Survival Kit for Firefly Music Festival

Festival camping, partying, and music. Are you prepared for four three days of it? Maybe you’re an experienced music festival professional or maybe this is your first time. But eithter way, what you pack and your game plan going into the weekend can often dictate how good of a time you have. Remember, you’ll need to prepare for heat, rain, dust, mud, and long lines for the bathroom and showers. (Or who knows? Maybe you’re not planning on showering… but we wouldn’t suggest that.)

A lot of how well you fare depends on how well you prepare. Here are some packing tips and other advice to help you survive Firefly Music Festival. We’ll start with the most important stuff first.

Camping Gear

If you’re not opting for Carefree Camping, remember that you or one of your camping mates will need to bring all the gear. Actually, you should probably delegate because this is a long-ish list. You’ll want the area where you sleep and hang out to be comfortable, fun, and weather-proof. So what does that entail? Well, depending on your comfort level, you’ll probably want to pack some or all of the following:

• Tent (make sure it’s waterproof or bring a rain cover)
• Sleeping bags or blankets
• Mattress pad or air mattress (with pump)
• Pillows
• Cooler (packed with ice, food, and drinks)
• Cups, plates, utensils
• Flashlight or head torch (for late-night trips to the bathroom)
• Camping stove (one small propane/charcoal cooking appliance allowed)
• Pots and pans
• Camping chairs
• Folding table (optional, but handy)
• Paper towels
• Trash bags
• Hammock (Firefly has designated areas you can hang ’em)
• Outdoor blanket, tapestry, or tarp for sitting down on the ground
• Awning (optional, for shade when you’re outside the tent)
• Portable shower and/or toilet (optional, for the pros)

Personal Things

Your tolerance for dirt and grime is definitely personal. So is your passion for costumes, glitter, and themed outfits. But here are a few things that are necessary for cleanliness, sleep, festival logistics, and weathering the rain, sun, and dirt. For the love of everyone attending, try to shower a couple times, but when you can’t, bring a few things to make yourself smell a little better.

• Phone
• Clothing (pack for all weather, ridiculous outfits and costumes optional)
• Shoes (a comfortable pair that can get wet and flip-flops, nothing new!)
• Sunscreen and hat
• Bug spray
• Baby Wipes or Moist Towelettes (for those times you can’t shower)
• Towel, Soap, Shampoo (for those times when you can)
• Hand Sanitizer
• Toiletries, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Lip Balm, Dry Shampoo
• Reusable water bottle or Camelback
• Sunglasses
• Bandana (for dust or to hold your hair back)
• Rain jacket and rain boots (just in case)
• Ear plugs, eye mask
• Easy-to-carry bag, purse, light backpack, or fanny pack
• Band-aids, antibiotic ointment for first-aid

Optional, But Definitely Nice to Have

There are some obvious and not-so-obvious extras that you might want to bring to keep the good times rolling. Here are a few of those things:

• Plenty of ice and water (at least to start out with)
• Portable speaker
• Portable charger
• Koozies
• Binoculars
• Deck of cards
• Portable fan
• Waterproof watch (quit looking at your phone to conserve battery)
• Snacks (granola bars, candy, chips, pretzels, etc. to save money)
• Instant coffee
• Games, frisbee, football, or cornhole
• Personal booze stash with mixers (no glass)
• Glitter, face paint, makeup, temporary tattoos
• Campsite decor, flags
• Painkillers, Vitamins, Emergen-C, Pedialyte (for the hangovers)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVaSkrmnRLq/?taken-by=fireflymusicfestival

Other Survival Tips?

Most importantly, bring a nice go-with-the-flow attitude. You can’t control the weather, your friends who get lost in the crowd, or which bands everyone else wants to see, but you can be prepared to have a good time no matter what. Enjoy yourself and have fun!

• Stay hydrated! You can’t drink too much water when you’re out in the sun on your feet all day.
• Speaking of, don’t forget to eat!
• Be super specific about meet-up spots and times when coordinating with your friends. For instance, don’t say you’ll meet at “the Main Stage.” Say “at the purple sign next to the bathrooms by the Main Stage.”
• Remember that your phone’s reception might not be great at the festival and constantly searching for a signal can drain your battery. Airplane mode is your friend.
• Carry backup toilet paper on you. Port-a-potties can run out toward the end of the day.
• Have a loose plan of what you want to see. Stay calm if it doesn’t pan out exactly. Use the weekend to check out new artists.
• Take some time to break off from your group and explore all the different areas of the festival, dance with strangers, keep an open mind, and see the bands you want to see.
• Budget some buffer days before heading back to work…

When you’re packing, be sure to check out Firefly’s list of helpful items to bring and the approved and prohibited items. Remember that all vehicles are subject to search on the way in.

And if you still need tickets, shop weekend passes to Firefly or check out what’s available on TickPick, the only no fee ticket marketplace!

That’s it! Let us know if we’ve forgotten anything!

More FireFly Music Festival information

If you think you might be heading to Firefly this year, check out all the cheapest ticket options available on TickPick, the only no fee ticket marketplace.