Festival survival kit

We've got everything you need to make the most of a Cape Town festival

With so many fantastic festivals happening in Cape Town this year it seems only fitting that we give you some advice on what you’ll need to make the most of these festive occasions. We’ve consulted some of Cape Town’s hardiest and dedicated festival goers to get the insider knowledge on the must-haves for any Cape Town festival.

Do your homework: Firstly, you need to identify the type of festival you will be attending. There’s a big difference what you can expect at the Hermanus Whale Festival and the Alien Safari Trans Music Festival. Try and find out as much as you can about the festival before you go. Visit the festival website, follow them on twitter, get your hands on the festival program and get as much information as you can.

Start planning: Now that you’ve done your research you’ve no doubt noticed that there are only two types of festivals; the chilled and relaxed festival and the absolutely crazy, rocking festival.

It is important to know which one of these two you will be going to. Speak to people that have been to the festival before and read about the types of activities offered at the festival. Once you know which type of festival you are going to it’s time to start the planning process.

Make sure you have accommodation, transport, and your travel route to the festival planned before you leave. Depending on the type of festival, this could mean booking that B&B adjacent to the festival weeks in advance or heading to your garage to dig out your dusty four man tent.

With just a few days to go before the festival it’s time to pack your bags. Here’s what you’ll need to survive:

If you’re heading for a relaxed wine tasting festival then you don’t have much to worry about in terms of packing food, tents, and galoshes for the muddy terrain. If you’ve booked to stay at a cosy B&B you can get by with a suitcase filled with your most comfortable clothes and shoes fit for days lounging in sunny cafes and traipsing around the quaint town. Don’t forget to take your camera, sunglasses, and extra cash for trinkets and souvenirs.

If you’re heading to a rocking music festival or three day trance party, you are going to need a whole lot more to survive. Try and make your own festival kit so you don’t forgot that absolutely necessary items... trust us, 3 days in the bush with no toilet paper is not a fun experience.

If there’s no formal accommodation then you will need a tent, and a sturdy one at that, the Cape winds can wreak havoc to a cheap polyester tent, so invest in a good one that will stay put. Other items you don’t want to leave home without are; a sleeping bag, PVC poncho, wellingtons, wet wipes, SPF30 sunscreen, torch, travel toothbrush with toothpaste, mini first-aid kit, deodorant, a swimsuit and money.

Now that you’ve done your homework and packed your bags, it’s time to head to the festival and have some fun! We now declare you festival ready. But even with all this preparation make sure you don’t forget the most important festival survival item of all – good friends to enjoy it all with.

Find many festivals happening in Cape Town in our festival section.

Are you a festival bunny, do you relish spending an entire weekend tent-bound with flowers in your hair? We’ve got the scoop on Cape Town’s best festivals each month. Make sure you stay in the loop by subscribing to our free monthly newsletter and follow us Twitter and Facebook.