The essentials you need this festival season

With Rolling Stone UK’s 2024 festival guide, we’ve got you covered with where to head for your live music fix this summer. Now for the tricky part – what to bring!

From power banks to headphones, delightful country t-shirts and washbags, our list of 2024 festival essentials features everything you need to be safe, warm, charged up and looking stylish in a (hopefully not too) muddy field this summer.

Let’s dive in!

Got the power

Content is king when it comes to music festivals, so a power-bank is a must when you’ve drained your smartphone battery taking hundreds of videos of your favourite artist that you will never watch again. Hama’s quick-charge bank from Selfridges can charge three devices simultaneously, while also being small and light and therefore easy to carry. It’s also perfect for charging smartwatches, digital cameras or Bluetooth headphones, so it will get plenty of use outside festival season too.

PD10 HD 10k Quick-charge powerbank, £39.99, by Hama at Selfridges, selfridges.com

Clever camp

The North Face is a connoisseur of the cool but hardworking accessory. Its Base Camp Travel Washbag is water-repellent and comes with a handy hook for hanging up to utilise space — and to keep your toiletries dry if your tent gets flooded. A zip-top opening makes for easy access to your toiletries. Made from recycled fabric, the wash bags come in khaki, black or yellow, with the trademark logo.

Base Camp Travel Washbag (small) £28, by The North Face, thenorthface.co.uk

Checkmate

This playful piece from CHÉ Studios will be a festival favourite. It’s so versatile you could wear it with a vest top and shorts, or over a dress with a bucket hat to give you Portia from The White Lotus vibes. The Check Mate shirt has a vintage-style fit and a checkerboard print, with embroidery inspired by retro fruit stickers. Super soft, it’s made from 100 per cent Tencel™ Lyocell for comfort and breathability to keep you fresh. This shirt’s a headliner for your summer wardrobe.

Check Mate shirt, £125, by CHÉ Studios, chestudios.co.uk

Go green

Ray-Ban has created a sustainable twist on a classic style with its unisex Teru bio-based sunglasses. The bold frames are as green as their colour (other options include electric blue, lilac and black), created sustainably and come in a minimalist design so they will work well with any festival outfit.

Teru Bio-based sunglasses in algae green, £123, by Ray-Ban, ray-ban.com

Picture perfect

Sony’s award-winning RX100 VII camera boasts an unrivalled combo when it comes to recording your music memories. Compact, but packed with power, its 24-200mm zoom lens offers a broad range, plus there’s real-time tracking and enhanced photo stabilisation for quality image-making even in tricky lighting. As well as stills, it has an external microphone jack and video capability.

Sony RX100 VII camera, from £1,049, by Sony, sony.com

Sac-magique

The magical cross-body bag from Uniqlo with its Tardis-like storage qualities is back in a new range of colourways. The semi-circular mini shoulder bag comes in paler hues for 2024, with cornflower blue (pictured), lavender, peach and daffodil yellow, as well as classic monochrome shades. Made famous by TikTok, the shoulder bag is an essential for any festival, owing to the fact you can just fit so damn much into it.

Round mini shoulder bag, £14.90, by Uniqlo, uniqlo.com

Mini but mighty

Sometimes you don’t want to be in the centre of the crowd crush at a festival, and a chilled-out campsite moment can offer much-needed respite. Marshall’s Emberton II portable speaker ensures you can bring the music with you when you’re away from the main stage. Its sleek look boasts all the familiar Marshall hallmarks, as well as Marshall’s superior signature sound, 30-plus hours of portable playtime, and a durable design to withstand life outdoors. Available in three colours, including the new Black and Steel.

Emberton II, £149.99, by Marshall, marshallheadphones.com

Cowboy cat

Beyoncé, Lana and Kacey are all giving us country albums for the summer, so we’re ready to dust off our Gaga Joanne hats and Kate Moss indie sleaze cowboy boots in celebration. There are plenty of ways to have fun with the cowboy trend, and the Everpress site offers plenty of great pieces by independent creators. This Rootin’ Tootin’ tee by Miranda K has got us purring, but if cowboy cats aren’t your thing, Everpress has curated a superb collection of graphic and slogan tops that are full of fun and festival frivolity.

Rootin’ Tootin’ classic T-shirt, £28, by Miranda K, everpress.com

Rebel rebel

Your arms will be stacked by the end of the summer, with various wristbands from everywhere from Leeds, Reading and Glastonbury to Barcelona and California. Elevate your arm candy with THOMAS SABO’s unisex leather bracelets. Available in single or double bands, these braided leather accessories feature clasps made from recycled silver. Alongside simple styles, there are also bracelets with embellished and burnished sterling silver skulls, black cats, tigers, crosses or tree of life beads.

Leather bracelets, from £89, by THOMAS SABO, THOMASSABO.COM

Boot up

Mud is part and parcel of British summertime, so be sure to pack a pair of wellies. Crocs is keeping things compact and cute with its unisex classic boot, which comes in sunflower (pictured), army green, navy, atmosphere, black, and juice pink. Its all-weather boot is lightweight and waterproof and falls just below the calf, so it will keep you dry, while not overheating your feet if the sun comes out. You can also customise them in true Crocs fashion, with space to add their super fun Jibbitz™ — time to get whimsical with your wellies.

Yellow classic boots, £54.99, by Crocs, crocs.co.uk