Best Festival Gear: What to Buy for Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo & More

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If you love music, there’s a good chance that you’ll be heading to Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Rolling Loud or another music festival, concert sometime this year. And you’ll need the right festival accessories or travel gear to pack for the trip. 

There’s nothing worse than traveling to a music festival only to get stuck outside in the heat without the proper sunglasses, a hat to keep your head cool, an portable phone charger just in case you’re low on juice, hand sanitizer (we’re technically still in a pandemic), face masks, bandanas and other essentials such as sunscreen, portable fans, waterproof mascara and liquid eyeliners, and a bag to carry everything from your identification to water bottles.

To help you out, we rounded up a list of music festival necessities, some of which you can buy at Amazon and Walmart to ensure that they get delivered quickly. For more festival-related gear, see our recommendations for the best ear plugs for concerts, best travel backpacks and venue-approved bags.

Finding the right music festival sunnies depends on your style preference and budget, but there are a bunch of affordable sunglasses online. The polarized glasses pictured above include an attached chain and you can buy them in seven different lens frames including red, black, green, grey, blue, gold and red. Click here for more festival shades.

Blame it on the juice! A portable charger comes in handy regardless of whether you’re traveling to a music festival or not. Casely’s Here Comes the Sun Power Pod is an iPhone charging deck that fits in the palm of your hand. The power pod features MagSafe wireless charging and is available in tons of different colors and cool designs. Click here for a wider selection of iPhone and Android portable chargers.

Comfy and convenient, crossbody bags are great for music festivals. The Adidas Originals Crossbody Bag pictured above has a zippered pocket in the front and zip pocket in the back. The back compartment is roomy enough to fit your wallet, Airpods and other small items, while the front pocket can be used for your ID, money, room key, etc. If you need room but want the same style of bag, try this Mini Festival Crossbody Bag with a water bottle carrier ($30).

Looking for headgear? The unisex Terry Beachside Bucket Hat from Alo Yoga is made from absorbent and lightweight French terry cloth and available in blue splash or cantaloupe. Click here fore more bucket hats.

Get the glow! An LED wristband bracelet makes a cool festival accessory. The set above comes with eight bracelets (batteries included) featuring three light modes: fast blink, slow blink and full glow. 

How about a fanny pack? Apart from being timeless and easy to find, if you’ve seen Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, then you know that fanny packs can be used for more than carrying personal belongings. The fanny pack featured above is available in 24 different colors and currently on sale at Amazon.

For music lovers attending Lollapalooza, bags larger than 6 x 9 inches must be clear bags (no liquids) made from vinyl or PVC and no larger than 12 inches x 12 inches x 6 inches like the option above, which is available in green, black, blue, red and other colors. For Lollapalooza, all bags will be checked upon entry and hydration packs are allowed but must be empty and have no more than two extra pockets. Click here for clear backpacks.

Staying hydrated is the healthiest way to endure long days in the music festival sun. The Yetti Rambler is a 26-ounce water bottle that comes in 10 different colors including limited-edition green, orange, black, blue and white, plus you can cart it around in a Yetti Rambler Sling ($35).

The proper hat will help keep you cool in the desert heat, which is especially useful if you plan on hitting up Coachella or Stagecoach. The GearTop wide-brim, drawstring sun hat pictured above offers UPF 50+ protection and has been tested to ensure safety from harsh UVA and UVB rays. The mesh fabric allows for moisture and heat to easily escape to keep your head cool and reduce sweating.

If you’d rather have a straw option, Quicksilver‘s Pierside hat is made from weaved straw and features a wide brim, lined headband and adjustable chin strap. The hat is available in natural brown and dark brown in sizes ranging from S-XXL.

You’re probably tired of wearing face masks, but there’s a lot of dust in the desert, so you might need some form of protection at Coachella. If you don’t want a cloth face mask or the more durable N95 mask, the reusable cloth face covering pictured above is a nice alternative. The washable face mask features four-way stretch and fits snugly on all size heads and faces, and it’ll stay in place, even if you’re running or doing other vigorous exercises. Find disposable face masks here.

When you need a simple and affordable bag, drawstring backpacks rarely disappoint. This cotton bag from Walmart comes in 12 different colors including orange, blue, black, pink and green. Looking for a sturdier backpack option? Try a mini backpack from The North Face ($58.95).

If sunglasses aren’t good enough, you’ll get full coverage from the sun with this sunglass-visor hybrid from Diff Eyewear. The visor can also add an iridescent pop of color to your festival outfit, and it’ll probably look pretty cool in the sun. The skin-protecting and UV-blocking Carina visor provides maximum sun protection to block out over 98% of UVA/UVB rays. For a cheaper and slightly smaller design, check out the GloFx Face Shield Visor ($29.97).

Speaking of visors, this holographic headpiece features an adjustable band, breathable fabric and it’s available in a handful of colors including white, hot pink and highlighter yellow.

Love aviators? The Sojos sunglasses pictured above offer up a classic aviator style in nine different colors, including mirrored pink, brown and black.

Another trendy option, these ’90s inspired sunglasses feature a wraparound design and UV protection.

This fan-favorite, striped blanket from Nomadix is perfect for festivals, camping, picnics and other activities. Featuring a soft, microsuede top, the water resistant, sand resistant and pet-hair resistant blanket measures 60 inches x 70 inches and is made from recycled polyester. Not into stripes? Click here for more Nomadix blankets.

These beautiful blankets from El Paso Designs retail for just $21.49. According to the manufacturer, the blankets are handwoven by artisans in Tlaxcala, Mexico, and each tassel is individually hand-tied. El Paso Designs blankets are available in over a dozen colors and measure 140 inches x 117 inches.

What to Wear to Music Festivals

Not sure what to wear to a music festival? Shorts, tees and comfortable shoes are a few fashion staples that you might already have in your closet, but if you’re looking for something more curated, you can find festival gear online at retailers such as Nasty Gal, ASOS, StockX, Amazon and Farfetch.

See below for a few examples of clothes to wear to a music festival.

These Aeropostale cargo shorts offer a comfortable fit and plenty of pockets, making them great for a music festival or concert. The 10-inch cargo shorts are available in sizes 27-42 and in a range of colors including golden tan, black, hazelnut, blue, green and grey. If there’s more room in your budget, these top-rated Eddie Bauer Men’s Tahoma Cargo shorts are on sale for $44.99. See more cargo pants here and click here for cargo pants.

When it comes to festival clothing for men, tees, button-up shirts and mesh shirts are an easy way to keep cool in the festival heat. If you like variety, the short sleeve shirt pictured above is available in more than two dozen different colors and designs.

Need a pair of shorts? These low-rise denim shorts from Hollister are available in medium wash, dark wash, dark ripped wash, white and black. If you’d like a different style, these baggy denim jeans ($69) are on sale at Urban Outfitters and Gap has a bunch of denim jeans on sale.

Flower power! This crochet top and matching skirt would be perfect for a pool party of festival, and the pieces are sold separately, so you can mix and match the top and bottom.

Shoes can make or break an outfit, and if you’re trekking through a festival in the wrong shoes, you’ll definitely be sorry. There’s actually a science to picking the perfect shoe but if you don’t have the time to test out different styles, go for comfortable walking shoes or running shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty such as Nikes, Pumas, Adidas, Salomon, New Balance, Vans or Converse Chuck Taylors. Other good options: Dr Martens, Burkenstocks, platforms and cowboy boots.

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