Got a festival campervan booked? Here’s exactly what to pack, what to skip, and what first-timers always forget before they hit the gate.
Arriving at a festival in a hired campervan is a completely different experience from tent camping. You have a kitchen, a bed, and a lockable door. You also have a water tank, a gas system, a battery, and a generator (on some models), all of which require a bit of preparation before you leave the depot.
This list is organised by category. Work through each section before loading the van, and tick off items as you go rather than packing from memory.
Most hired campervans come with linen on request, but confirm this when you book, because it is not universal. If linen is not included, bring:
For summer Australian festivals (Woodford, CMC Rocks, Tamworth), a sleeping bag rated to around 10 degrees Celsius is enough for most nights. For high-altitude or inland events in the USA or Canada (Burning Man in the Nevada desert drops to near freezing at night, Calgary Stampede in early July can hit 5 degrees overnight), bring a bag rated to at least 0 degrees.
One sleeping tip that makes a real difference: a cheap foam camping mat or a folded blanket between the mattress and the fitted sheet reduces the cold conducted through the mattress from below, which is the main reason people wake up cold in a van even when the bag is warm enough.
Hired campervans come with a small kitchen: a two or three-burner gas stove, a sink, a 12V fridge or cooler box, and a set of basic cookware. What they don’t include, and what most people forget to bring, is consumables and condiments. Pack:
Cooking and eating:
Food strategy for a festival weekend:
Keep food simple. Festival sites are usually dusty or muddy, power is limited, and you’ll be tired. A realistic three-day food plan: pre-prepped breakfasts (muesli, instant oats, or wraps with cold cuts), simple lunches assembled without cooking (cheese, crackers, fruit, dips), and one cooked dinner per night on the gas stove. Buy the rest from festival food vendors rather than trying to cook three full meals a day in a van.
Ice or a pre-chilled fridge matters more than people expect. A 12V fridge in a hired van takes several hours to cool down from ambient temperature. If you can, plug the van in the night before departure, or pack a separate cooler with ice for drinks and perishables.
Drinks and hydration:
This is the category that trips up first-time campervan hirers at festivals the most.
Understanding what you have:
A standard hired campervan has a 12V leisure battery that powers the fridge, interior lighting, and USB outlets. The battery charges from the engine while you drive and, on most vehicles, from shore power (a 240V/120V hookup) when parked. Festival campervan sites may or may not offer powered sites, and power hookups sell out faster than general parking. Check this when you book your festival camping ticket, not when you arrive.
If the festival site has no powered sites, or if yours sells out, the leisure battery will run the fridge and lights for roughly 24-36 hours of normal use before it needs topping up. A generator (if the van has one) extends this, but generator restrictions at Australian music festivals are common and strictly enforced. See Generator Rules at Australian Music Festivals for the specific rules that apply at Woodford, CMC Rocks, and other major AU events before you plan around running a genny all night.
Pack:
Connectivity:
Festival mobile networks are notoriously congested. Don’t rely on streaming or hotspot connectivity during the event. Download maps, your tickets, and anything else you need before you leave. A physical printed copy of your booking confirmation and your van’s registration papers is worth more than a screenshot on your phone when the gate marshal needs to verify your campervan parking ticket.
Campervans have a small onboard bathroom, but it is easy to stress the system over a festival weekend. Most hires come with a toilet that needs cassette emptying, a small shower with limited hot water (heated via the gas system), and a grey water tank that fills faster than you’d expect if multiple people are showering daily.
Core toiletries:
Keeping the van clean:
Shower strategy:
If you’re attending a large festival with communal showers, it’s often faster and less of a strain on the van’s hot water system to use the festival showers in the first half of the morning and reserve the van shower for quick rinses. Pack a compact microfibre towel that dries fast between uses.
Everything in this category lives in a day bag and travels with you to the stages and around the site.
