For a multi-day psytrance festival, sort four things before anything else: your ticket and ID, a camp that gives you shade by day and warmth by night, enough water, and earplugs. Everything else on this festival packing list makes the week easier, and how much of it you need depends on where the festival is.
Below you find the full checklist, grouped so you can tick it off while you pack. After that: what changes for desert-like heat, a tropical beach, mountain nights and rain, and what to leave at home. If this is your first festival, read our first-timer guide too.
The short answer: what to bring to a psytrance festival
- Ticket (printed and saved on your phone), ID or passport, health insurance card
- Tent with pegs, plus shade for your camp
- Sleeping mat and a sleeping bag for the coldest night you expect
- Reusable water bottle and a water container for camp
- Earplugs made for music, plus a cheap pair for sleeping
- Sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- A warm layer and a rain layer, whatever the forecast says
- Worn-in shoes you can dance in for hours, plus sandals
- Headlamp and power bank
- Basic first aid kit and your own medication
- Bin bags and a pocket ashtray
- Cash and a card, kept in two different places
Camp checklist
Tickets and documents
- Festival ticket, printed and saved offline on your phone
- ID card or passport (the name often has to match the ticket)
- Vehicle or campervan pass if you drive in
- Health insurance card, or travel insurance papers when you go abroad
- Copies of your documents in a separate bag or in the cloud
- Confirmations for shuttles, tent rental or glamping
Read the festival's FAQ before you leave. Rules on arrival times, vehicles and what you can bring differ from festival to festival and change from year to year.
Tent, camp and shade
Your tent is your home for the week. In summer it turns into an oven soon after sunrise, so shade over or next to it is what lets you sleep after a long night on the floor.
- A tent you have set up at home at least once
- Extra pegs, longer ones for sand or hard ground, and a mallet
- Gazebo, tarp or sun sail with poles and guy lines
- Groundsheet under the tent
- Camping chair or a mat to sit on
- Lockable bag for valuables (a tent is never secure)
- Gaffer tape and cable ties for repairs
- A flag or a light to mark your camp so you find it at night
Sleeping
- Insulated sleeping mat, or an air mattress with pump and repair patch
- Sleeping bag rated for the coldest night you expect
- Small pillow, or a stuff sack filled with clothes
- Foam earplugs: some sound system is always playing
- Eye mask, because the sun hits the tent early
- Thin sheet for hot nights
Power and light
- Headlamp, ideally with a red light mode that does not blind your neighbours
- Spare batteries, or a lamp you can recharge
- Power bank big enough for several phone charges
- Charging cables, one short and one long
- Small lantern for the tent
- A small solar panel if you stay a week and have no car to charge from
Many festivals have charging stations, but the queues get long. Put your phone in flight mode when you don't need it and the battery lasts for days.
Food and water
- Reusable bottle that goes everywhere with you
- Collapsible water container for camp
- Electrolyte sachets for hot days
- Snacks that survive heat: nuts, dried fruit, crackers, muesli bars
- Camping stove, gas, lighter, pot, mug and cutlery, if your festival allows cooking
- Cool box, if you come by car
- Biodegradable washing-up liquid and a sponge
Big festivals sell food on site and usually have water points. Check whether gas stoves are allowed at yours before you pack one.
Personal checklist
Clothing
Pack for the whole range of the site, from midday sun to the coldest hour before sunrise. The climate section below shows where to shift the weight.
- Light, loose T-shirts and tops
- Shorts or light trousers, plus one pair of long trousers
- Warm jumper or fleece
- Rain jacket or poncho
- Socks and underwear for every day, plus spares
- Dance shoes that are already worn in
- Sandals or flip-flops for camp and showers
- Scarf or bandana against sun and dust
- Swimwear, if there is a lake, river or sea
- Your festival outfits: second-hand and swapped clothes fit the scene well
Dance floor kit
Keep this in a small bag or bum bag you can dance with.
- Water bottle
- Earplugs in their case
- Sunglasses and sunscreen for the day floor
- A light layer for the night
- Phone, a little cash, ID or a copy of it
- Lip balm and tissues
- Pocket ashtray if you smoke
Hearing protection
Psytrance festivals run big sound systems for many hours a day, often for a whole week. Our article on festival sound systems explains what stands behind those stacks. Hearing damage builds up without warning, so wear earplugs from the first night on.
- Reusable earplugs with filters made for music: they lower the volume and keep the sound clear
- A spare pair, because you will lose one
- Foam earplugs for sleeping
- A small case so they stay clean
- Ear defenders for children, if you bring kids
Take breaks away from the speakers, and don't dance right in front of them.
Hygiene and health
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, biodegradable soap and shampoo
- Quick-dry towel
- Biodegradable wet wipes and hand sanitiser
- Toilet paper, because it runs out
- High-protection sunscreen and after-sun
- Insect repellent
- Your own medication, with a copy of the prescription if you fly
- First aid kit: plasters, blister plasters, painkillers, disinfectant, tweezers
- Period products and condoms
On day one, find out where the medical tent and the psycare or welfare team are. That helps you and anyone around you who needs support.
