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Every guide starts with official source links, conditions that change your packing, and a printable checklist.
April · Indio, California
Coachella
Two official rules shape the bag before anything else. Your water bottle has to be plastic, empty, and 64oz or under, and your sunscreen cannot be aerosol. Past that it is sun cover, one layer for the night, and shoes you broke in weeks ago.
Open guide →June · Manchester, Tennessee
Bonnaroo
Your camp is part of the trip: prioritize shade, sleep, rain protection, and an easy way to keep important items dry.
Open guide →Late August–early September · Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Burning Man
Water, dust protection, visibility, shade, repair supplies, and Leave No Trace planning come before optional comfort upgrades.
Open guide →Late June · Pilton, Somerset, England
Glastonbury
Waterproofs and boots you trust are the whole game. A dry sleep system and a way to keep one set of clothes dry beat any amount of extra outfits.
Open guide →Late July · Boom, Belgium
Tomorrowland
Pack for both sun and rain in the same day bag — Belgian weather won't commit to either. The gate adds its own limit: only small backpacks clear security on the festival grounds, and outside food or drink doesn't get past the fence at all, so your day bag needs to be genuinely small, not just small-ish. Your DreamVille tier decides how much camp gear you're actually hauling: Magnificent Greens means your own tent and sleeping bag, Easy Tent and up hand you a pre-pitched setup and just want clothes and toiletries.
Open guide →Late July–early August · Grant Park, Chicago
Lollapalooza
The clear-bag policy shapes the whole kit: plan pockets, not pouches, and you clear the gate faster than anyone carrying a backpack. Past that it's hydration, sun protection for the shadeless lawns, and shoes that can take pavement and turf for ten hours straight.
Open guide →Mid-May · Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada
EDC Las Vegas
Decide hotel or Camp EDC before anything else goes in the bag — it decides whether you're packing a nightstand or an entire campsite. Past that: hydration you can carry for eight hours, a layer for 4am, and comfortable shoes for concrete and long shuttle lines.
Open guide →Late March · Bayfront Park, Miami
Ultra Music Festival
Sun protection, hydration, and a bag that actually clears the gate come before anything else — backpacks get turned away outright, full stop. Past that, everything you carry should survive rain and sweat: waterproof your phone and keep the day bag minimal.
Open guide →Late June · Rothbury, Michigan
Electric Forest
This is a full camping trip: shelter, sleep, camp lighting, and rain gear come first. Lights aren't just practical here — the forest at night is the whole point.
Open guide →Early October (two weekends) · Zilker Park, Austin, Texas
Austin City Limits
Treat it as a hot-weather festival with a fall evening attached: sun protection and water for the day, one warm layer for the night sets.
Open guide →Mid-August · Óbuda Island, Budapest, Hungary
Sziget Festival
Five days on a shadeless island is longer than it sounds: sun protection, a shade plan for your tent, and a way to keep clothes and yourself reasonably fresh matter more than at a three-day festival. Most attendees fly in, so pack to luggage limits, not to a full closet.
Open guide →Late July · Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata, Japan
Fuji Rock
Proper rain gear — jacket and pants, not a poncho alone — plus footwear with real grip. Veterans treat it as a light hiking trip that happens to have a world-class lineup.
Open guide →Early August · Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Outside Lands
Pack for a cold evening spent standing still outdoors, not for August. A warm mid-layer and a hooded wind shell get used every night of the weekend, because the fog is wet enough to soak a sweatshirt without ever qualifying as rain. Sun protection still earns its place: UV comes through a thin marine layer.
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