A full festival weekend means 3 days of standing, heat, noise, and disrupted sleep. Most health problems at festivals are predictable and preventable.
Here is what to prepare for.
Hydration
The standard advice is 2 litres of water per day. At a festival in warm weather, with walking and dancing, you need 3 to 4 litres. Each alcoholic drink requires an additional 200 to 300ml of water to compensate.
- 💧 Free water points: all UK and EU festivals are required to provide free drinking water. Locate the nearest tap to your camping pitch and your main stage spot before the day starts.
- 🚰 Refillable bottle: a 1-litre bottle with a carabiner to clip to your bag. Refill every 90 minutes at minimum.
- ⚠️ Signs of dehydration at a festival: dark urine, headache after midday, dizziness in the crowd. Drink immediately and move to shade.
- 🧂 Electrolytes: if you are sweating across 3 days, plain water is not enough. Add electrolyte tablets (SIS, Nuun, or own-brand sachets) to one bottle per day.
- ✅ Drink 500ml before you leave your tent each morning.
- ✅ Skip the water at the main bar. It is slow and charged. Use the free water points instead.
- ✅ Avoid energy drinks in the sun. The caffeine raises your core temperature.
Hearing protection
Main stages at large festivals run at 100 to 110 dB. That is above the 85 dB threshold where repeated exposure causes permanent damage. Three days with 3 to 4 hours per day at main stage level adds up fast.
- 🎧 High-fidelity earplugs: not foam construction earplugs, which muffle the sound and make music seem underwater. Use high-fidelity plugs (Alpine, Eargasm, Loop) that cut volume while preserving frequency balance. Cost: £10 to £30.
- 📉 Noise reduction rating (NRR): 15 to 20 dB is enough for main stage. Higher NRR is better for the stage barrier or DJ booth.
- ⏱️ Recovery time: give your ears 15 minutes of quiet for every 60 minutes at volume. Walk away from the stage between sets.
- 🔔 Tinnitus warning signs: ringing that persists after leaving the arena is a sign of overexposure. Rest your hearing for 24 hours and reduce exposure on subsequent days.
Most people who refuse earplugs have only used cheap foam ones. High-fidelity earplugs make live music sound cleaner, not muffled. Try them before the festival if you have never used them.
- ✅ Carry two pairs: one for your pocket, one backup in your bag.
- ✅ Buy them before the festival. Vendors at the site charge 3x the normal price.
- ✅ Children under 12 should wear ear defenders, not earplugs, for reliable protection.
Sun and heat
Heat exhaustion is the most common medical call-out at UK summer festivals. It sets in gradually. You feel tired, slightly nauseous, and stop sweating before you notice something is wrong.
- 🌞 Sunscreen: SPF30 minimum, applied before leaving the tent and reapplied every 2 hours. Neck, back of the hands, and tops of feet are the areas people miss.
- 🧢 Head covering: a wide-brim hat or cap reduces heat load. UV-protective clothing (long-sleeved light fabrics) outperforms sunscreen for extended exposure.
- 🌡️ Heat exhaustion symptoms: heavy sweating, cold clammy skin, fast weak pulse, nausea, fatigue. Move the person to shade, lay them down, apply cool water to wrists and neck, give fluids.
- 🚨 Heatstroke: no sweating, hot dry skin, confusion. This is a medical emergency. Call the festival medical team immediately.
- ✅ Take a 30-minute break in shade between 1pm and 3pm when UV is highest.
- ✅ Festival tents in direct sun reach 40°C inside by midday. Leave the tent open or use a reflective sunshade over it.
- ✅ Locate the medical station nearest to your camping pitch before you need it.
Feet and sleep
Foot problems are the second most common medical complaint at festivals. Three days of standing on grass, mud, or tarmac in the wrong footwear causes blisters and aggravates existing ankle or knee problems.
- 👟 Footwear: waterproof ankle boots or festival wellies for wet conditions. Trainers on dry, hard ground. Avoid new shoes. Break them in first.
- 🩹 Blister kit: moleskin blister plasters (not regular plasters) and a small tube of petroleum jelly for friction areas. Apply jelly before blisters form, not after.
- 😴 Sleep: 6 hours of disrupted sleep per night is typical at a festival. Short naps in the afternoon (20 minutes, not longer) reduce fatigue without ruining your sleep cycle.
- 🎒 Bag weight: a heavy backpack adds load to your knees. Take only what you need for the day and leave the rest in the tent.
What to pack
A compact festival first-aid kit fits in a zip-lock bag or small pouch.
- 💊 Medications: paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamine (hay fever is common at outdoor sites), rehydration salts, antidiarrheal tablets.
- 🩹 Wound care: blister plasters (moleskin), antiseptic wipes, sterile dressings, medical tape.
- ☀️ Skin: SPF30+ sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, after-sun gel.
- 👂 Hearing: 2 pairs of high-fidelity earplugs.
- 💉 Personal medication: any prescription medication in its original packaging with your name on the label. Bring a GP letter for controlled medications. Security can ask for it.
- 🔦 Extras: small torch, hand sanitiser, period products if relevant.
Most festivals have a medic on site 24 hours. The medical tent handles genuine emergencies and illness. They will also help with lost medication or an allergic reaction. Use it.
For packing the rest of your bag, read our festival outfit and packing guide.