Money and phone
- Some cash, plus a debit or credit card, kept in different places
- Check whether the festival is cashless and how you top up
- Offline maps, the festival app if there is one, and emergency numbers saved
- A meeting point agreed with friends, because the network often fails
- Waterproof pouch or zip bag for your phone
Leave no trace: the eco checklist
Psytrance festivals happen on farms, by lakes, on beaches and in forests. The site should look the same when you leave as when you arrived.
- Bin bags for the whole week, and separate ones for recycling
- Pocket ashtray: cigarette butts are the most common litter on dance floors
- Reusable cup, plate and cutlery
- Biodegradable soap and wipes, and no soap in rivers or lakes even then
- Gear that lasts more than one festival
- A lift share or the festival shuttle, where there is one
Take home everything you brought, including your tent, chairs and gazebo.
Packing by climate
The same list works everywhere, but the weight shifts. Here is what we change for four typical settings.
Hot and dry: Portugal and Hungary in summer
Boom Festival in Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal, takes place every two years and runs from 18 to 25 July 2027. O.Z.O.R.A. in Hungary runs from 23 July to 3 August 2027. Both are long camping weeks in high summer, and at Boom shade is scarce, so you bring your own. Take heat seriously: Ozora's 2026 edition ended early after two attendees died during a heat alert.
- Shade first: gazebo or sun sail, and a reflective cover for the tent
- More water capacity, electrolytes and a hat you wear all day
- Bandana against dust, plus eye drops
- Light long sleeves for the hottest hours
- A fleece anyway, because nights can cool down
Rest in the shade at midday and save the long dancing sessions for evening and night.
Tropical beach: Brazil over New Year
Universo Paralello takes place on Praia de Pratigi in Ituberá, Bahia, from 27 December 2026 to 4 January 2027: nine days on a beach in the southern summer. Our guide to psytrance festivals over New Year 2026/27 has the full holiday calendar.
- Water-resistant sunscreen and a light long-sleeved shirt for the beach
- Insect repellent, and a tent with a closed inner mesh
- Long pegs for sand
- Quick-dry clothes and a poncho for tropical showers
- Waterproof bags to keep sand and humidity away from your electronics
- A sheet or a light sleeping bag liner for warm nights
More on the Brazilian scene is in our guide to psytrance festivals in Brazil.
Mountain nights: the Alps at 1,500 metres
Burning Mountain takes place at around 1,500 metres beside the Inn river in Zernez, Switzerland, from 24 to 27 June 2027. At that altitude the sun is strong by day and nights get cold, even in summer.
- Warm sleeping bag and an insulated mat
- Beanie, gloves and a down or fleece jacket for the hours before sunrise
- High-protection sunscreen, because UV is stronger in the mountains
- Rain gear, because mountain weather changes fast
- A flask for hot drinks
If you fly in, check the tent rental option on the festival's ticket page. It saves a lot of luggage.
Rain-prone central Europe: German summer festivals
VooV Experience in Putlitz, Brandenburg, runs from 16 to 19 July 2027, and Indian Spirit in Eldena, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, from 25 to 30 August 2027. A summer week in northern Germany can bring hot sun and a day of rain, so pack for both.
- Tent with a proper rain fly, entrance turned away from the wind
- Rain jacket, plus rain trousers or a poncho
- Waterproof shoes or wellies, and dry socks in a bag
- Tarp over the camp and a doormat in front of the tent
- Bin bags to keep clothes dry inside your backpack
- Sun hat and sunscreen anyway
Festivals in every climate zone are in our overview of psytrance festivals worldwide.
What not to bring
Every festival publishes its own list of banned items, so check it before you pack. These come up often:
- Glass bottles and jars: broken glass and bare feet don't mix
- Your own sound system at camp, which many festivals ban
- Fireworks, flares and sky lanterns
- Open fires, and at some sites gas stoves, especially in dry summers
- Weapons and anything that looks like one
- Single-use plastic and tents you plan to leave behind
- Drones without permission
- Pets, unless the festival says they are welcome
- Expensive jewellery and anything you can't bear to lose
FAQ
What should I pack for a 5-day festival?
A tent with shade, a sleeping bag for the coldest night, a water bottle and container, earplugs, sun protection, a warm layer and a rain layer, a headlamp, a power bank, basic first aid, bin bags, and your ticket and ID. Add clothes for five days and spare socks.
Do I need earplugs at a psytrance festival?
Yes. You are close to loud sound systems for many hours a day, several days in a row. Reusable earplugs with music filters protect your hearing and keep the music clear, and foam ones help you sleep.
Can I bring my own food and water?
At most camping festivals, yes, for your own use. Rules on glass, gas stoves and drinks at the gate differ, so read your festival's FAQ before you pack.
How do I keep my tent cool?
Pitch it in the shade or build shade over it with a gazebo or sun sail. Open all vents during the day, and turn the entrance away from the afternoon sun.
What should I not bring to a festival?
Glass, fireworks, weapons, valuables you can't afford to lose, and anything on the festival's banned list. Leave single-use items at home and take everything you brought back with you.