What to Bring to a Music Festival

The day-pass essentials, in one list

For a single festival day, pack these: photo ID, your wristband or mobile ticket, a phone at full charge with a backup battery, a hydration pack or reusable bottle (empty), sun protection (sunscreen, hat and sunglasses), earplugs, a light rain layer and shoes you have already worn in. Add a payment card, because many festivals no longer take cash, and any personal item you cannot buy on site. Carry it all in a bag that fits that festival's size rule.

Then adjust for three variables that change from one festival to the next: the bag policy, the climate and whether you are camping. The examples below are dated to the 2026 season. Policies are revised every year, so check the festival's current rules before you pack.

Bags that clear festival security

A noncompliant bag is the most common reason people get stopped at the gate, and festival rules vary far more than stadium rules. What the major festivals posted for 2026:

• Lollapalooza: a clutch or fanny pack up to 6 x 9 inches can be any color but must have a single pocket. Anything bigger has to be clear and under 12 x 6 x 12 inches.
• Coachella: every bag is searched, and none may exceed 18 x 13 x 8.5 inches.
• Ultra Music Festival: clear plastic, vinyl or PVC only, up to 13 x 17 inches, plus a small clutch. No backpacks.
• New Orleans Jazz Fest: the most relaxed of the group, accepting totes, backpacks, cinch bags and small bags up to 17 x 12 x 10 inches. Rolling suitcases and duffels stay out.
• Lights All Night: single-compartment bags up to 12 x 12 inches and fanny packs up to 10 x 9 inches.

If you want one bag that works almost everywhere, choose a clear bag of about 12 x 6 x 12 inches or a small one-pocket fanny pack. That pairing clears most festivals and every NFL stadium; Stadium Bag Policies has the full clear-bag rundown.

Water rules: what has to arrive empty

The pattern is consistent: bring an empty container, fill it inside, and leave outside drinks at home, apart from the occasional single sealed water bottle. The fine print is what trips people up.

• Coachella (2026 FAQ): plastic bottles up to 64 ounces and plastic hydration packs up to 2 liters. Metal, aluminum and glass bottles are refused.
• Lollapalooza: hydration packs must be emptied and can have at most two main compartments plus one small one. Empty reusable bottles, plastic or aluminum, are fine.
• Ultra Music Festival: a hydration pack is allowed only if it is not a backpack, and any extra pocket large enough to hold a paperback gets it rejected.
• Lights All Night: the bladder must be clear, removable and empty on arrival. Refill stations are free.
• Electric Forest: bottles and hydration packs must be empty at the gate.

For a hot daytime festival, a hydration pack is the better tool. It carries more than a bottle, frees your hands and can serve as your only bag, as long as its compartments meet the rules.

Clothing for each festival's climate

Festivals almost always run rain or shine, so the forecast drives the rest of the list.

• Coachella, Indio, April: hot desert afternoons give way to genuinely cool nights. Pack an evening layer and a bandana or mask for the dust that crosses the polo fields.
• Bonnaroo, Tennessee, early summer: the festival's own list calls for rain gear, mud boots, spare shoes, a hoodie for the nights, a hat, a bandana and plenty of sunscreen.
• Lollapalooza, Chicago: umbrellas are banned, so a packable rain jacket or poncho does the job.
• Jazz Fest, New Orleans, spring: handheld umbrellas up to 63 inches are allowed and double as shade. The festival suggests lightweight clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Ultra, Miami, March: humid days call for sunscreen and a thin rain layer that still fits inside a clear bag.
• Lights All Night, Dallas, December 30 and 31: the stages may be indoors, but the entry line is not. Dress for the cold.

Your shoes matter more than the rest of your outfit combined. A long festival day means miles on grass, dirt and pavement. Pick closed-toe shoes with some wear on them over fresh boots or sandals.

Items that will be confiscated

Some things are refused nearly everywhere: glass, weapons of any type (Ultra explicitly includes pocket knives and self-defense sprays), drones, professional cameras, fireworks and illegal drugs. Past that baseline, the lists diverge:

• Seating: Coachella permits chairs only in the campgrounds. Lollapalooza bans chairs, blankets, sheets and towels inside the grounds. Jazz Fest allows a single collapsible chair or stool.
• Totems and signs: Coachella refuses signs, including anything mounted on a pole or pool noodle, and Lollapalooza refuses totems and flag poles. Lights All Night accepts lightweight totems under 10 feet with no metal or sharp points.
• Outside food: generally refused, except at Jazz Fest, which accepts snacks and small soft coolers.
• Umbrellas: not allowed at Coachella or Lollapalooza; size-limited at Jazz Fest.

When an item is not clearly permitted, leave it behind. A confiscated item will not come back to you that day, and a trip back to the parking lot can cost you a set.

Add-ons for campers

Once you camp, the packing list becomes a gear list. Bonnaroo's packing list works as a template for any camping festival:

• Sleep and shade: a tent, sleeping bag or bed, a tarp and a shade canopy for your site.
• Light: a headlamp, lantern or flashlight, plus spare batteries.
• Food and water: a cooler, refillable water jugs and reusable bottles.
• Camp furniture: chairs and a table.
• Small things people forget: biodegradable trash bags, extra toilet paper, a flag or balloon so you can find your site, and a spare car key kept on your body.

Campground rules differ a lot. For 2026, Coachella banned generators and open flames in its campgrounds and capped propane stoves at two burners. Bonnaroo permitted portable grills and generators under 4 kW. Electric Forest prohibited grills and generators and allowed only beer and wine within per-person limits. Confirm the current camping rules before you buy or rent a generator or grill for the trip.

Your phone is your ticket and wallet

Your phone carries your ticket, your payment, your map and your group chat, and a crowded festival drains a battery quickly as the phone searches for signal. Pack a fully charged power bank and a short cable. Lights All Night rents lockers, some with phone charging.

• Payment: cashless is now common. Jazz Fest booths take only cards and mobile payment, and several Palm Tree Music Festival stops are cashless.
• Wristband registration: Coachella requires you to register your wristband in its app before arrival. Do it at home, not in line.
• Re-entry: learn the rule before you walk out. For 2026, Lollapalooza allowed two re-entries after your first entry, Bonnaroo allowed unlimited daytime re-entry to its main venue, and Ultra and Lights All Night allowed none.
• A fallback meeting spot: agree on a fixed landmark in case phones die or the network jams.
• Hearing protection: reusable musician's earplugs lower the volume without muddying the sound and fit in a pocket.

Heading to an arena or stadium show instead? First Concert Tips covers that checklist. For choosing between GA, VIP and camping passes, see Music Festival Tickets Explained.

Sources

• Lollapalooza, bag policy
• Lollapalooza, allowed and prohibited items
• Lollapalooza, re-entry
• Coachella, FAQ (2026 guidelines)
• Ultra Music Festival, security policies
• New Orleans Jazz Fest, FAQ
• Lights All Night, festival guide
• Lights All Night, tickets (lockers)
• Electric Forest, festival info
• Bonnaroo, packing list
• Bonnaroo, allowed and prohibited items
• Palm Tree Music Festival, events