Last year, I finally attended one of the music festivals that had been on my list for a while. When the lineup was released for 2023, it was just one of those things I knew I had to attend. I saw my friend share the lineup on his Instagram story, I reached out to see if there was room in the group, and the rest is history.
We camped in Maplewoods, which is the only way I’d attend again. As I start planning for this year, we’re still in Maplewoods (which has flushable toilets and free hot showers).
The festival is 4 days, but it can be both hot and humid and cool down a lot at night. As such, you need a wide variety of items to help make the camp bearable during the day, but warm enough at night!
Individual Camping Essentials:
- Tent
- Air Mattress
- Air pump (battery operated)
- Earplugs for Sleeping
- Air Mattress
- Camp bedding or sleeping bag
- Portable Charger
- Shower Shoes
- Light and fan for the tent
Group Camping Essentials:
- Easy-up for camp site
- Plastic Tarps
- Coolers
- Ice packs (or frozen water bottles)
- Camp Chairs
Music Festival Essentials:
- Concert Ear Plugs
- Hydration Pack
- Gifts (Kandi, fruit snacks, chotskies, anything you want to give to others!)
- Body Glide
- Sunscreen
Extra Bonuses (Nice to Have):
- Portable fan
- Poncho
- Face Wipes
- Baby Wipes
- Solar powered lights for the campsite
- Banners for the campsite (to make it identifiable)
- Hammock
Click here for my whole Amazon list of Festival Camping Essentials!
What I’m wearing in the daytime (2024):
What I’m wearing in the nighttime (2024):
What I wore (2023):
Day 1
My day 1 outfit might have been my favorite; I didn’t even put this together until after I arrived. The pants were thrifted from Uptown Cheapskate in Gilbert and the halter top was thrifted from thredUP, but both items are Urban Outfitters brand. I paired it with a chain belt that my friend had ordered for Taylor Swift, but gave to me since it matched a lot of my outfits. I borrowed the Squishmallow bucket hat from a friend and finally added a little bandana to finish the look. Bandanas are a must for hot summer festivals; you can get them wet to help cool you down or you can use it as a mask if it gets dusty.
I almost always wear my Adidas Ultraboosts for music festivals now; they seem to hold up the best for all-day wear with a lot of steps. Even though you can’t fully see them in the photos, I also wore a necklace I made myself, a third eye pinecone necklace, and a pair of fairy wing earrings that I found on Etsy.
Day 2
For day 2, I stuck with a similar vibe: small top, loose pants and a bucket hat. I wore almost the exact same jewelry, switching out the earrings for these light-up jellyfish and the Squishmallow bucket hat for this jellyfish Jam hat.
The top was just a sports bra I had on hand, which was super easy to wear all day. I found these pants at the festival and bought them because I loved the color so much.
Day 3
My day 3 look took a bit of a different turn. I can’t believe it, but I actually did not wear a bucket hat. Who is she?
I thrifted this crochet cover-up years ago and finally got the excuse to wear it. I wore it over a regular bikini and added a pop of color with a green bandana I purchased at the merch table. I also kept a colorful pashmina on my backpack for when the temperatures dropped at night.
Day 4
I actually wore two outfits on day 4, but only got this one photo. I wear wearing some mushroom earrings from Etsy with a dress and mesh cover up. I, of course, wore a bucket hat and pashmina for the full forest vibe.
After about an hour in the festival, I walked back to camp and ended up changing into a sports bra, cargo pants, and a crewneck sweatshirt to be more comfortable. Sometimes, a girl just needs an easy day.
