Festival season is upon us, which is great news for those who love festivals, but less great news for those who love live music, alfresco drinking and fresh air but get nauseous at the thought of the camping part. I wish there was a way to experience the good without resorting to the bad. And there are tickets – called day tickets – that simply involve walking out of Gate D and catching the last train while your favorite song plays.
For some festival goers, the worst part is camping, while for others, the hardest part is packing. Even the most experienced packer can struggle to fit a weekend’s sights into a backpack; But when the festival in question is Glastonbury, a five-day event spread across a 1,200-acre farm in Somerset, the stakes can be even higher. And never has it been more so than this year, when all the weather reports pointed to such an unstable outlook that even the most optimistic person would be tempted to leave their shorts, aprons and flower crowns at home.
Since lightweight packing probably isn’t an option, packing sensibly is your next best bet. For broadcaster Jo Whiley, who has been attending Glastonbury for 40 years and has covered the BBC for 27 of them, the mixed weather is an excuse to hunt down favorite buys. A chronic overpacker himself, he recommends packing enough to keep you warm and dry just in case. “I can’t wait to offer a tour of their extensive range of mac and waterproof products,” she says. “I also have some very nice Marfa Stance parachute bomber jackets that will be coming out as well. “Maybe this year will be the year I get to wear my Hunter x Elton John boots, which I couldn’t wear last year because the weather was so hot and sunny.”
Most seasoned festival-goers know that being prepared from the feet up is worth the money. As someone who has limped around fields in ill-fitting sandals, riding boots and boots for the last 20 years, my mantra is “Happy feet, happy festival.” While the current “cowgirl” trend will lead to an abundance of cowboy boots this summer, wellies really are the best option when rain is expected. Granted they were heavy, damp and useless for dancing, but it’s hard to overstate the length and depth of mud created by 200,000 people running across a field. Searches for “wellies” are up 199 percent recently, according to data analyst MediaVision. While knee-length wellies will keep you driest, ankle-length wellies are a lighter and more comfortable option, especially for those suffering from leg cramps.
Your choice of socks also matters: for maximum warmth, try Hunter’s cable-knit cuff boot liners (£35, hunterboots.co.uk – also useful for sleeping), or borrow a style tip from the Dior Cruise show and wear knee-high Argyle socks. Rydele’s olive green and red pair (£7.49, ryedale.com) is a fraction of the price.
Next, your lower half. If there’s one item synonymous with festivals, it’s definitely a pair of denim shorts, worn with as much enthusiasm as middle-aged teenagers. Don’t ignore these just because the weather looks bad: add a pair of tights or leggings and you’ll be much warmer than you would be in jeans. Denim is a particularly unforgiving fabric in rainy weather, so if you’re determined to wear trousers, choose a pair in cotton or very fine corduroy. Even though wide-legged styles are becoming more common these days, they’re not the smartest choice for a festival. Whether it’s a wide pair of trousers or a long skirt, any excess fabric can quickly lead to regret in muddy conditions – and that’s before we even mention the unspeakable (aka the Portaloo floor).
Layering is key on your upper half. Don’t leave home without a thermal: Uniqlo’s long-sleeved, scoop-collar Heattech top (£14.90, uniqlo.com) fits the current ’90s trend – but more importantly, it’s affordable and warm. Wear a camisole underneath as you may find yourself in a sweaty dance tent as well as the cold outdoors. A stylist friend swears she’ll pack an oversized shirt (£25, marksandspencer.com) and take it out on Sunday because “it makes me feel stylish”. It eschews white in favor of striped iterations that better hide dirt and stains. If the weather is hot, he will wear it open over his vest; if it is cold, he will open his collar over a dark blue sweater.
A dress is also a smart addition, although it may seem counterintuitive when considering the potential predictions. A floral print dress with long-sleeved Breton fabric underneath will look very similar to the grunge style of the 90s, especially when paired with flashy socks and boots. While dungarees are a marginally worse idea than overalls (those toilets again), their sartorial affiliation, the smock dress, is a good call. Me+Em’s terry version (£115, Meandem.com) can be worn with a white T-shirt underneath. Or try the all-time festival classic, the satin-lined dress – Zara has a huge range from solid black to crochet and sequins (from £35.99, zara.com). Wear with an oversized cardigan: Navygrey’s cable-knit cardigan (£285, Navygrey.co) is warm but tuckable.
Finally, a jacket. If you want to pay lip service to this season’s oversize denim jacket/bomber jacket trend, at least pack a poncho that can be layered when the weather warms up. Mac In A Sac’s waterproof cape (£39, macinasac.com) comes in camouflage or high-vis neon colors to ensure you don’t get lost in the crowd. It’s also a good year to dig out your old Barbour, or if you’re on a budget, invest in a new parka like the waxed and hooded ‘Portmore’ parka (£329, barbour.com).
Every festival in the UK has its own unique feel, but what they all have in common is an originality that flashier outsider events like Coachella or Burning Man can only dream of. You don’t need to treat a festival as a fashion parade if you don’t want to; especially this year, when the backlash against conscious, trend-driven “influencer fashion” has led to even greater coveting of the basics. “festival fashion” in 2024 is not expected to look much different from “normcore,” “countrycore” or “quiet outdoors.”
Alternatively, you can forget all the so-called rules and have fun with your appearance.
Miquita Oliver, 40, has been going to Glastonbury since she was a child. “Dress like your eight-year-old self,” advises the host of Miss Me, the chart-topping podcast she co-directs with Lily Allen. “Glastonbury is all about play. I was wearing some old Pucci leggings and a t-shirt that I bought at the local market last year, and it felt like I was wearing the same kind of clothes I wore as a kid. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I had my best Glastonbury ever.” Words to pack.