Visit London Blog » music festivals

What To Bring To London’s Music Festivals

Caroline Roddis — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:30:10 +0000

London boasts a huge range of music festivals, from blockbusting, arena-filling events such as Hard Rock Calling to boutique events for those in the know. Whatever your preference, there are some basic points that will help you make the most of your experience.

First of all, there’s your attire. As most festivals are held in grassy parks, you’ll need sensible shoes such as wellington boots (Hunters for the fashion conscious!). Flat shoes are essential, even if you’re in an arena, as you’ll be doing a lot of dancing. As for clothing, festival wear tends toward bohemian chic; think casual shorts, t-shirts, jeans, and floaty summer dresses. If you’re stuck, why not browse some of London’s excellent vintage shops for inspiration?

Equally important are your accessories, as you’ll need to prepare for London’s changeable weather by taking sunglasses, a hat and something waterproof. You can pick up a rain poncho for a few pounds in many London tourist shops – not only will they keep you dry, but they mean you don’t have to worry about carrying an umbrella when you’re dancing to your favourite songs. Sunscreen is also essential, particularly if you are going to be outside in the midday sun.

Before packing your bag, remember to check the festival’s policy on bringing food and alcohol into the venue: some events will let you bring a full blown picnic with drinks, whilst others prefer you to purchase your snacks at the many stalls on site. Some festivals allow you bring bottled water with you and there are places to refill it for free throughout the festival grounds.

Although there’s a temptation to take a huge variety of stuff to cover all contingencies, you should remember that festivals are always crowded, busy places and that it’s best to only take the essentials in case you get separated from your belongings. Things that you should never be without at a London music festival are:

Cash (festivals often have ATMs on site but there will be queues)
Tissues/toilet paper (this often runs out in festival toilets, so it’s best to be prepared!)
Antibacterial hand gel
An Oyster card so you can get to and from the venue easily
A pre-arranged meeting point for you and your friends, so you don’t have to worry about finding them in the crowd if you run out of phone charge or signal
Your ticket
A jumper, jacket or wrap for when the sun goes down
A compact camera (or camera phone) so you can capture those amazing memories!

You should also remember that, as most London music festivals are one-day affairs, you won’t need to worry about bringing lots of clothes, sleeping bags, tents and all the other weekend festival paraphanalia. There are plenty of hotels, hostels, and homestays in London, so you can find somewhere to stay nearby.

Have we missed anything? What are your festival essentials?

London Photo of the Week: Lovebox 2011

Lettice — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:32 +0000

The London summer festival season is in full swing and here’s the crowd rocking in the park at Lovebox 2011 snapped by Ashes 57.

Don’t forget to add your photos to the Visit London Flickr group and check out our guide to London music festivals to find your next great day out.

Photo of the Week: Dizzee Rascal at Lovebox

Jenny — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 09:00:11 +0000

This week’s photo is for anyone reminiscing about last weekend’s Lovebox festival, with Dizzee Rascal playing his headline set on Friday night.

Keep adding your photos to Visit London’s flickr pool and we might just feature one of your pics as our Photo of the Week.

Visit London Asks: Which Gigs Are You Looking Forward To This Summer?

Jenny — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:36:03 +0000

We’re more than a little excited that Bon Jovi are kicking off their summer residency at The O2 tonight (they’re even performing a few classics on top of The O2 this afternoon to celebrate).

And after the warm weekend, our thoughts can’t help but turn to summer festivals and gigs.

Which London gig are you headed to this summer? Will you be watching Dizzee Rascal at Lovebox or Florence and The Machine at Somerset House? Were you lucky enough to get tickets to see Kings of Leon in Hyde Park?

Let us knowâ€¦

Fat Boy Slim on South West Four

Jenny — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:47:40 +0000

Continuing to whet our appetites for the South West Four Weekender, watch Fatboy Slim talking about what he’s got planned for his headlining slot (inflatable pigs included).

We’re happy to hear that with no Big Beach Boutique in Brighton this year, he’ll be throwing all his energy (and budget) into the Clapham Common festival!

Fat Boy Slim and Armin Van Buuren To Headline South West Four

Jenny — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:17 +0000

As if we weren’t excited enough that South West Four will be bigger and better than ever this year, having expanded to take over the whole August Bank Holiday weekend, we’re thrilled to find out that the headliners are Armin Van Buuren and Fat Boy Slim!

We can’t wait to see these two DJ heavyweights in London this summer. Tickets are on sale now – so snap yours up!

And if can’t you quite remember what the sun, the music and the fun felt like at last year’s event, we’ve got a handy little video reminder below:

South West Four Weekender, Clapham Common, 28 & 29 August 2010. Book tickets