Festival season is upon us! Many festivals have recently attempted to become more sustainable, and several have marketed their entire festival as such, awesome! We’ve covered our A-Z of Festival Essentials!
Our biggest tip though is to LEAVE NO TRACE! Respect the stunning parklands, and fields by making sure you put rubbish in bins provided and taking everything you brought with you home. Anyway…A is
A is for Alcohol
As a health conscious brand we’re definitely not saying to take loads of alcohol… But it’s pretty expensive once you’re in there so bear that in mind when you’re doing your last minute festival supermarket sweep. Oh, and don’t decant your any spirits into plastic bottles!!
B is for Biodegradable Wipes
We all know that festivals are great fun however the toilets and showers tend to be not so great and can often be a traumatic experience, certainly not one for the faint-hearted among us. Our favourite is Mammoth Wipes, The full body XXL sized wipe is a whopping 120cm x 80cm which means 1 wipe really can clean your whole body!
C is for Charger (Solar Powered)
If you can go without your phone the whole time we honestly applaud and congratulate you. However for those of us who can’t, a portable charger is a life saver! You can thank us later.
D is for Dancing Shoes
One of the biggest mistakes at a festival is bad footwear, don’t underestimate how much you’ll be dancing/walking/on your feet. Make sure you have something comfy, waterproof, in good nick and for the love of God start breaking in your new shiny new (vegan) Docs ASAP!
E is for Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are ideal for a quick caffeine boost at festivals. Some energy drinks are equivalent to 3 cups of coffee on the caffeine front. Time to hit the Dance Tent!
F is for Family
Having a family and young kids is NO excuse to miss out on festival season! More festivals than ever have designated family camping, family activity areas and family friendly musical acts. We’re super excited to be sponsoring Vegan Kids Festival this year, head over to our Instagram @vegums for your chance to win a free family ticket!
G is for Grub
Food, glorious food. Don’t pack too much though, maybe a few cereal bars. Festivals these days have so much variety and more vegan options than ever before! Head out and explore, treat yourself to a new stall every time and always go for something that you’ve never had before. New experiences are what festivals are about.
H is for Hat
Pack a hat. Rain or sun, it’ll come in handy especially a nice woolly hat at night. Although most festivals are in the summer, in the UK that can mean anything, so always go prepared. A woolly hat for the evening, and a bucket hat for day time!
I is for Ice Packs
You can buy ice on site, but it’s usually quite expensive. Ice packs will usually give you a good couple of days to keep those beers at the campsite cold.
J is for Jumpers
Especially one for the UK festivals – be prepared for the cold! Even when the days are hot you’re likely to be freezing at night, so don’t overlook the need for a warm snuggly jumper and plenty of layers.
K is for Kitchenware
Be extra eco-friendly by taking your own cups, mugs and cutlery!
L is for Loo Roll
Just because we’re out of Covid restrictions doesn’t mean we’ll never again battle for toilet paper. Portaloos are unarguably the worst part of festivals; be prepared with your own supply, you’ll be MVP of the campsite in no time.
M is for Money
Not all festivals are cashless, so make sure you take a bit of cash with you. Plus if you don’t and you need to get some out, cash points will either be non-existent or few and far between. Have your card on standby in case of emergencies.
N is for Night Light
Don’t be that person who wakes up your neighbours by falling over their tents on a late night/early morning stumble to the toilets – take a torch or headlight and navigate those guy ropes with confidence
O is for Outfits
Festivals are for wavy garms: pull out your favourite funky shirts, sequinned dresses, neon pants and feather boas! Need a refresh? Check out some charity shops, swap items with friends, or splash out on your fave small instagram shop; try to buy things you’ll rewear or can re-home
P is for Protection
And we don’t just mean for sexy times (although that’s really important too)! Remember to also protect your ears, your valuables, and yourself from sunburn. As the saying goes “there’s nothing sexier than someone who has ear plugs, suncream, their belongings and condoms!”
Q is for Quiet
The excitement, dancing, drinking and whatever else can easily take its toll. You’ll have a better festival overall if you take some time out to recuperate if you need to. Find a quieter end of the field for a food and hydration break or have a chill half hour in your tent! If you want a quieter experience in general and a better nights sleep consider the quiet camping areas too
R is for Recycling
Collect some bin bags on site or take your own and make sure to recycle everything you can! We’ve all seen those post festival TikToks of all the rubbish left behind, don’t be part of the problem and make the rest of us festival goers look bad with you.
S is for Sparkle
Glitter: love it or hate it, you can’t avoid it at a festival! Why not try a glitter beard, some cute stripes on your cheeks or complete coverage from your head to your toes? Whatever look you decide on, make sure your glitter is biodegradable.
T is for Ticket
Imagine you travel all the way to a festival, arrive, finally get to the front of the queue… only to discover you left your tickets at home! Ditch the paper tickets to help yourself and the planet. Just make sure to download your e-ticket before you go so you can view it offline without relying on that poor festival signal.
U is for Undies
…and socks too! Pretty self explanatory but sometimes it’s so obvious that you can easily forget or think you’ve already packed them
V is for… you guessed it, VEGUMS
Truly shocking that we’d sneak ourselves in here, right? But seriously, it’s vital you look after your body through all the raving and misbehaving. We recommend taking a good all-rounder multivitamin, to help your insides cope with all the boozing, unhealthy food and general gross conditions. Sounds like a job for our Sugar-Free A-Z Multivitamin!
W is for water
We know you can’t beat a breakfast tinny at a festival, but make sure to stay hydrated with some good old H2O. Your body, brain and mates will be happier without a trip to the medical tent! Most festivals have refill taps so don’t forget your trusty old re-useable water bottle.
X is for X-tra Undies
and again, socks too! It’s always good to have extras, I’m not saying you’re going to 💩 your pants (although I’m not promising you won’t either). But unexpected weather changes and slippy muddy hills calls for xtra-undie-awareness
Y is for Your Mates!
Some of the best times at festivals are around the campsite with your mates when the music ends or early in the morning when you can all laugh at each other for being hungover. If you’re going alone and hoping to make friends there you can get a head start by joining Facebook or Reddit groups for lone campers, and it’s also worth checking if the festival you’re going to has a specific lone camper campsite
Z is for zzzzzzzzzzz’s
Sleep is vital and important at festivals, take it from someone who’s been there: that 24 hour sesh on the first night isn’t worth ruining the rest of your weekend. Ignore the FOMO and catch some zzzzzzzzzz’s!