Festival preparation guide: from the group plan to the packing list
The slowest part of preparing for a festival is settling who you are going with. Once that is decided, tickets, budget and packing take a couple of evenings.
Someone used to say "we are going this year" and by the next week everyone had a ticket. Now we open polls in four different group chats, wait for the "let’s see" replies, and the first-phase tickets sell out in the meantime. This guide is about shortening that wait.
1. Settle who is coming first
Ask the group three questions: which day are you coming, is it a definite yes, who is buying the ticket. Give the "maybe" replies a deadline. The sensible one is the day the first ticket phase ends.
Not everyone may come on the same day. At a three-day festival one person may want Saturday only and another every day. Knowing this early stops you buying the wrong ticket type.
In the innclude app you can see which of your contacts are going to the same event, as far as you allow it. Part of the "who is coming" question gets answered there.
2. Decide who buys the tickets
There are two ways. Everyone buys their own, or one person buys for everyone. If one person buys, each ticket gets its own attendee details: first name, last name and email. Collect them from the group before checkout.
On innclude you can buy up to 9 tickets of a ticket type at a time. A larger group splits into two orders.
Agree how everyone pays back before the tickets are bought. Settling up after the festival can be more tiring than the festival itself.
3. Watch the ticket phases
Most festivals sell tickets in phases. The first phase is cheaper and has a limited allocation. When it ends, the price moves up a tier. Following the festival and its organizer is the easiest way to hear first when sales open.
Buy from the sales channel the festival itself announces. There is no guarantee that a ticket bought from a third party will work at the door.
4. Match the ticket type to the group’s plan
- Day ticket: covers a single day.
- Full festival ticket: covers every day.
- VIP or special area: adds extras such as a separate area or entrance. The ticket description says what it includes.
- Camping package: includes accommodation.
If half the group comes for one day and half for every day, you need two different ticket types. Check which day you are buying from the ticket name and description.
5. Budget line by line
The ticket is only one part of the cost. The rest often adds up to as much again.
- the ticket
- travel there and back
- accommodation or camping, and each person’s share if it is split
- food and drink
- a small reserve for the unexpected
6. Plan the way home before the way there
The way home is what people forget most. On days that end late, public transport thins out and the last services can be missed. If you are travelling back as a group, agree who goes home with whom and who has the car before you set off.
7. Packing list
- phone and a charged power bank
- ID, which may be checked in age-restricted areas
- a card and some cash
- rain jacket, hat and sunscreen depending on the forecast
- earplugs
- a refillable water bottle, check the rules on whether it is allowed in
- a small backpack or bum bag
If you are camping, add a tent, sleeping bag, mat and head torch. If you are camping as a group, split who brings the shared gear.
8. What is not allowed in
Rules vary by festival. Glass bottles, large bags, folding chairs and outside food are common restrictions. Read the rules the festival publishes before you go. On innclude, if the organizer added them, they are in the rules section of the event page.
9. On the day
Open the app once before you set off. The ticket is saved to your phone and opens even without a connection at the venue. Signal often drops in crowded areas, so do not count on meeting up by message.
Agree on a meeting point near the entrance that is easy to describe. If someone gets lost, everyone heads back there.
