.
BUM BAG
If you don’t have pockets this is good for your money, fags, hip flask, drugs etc.
FLAG
We didn’t really need one of these as we weren’t desperate to get to the front, but if you’re in a group who are planning to do this, then a flag really is the only way that you will find your tribe. They have to be very, very tall too (the flag that is, not your friends, who you can’t find).
CASH
Maybe take a bit, but pretty much everywhere deals with cards again now.
DISPOSABLE CAMERA
I probably won’t do this and will hope that I can rely on my phone, but it’s a risk. So take it if you want to be sure of securing your memories!
PJ’s
Or something to sleep in – or is that only if you’re old and have to go off to find the loo in the middle of the night?
WARM JUMPER
You can never rely on the British weather and also I had to wear something extra at night as the temperature dropped significantly.
WATERPROOF CAGOULE
Thankfully not much rain is predicted, but you never know. Always good to have a full on down to the ground tent looking thing as nothing going on underneath that I need to show off to the crowd and therefore if it rains then your bag is protected too – even if you do look like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Obviously you can’t use umbrella’s, so think about waterproof trousers too if the jacket is short.
TOWEL & PILLOW
Towel essential and pillow a lovely home comfort if you can manage to carry them in.
Don’t take valuables/laptops/expensive cameras etc – things go missing and/or get covered in mud.
