This isn’t about what you should be wearing on a day to day basis at a festival. There are loads of fun lookbooks covering that. My post is more about what you must not forget to take to a festival in terms of clothes. It’s very easy to forget about the essentials when you’re picking out pretty floral dresses. However, when there’s a sudden weather change and the cold evening rolls ’round you don’t want to end up getting cold and wet. It can very quickly ruin the weekend.
When you’re deciding what to take with you it’s important to think about layers. If you have multiple layers you can build your outfit up to keep you warm or simply remove a couple of layers if the sun shows. There’s no need to over pack, just pack wisely.
Here is my list of UK festival clothing essentials:
Waterproof jacket: I like the ones that fold up real tiny so you can pop them into your bag. They don’t take up much room and you can keep them inside your day bag just in case heavens open.
Hoody: There is nothing more cosy than a warm hoody to pull over your outfit when it gets cold. I often wear mine over dresses, with denim skirts or jeans when I’m at a festival. They’re also very useful in the evening and I usually wear mine throughout the night if it gets really cold. I’m a big fan of the Superdry Hoodies at the moment. They’re super soft and fleecy on the inside and come in lots of colours. I really like this stripy one which I’d also find useful for trips to the seaside.
Wellies: You can buy a cheap pair or invest in a quality pair, it’s up to you. I’ve always had good quality wellies over the years because I wear them a lot outside of festival life. I think it’s good to buy once as opposed to buying new ones each year. My current favourite pair are my short Hunters but Butterfly Twists also do some handy fold-up wellies. If you pop head out of your tent and it looks like there’s a chance of rain, go with wellies. You don’t want to end up getting your trainers wet.
Trainers: Do you want my honest advice? Stay away from flip flops, even if it’s warm. It’s muddy, dirty and people will probably stand on your feet. Go with a good old pair of Converse (or whatever type of pumps/trainers you like). They’ll be comfortable, keep your feet clean and they tend to go with pretty much everything.
Sun hat: There’s a high chance you might be blessed with beautiful warm sunshine at a festival. So, make sure you take a hat and a pair of sunnies (I bet you’ve already packed those) to avoid getting burnt or encouraging a headache.
Extra socks: Take more socks/tights than you’ll think you’ll need. They might get wet or you may just fancy pulling on a fresh pair.
Extra underwear: Same as above, sometimes it’s nice to pull on a fresh pair for the evening.
A vest: You can use a vest top or a proper vest but as I mentioned before, it’s all about layers. You’ll find a vest particularly handy in the evening. They stick close to your body and help to keep you warm.
Leggings: I always take a couple of pair of leggings to wear for cold evenings (they’re much warmer than a lot of PJs) and to pull on during the day if it’s chilly. I tend to wear them with all my dresses, unless it’s really hot.
You can usually pick up wellies, clothes and sun cream at most festivals, so if you forget something it’s not the end of the world.
Just a quick reminder: chuck some toilet paper, tissues, wet wipes and snack bars in your bag. There’s usually lots of good food at festivals, especially Glastonbury and Latitude but it’s good to have an emergency stash back at your tent.
I’d love to do another post about all the extras you should take to a UK festival. Let me know if you’re interested. You might also enjoy my festival make-up essentials post.
Leave a comment below and let me know what your must have clothing items are for a festival.
Thanks to Superdry for collaborating with me on this post.