10 Things First-Time Festival Goers Always Get Wrong (and How to Fix Them)

Your first multi-day festival feels bigger than it is, and the prep mistakes are always the same. Dead phone by Saturday afternoon, a bag too big for the gate, no locker booked and nowhere safe to leave anything. This is the list of what to sort before you go.

1. Letting your phone die before the weekend is half over

At home, your phone lasts a day. At a festival with tens of thousands of other people, it may not make it to lunch.

The reason is straightforward: your phone works overtime when thousands of devices share the same mobile towers. It scans constantly for a stronger connection, and network congestion at crowded events drains a battery at roughly double its normal rate. Heavy camera use and a bright screen make it worse. According to planning guides for large events, even a new phone in good condition can go dead within a few hours under festival conditions.

The fix: book a powerbank before you go. The Volt Charging Service lets you pick up a Volt-Charger at the festival, then swap it for a full one at a staffed Volt booth once per day for the whole event. No hunting for a socket. Read the full plan in how to keep your phone alive for a whole festival weekend, or start with why phones die so fast at festivals if you want the cause explained first.

2. Turning up with a bag that won't get through the gate

Bag rules at festivals are stricter than most first-timers expect, and they change year to year.

Many events now ban backpacks entirely or cap bag dimensions. In Sweden, some venues have set limits as tight as 20 x 15 x 10 cm. The full overview of bag rules at Swedish events in 2026 covers which festivals enforce what. For any other event, go to the official festival FAQ before you pack, not on the day of travel.

If your bag fails at security, you'll be sent back to your car or left with no good option. A small crossbody bag or fanny pack clears most gates. Anything bigger belongs in a locker.

3. Not booking a locker: spending the whole day holding everything

Locker slots sell out. If you arrive without one, you carry your jacket, extra layers, rain gear, and everything else. All day, through every set.

Volt's Event Lockers are booked online in advance: you get a locker number and personal access code sent by email and SMS shortly before your slot. The locker is roughly 30 x 30 x 50 cm, with no power outlet inside, and you can open and re-lock it as many times as you like during opening hours. See how Event Lockers work at festivals or the complete guide to festival Event Lockers for what fits and how to book.

Book before the event. On-site prices are higher, and availability goes faster than it looks from outside the gates.

4. Bringing glass

This one gets people every year.

Roskilde Festival banned glass packaging from its camping area in 2026. The festival put it plainly: "goodbye to glass and disposable pavilions on camping". Glass can be handed in at containers by the campsite entrances, but it will not be returned. Most large European festivals now ban glass at the gate or on the camping ground.

Go through your bag before you leave home. Decant any liquids you need into plastic containers. Security at the gate has final say, and the answer to "but it's only a small bottle" is always no.

5. No offline backup for your ticket

Your ticket is digital. Your phone needs signal to load an app. At a festival, signal is the first thing that fails when you need it most.

Screenshot your ticket before you leave home, and save it to your camera roll, not just a booking confirmation email. Do the same for your locker access code, your charging service QR code, and anything else you'll need on site. If you're travelling with others, one person having everything on a single phone is also a risk.

Know your booking reference by heart, or write it down somewhere separate from your phone.

6. No agreed meeting point when the network fails

Your group splits at a stage. Someone goes for food and doesn't come back. Your phone hits zero. You have no plan.

Pick a meeting point before you go in. Something specific and easy for everyone to find: "the pillar to the left of the main stage entrance" works better than "somewhere near the food area." Agree a time, and agree what you'll do if one person doesn't show. Stick to it.

When tens of thousands of festival goers are on site, mobile networks fail under the load. A pre-set meeting point costs nothing and rescues the evening.

7. Wrong shoes

Multi-day festivals involve more walking than the lineup poster suggests. A site like Roskilde or Smukfest spreads across several hundred metres of grass, gravel, and wooden boardwalk. You'll cover several kilometres per day without noticing, and your feet will notice by day two.

Trainers you have already broken in: good. New shoes: no. Sandals for a camping festival: your call, but most people who try this regret it. Wellies work in mud but make feet hot in warm weather. The advice from experienced festival goers is consistent: comfortable, worn-in footwear beats anything that looks better.

8. Skipping sunscreen

Cloud cover does not protect you. UV radiation reaches the ground even on overcast summer days, and the NHS recommends SPF 30 or higher whenever UV levels are moderate or above, which describes most of a Northern European summer day.

At a festival, you're outside for eight to twelve hours, often moving and warm, and often forgetting that the sun is still there. By the time you feel a burn, the damage is already done.

A small tube of SPF 30 or 50 takes up almost no space and costs almost nothing. Reapply every two hours, and after heavy sweating. Lip balm with SPF is also worth packing.

9. Arriving the moment gates open

Gate opening is the most congested window of the day. Every festival goer who planned to "get there early" arrives at exactly the same time.

The result: long queues at bag security, crowded car parks, and a slow start. If you're driving, expect parking queues. If you're on public transport, check whether your festival runs dedicated shuttles or whether you're sharing ordinary trains with the full crowd at once.

Either arrive 45 minutes before opening to stay ahead of the surge, or wait an hour after gates open for the first rush to clear. Both strategies get you through faster than walking up to a gate the moment it unlocks.

10. Paying on-site prices when you could have booked in advance

Volt's Event Lockers, charging services, and SOUNDBOKS battery swaps all cost more at the gate than when you book online before the event. Pre-event prices are the best prices.

Booking in advance also removes the uncertainty. No queuing at a locker unit wondering if any slots are left. No arriving at a charging station and finding out the daily window has closed. The swap pass vs pay per use comparison helps you pick the right charging option for your plan. Check what Volt runs at your festival at getvolt.dk and sort your gear when you book your ticket, not at the gate.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my phone die so fast at a festival?

Festivals push thousands of devices onto the same mobile towers. Your phone searches constantly for a signal, which drains the battery at roughly double its normal rate. Add continuous camera use, a bright screen, and summer heat, and a full charge can run out before the afternoon headliner. Read the full explanation in why phones die so fast at festivals.

What size bag can I take into a festival?

It depends on the event. Many European festivals now restrict bags to small shoulder bags or fanny packs, and ban backpacks at the gate. Some Nordic venues have set limits as small as 20 x 15 x 10 cm. Always check the official festival FAQ first, and read this guide to bag rules at Swedish events in 2026 if you're attending a Nordic festival.

Can I rent a locker at a festival on the day?

Sometimes, but Event Locker slots often sell out before the event starts. Volt's Event Lockers are booked online before the event, with your locker number and personal access code sent by email and SMS before your slot. See how Event Lockers work and book early for the best price and availability.

Do I need a powerbank for a multi-day festival?

Yes, unless you have access to a dedicated charging service. Most festival sites have few or no accessible plug sockets in public areas. A powerbank covers a single day; for a full multi-day event, a charging service that lets you swap for a fresh unit daily is more reliable. See the swap pass vs pay per use comparison to choose the right option.

Is glass banned at festivals?

At many festivals, yes. Roskilde Festival banned glass from its camping area in 2026, and the rule is enforced at the gate. Always check the specific rules for your event before you travel.