Festivals with Kids - What you Need to Bring

There are many things to consider when planning to attend festivals with your kids. On the one hand, you don’t want to bring too much and have to drag around really heavy backpacks all day, but on the other hand, you don’t want to take too little either and miss something that may have come in handy. It can be a bit of a balancing act, so we have compiled a list of essentials to help to narrow it down a little bit for you. 

Plentiful Snacks

Try to bring things like cereal bars and other snacks that will release energy slowly over a period of time so that your kids can maintain a steady trickle of energy throughout the festival. 

Warm Clothing

Even if it starts off as a warm day with brilliant weather, it can chill down fast if the weather changes, or as the day wears on into the evening, so warm clothes for all are a necessity. 

Raincoats

These are essential to stop the experience from becoming miserable for everyone if the weather becomes wet and muddy. They can usually reduce to a small size and can be quite lightweight so shouldn’t be a burden if they are unused.

Sun Cream

This is essential at most summer festivals in order to prevent burning from exposure to the sun for an extended period of time throughout the day. Be sure to reapply the sun cream for the kids several times throughout the day. 

Wet Wipes

Wet wipes are an essential item for any festival as both you and the kids are likely to get messy. They are great for wiping mud off dirty faces or cooling down when it is hot and sweaty. They just make everything more comfortable for everyone. 

Picnic Blanket

A picnic blanket is a great idea in order to have something comfortable for the kids to sit on and perhaps avoid some of the worst of the mud if the weather isn’t the best and the ground is getting a bit churned up. If the weather has been good all day and it is getting a little colder into the evening, it can also be great to all huddle warmly in the blanket to listen to the last songs of the evening. 

Wristbands with Your Contact Details

This is a good idea for safety. You should always agree on a place to meet if you get separated anyway but with mobile phone reception sometimes being patchy due to the sheer number of people at festivals, it can be a good idea to have your contact details on a wristband worn by each child. 

This will allow them to approach the police or event security and easily be reunited with you if they can’t make it to the meeting point for whatever reason. It can be easy to get turned around and overwhelmed at large events so this seems like a sensible precaution for their safety. 

Photo by Maël BALLAND on Unsplash