Fact about me – I love festivals. I also love camping. Put those 2 together and you’ve got yourself one very happy veggie.

I’ve been festivalling (not a word) for about 15 years!? Holy shhh…, that’s a long time. I like to think I’ve got the basics nailed and am an absolute pro at filling up a backpack with both essential and non-essential items.

So, whether you’re braving the unpredictable British weather for a field based festival, or heading abroad for something a little more sunny and a lot more sandy (my preference), I hope you’ll pick up a few little tips, tricks and cruelty free options for your 2019 festival adventure. Here we go…

Camping Essentials

BASICS

• Tent – important
• Sleeping bag – also important
• Pillow – opt for something super squishy & compact
• A torch – just remember the batteries
• A re-useable water bottle – hydration is important kids, mixers do not count
• Couple of bin liners – great for protecting clothes, somewhere to store muddy wellies & an essential for tidying up when you leave

EXTRAS

• A lilo – yes you read that right. Seriously, how heavy are airbeds? Think about the space, weight and time it takes to blow up those bad boys, not to mention the cost. Order yourself a cheap lilo from eBay, works the same and takes up a fraction of the space in your backpack – perfect for festivals abroad, just remember to opt for your bog standard bed shaped one and not a flamingo
• Camping chair – bulky but saves a lot of bum ache
• Solar powered shower – try this one (£9.00) great if you want to wash your hair, because sometimes dry shampoo just doesn’t cut it
• A re-useable cutlery set – mine’s from Bright Zine (#subscribertreats) but you can buy them for just £10.00. With the amount of trash food on offer at festivals don’t create unnecessary plastic trash, see what I did there? The environment thanks you.
• An enamel mug – they are robust, easily cleaned and can be used for hot and cold beverages (did someone say vodka?!). Check out Amazon for a huge selection

Toiletry Essentials

• Dry shampoo – you can’t go wrong with an extra large can of Batiste
• Shampoo/Conditioner bar/s, try LUSH – So many options, so little time, I love the GODIVA, £7.50, lasts for ages & smells incredible
• Deodorant – The Natural Deodorant Co, try out one of their amazing ‘Active’ range products (love the mint & eucalyptus) – perfect for late night dancing
• Packs of tissues – OK, so I appreciate that not the most environmentally friendly due to excess plastic, HOWEVER, if you’re going on a 5 – 7 festival a roll of loo paper is going to get squashed, dirty and wet inside that backpack of yours. Packs of tissues are easier to pack and fit nicely inside a bumbag ready for side stage toilet action.
• Anti-bac Hand gel – Superdrug have a few options, my fave: Aloe Vera at £1.25 it’s reasonably priced and cruelty free, win, win.
• Baby wipes/Cleansing wipes – Going abroad? You’ll probably have access to great shower facilities. Staying in the UK, you need these! Trust me!! Superdrug’s ‘My Little Star’ wipes are x64 for just 99p. They also offer up a nice range of own brand face wipes for easy make-up removal.
• Suntan Lotion – I know I’m always banging on about this stuff, but seriously try OMUCI’s Nothing To Hide you can pick it up from Amazon at only £8.99 a tube, it’s effective, vegan, cruelty free and smells divine.

Make-Up Essentials

GLITTER (Biodegradable, of course)
Glitter is a festival staple, I mean, if you weren’t covered in glitter all night and all day did you ever even go?
To create beautiful designs use coconut oil or a natural lip balm to dot around your eyes or on your face and press the glitter into the oil/balm until you’ve created the desired look.

• Face & Body – Barry M Body Glitter (£4.99) vegan & cruelty free, plus so many colours
• Face & Hair – Fantasy Glitter by Superdrug (from £2.99) for your hair & face, cruelty free

MAKE-UP PALETTES
These are a great way to save precious space in your backpack. By taking palettes with a range of colours (not just your beiges and your browns), you can use for blushers, bronzers and even lip-tints. Barry M, Urban Decay, Kat Von D & B. by Superdrug all have some great options.
My favourite has to be Urban Decay’s Naked Cherry Palette – yes, it’s an investment, but these things seriously last forever, and look how pretty!!

Booze Essentials

• 

• Vodka
• Gin
• Rum
• Brandy
• Whiskey
• Amaretto
• Tequila
• Sambuca

Whatever takes your fancy really. If you want to check that your favourite brand is vegan, head over to BARNIVORE. So many options to choose from. Just remember to decant into a plastic bottle or flask.

Snack Essentials

When looking for the perfect festival snack there are just a few things to remember;

• not be temperature sensitive (sorry chocolate, not you)
• not require refrigeration (nope, no houmous)
• not squash or leak (bye bye bananas, that rules you out too)
• not be too heavy or bulky (anything canned basically)
• be easy to prepare (just add boiling water, hello Pot Noodles)
• be super tasty (didn’t I already mention Pot Noodles?)

• Snack bars/Cereal bars – literally so many brands/types, always vegetarian but more and more vegan options available now. Got to admit I love a chocolate orange Nakd bar. Hello, fantastic lightweight, non-melty, chocolate replacement.
• Popcorn – opt for the little individual bags, otherwise you face the inevitable stale next day snack situation. Metcalfe’s or Proper Corn offer multipacks in a variety of flavours.
• Pot Noodles/Mug Shots – lots of vegetarian & vegan flavours available, just check the ingredients list. Beef & Tomato Pot Noodle, always a winner though and vegan.
• Cup-a-Soups/Vegetable Bouillon – super warming and can give you a nice little boost if you’re feeling run down in the mornings.

Here’s the reality, you’ll go prepared with a ton of food and only eat about 25% of it, just take a few snacks that will keep you going if you get stuck in the tent due to thunderstorms or incredible hangover headaches.

Festivals offer such great food options these days, it’s not always chip kebabs – although, that does sound amazing. I went to Download a few years back and ate some amazing vegan wraps, salads and falafels, as well as chip kebabs, so don’t forget to bring some cash (cash machines tend to charge a fee, BOOO!) and get stuck in.

What festivals are you off to this year?