Comfort and sun:
Practical carry:
For the van when you leave for the day:
This is the category that can hold you up at the gate or cost you a security deposit if you miss something.
Documents to bring:
Vehicle kit:
Before you leave the depot, always check:
Just as important as what you bring is what you don’t. Festival campervan sites are smaller than you’d expect, and van interiors fill up fast.
Leave behind:
The right kit depends heavily on the festival and the time of year.
Summer heat (Australian and New Zealand summer festivals, US desert events):
Winter or shoulder-season events (Carnaval de Québec, alpine NZ festivals):
Some festival hirers park on the festival site in the designated campervan zone, which gives you proximity to the stages, other festival-goers, and usually a festival atmosphere around the clock. Others prefer to stay at a nearby campground or holiday park, where facilities are better, nights are quieter, and there’s usually a powered site available.
Both approaches are valid and the right choice depends on the festival. Freedom Camping vs Festival Campgrounds covers the trade-offs in detail across Australian and New Zealand events, including which major festivals have dedicated campervan zones and which don’t.
The size of your group and the nature of the festival affects which vehicle type makes sense.
For a couple or a solo traveller attending an Australian or NZ event, a two-berth campervan from Apollo, JUCY, or Britz is usually the most practical option. These fit into standard campervan parking bays with room to open the door fully, and they’re easy to manoeuvre on festival sites that have poor signage and soft ground.
For a family or a group of four, a larger motorhome from Maui or Apollo gives more sleeping space and kitchen capacity, but check the site’s length restrictions before booking. Many campervan zones at Australian festivals have a maximum vehicle length of 7-8 metres. Read What Motorhome Size Suits a Family of Four at a Music Festival before deciding on a vehicle class.
What size water container should I bring in a campervan to a festival?
A 10-litre collapsible container is the minimum. The onboard water tank in a standard two-berth campervan holds 35-60 litres, which is roughly two days of water for two people using it for cooking, dishwashing, and occasional showering. At a four or five-day festival, you will need to refill. Most large festival campervan sites have a water refill station, but queues build quickly in the mornings. Carrying a 10-20 litre container means you can fill up during off-peak times and have a buffer.
Do hired campervans come with bedding and towels?
It depends on the operator and the hire package. Britz, Maui, and Apollo all offer linen kits as an add-on at extra cost; some budget operators like JUCY include a basic kit in the hire rate. Confirm at the time of booking, not on pick-up day.
Can I use a generator at an Australian music festival?
Generally no, or only in limited hours. Most major Australian music festivals either prohibit private generators entirely or restrict them to specific hours with a noise limit. Generator Rules at Australian Music Festivals covers the rules at Woodford Folk Festival, CMC Rocks, and other AU events. Check the specific festival’s campervan rules page before assuming you can run one.
What power do I need for a festival weekend without a powered site?
A standard campervan leisure battery handles 12V fridge, USB charging, and interior LED lighting for around 24-36 hours. After that you need to either run the engine briefly to recharge it, hook up to shore power, or have a small solar panel top-up. For a three-day event without powered sites, a 100W portable solar blanket is worth considering. It’s enough to keep the battery from dropping too low in full sun.
Is glassware allowed at Australian festival campervan sites?
Most Australian music festivals prohibit glass in the general festival area and in campervan zones. Leave glass bottles and glassware at home. Use the plastic cups provided in the hire van, or pack a reusable hard-sided cup.
Should I arrive the night before the festival starts?
Yes, if the festival allows early arrival. Arriving the night before means you pick your spot within the campervan zone while the site is quiet, you have time to set up properly, and you aren’t navigating a busy site with a large vehicle in the dark. Check the festival’s campervan arrival policy when you buy your ticket, since some events charge an extra night’s fee for early arrival and others include it.
What should I do with food scraps and rubbish at a festival campsite?
Most festival campervan zones have rubbish stations nearby, but collection is not as frequent as at home. Keep a designated rubbish bag in the van and separate recyclables if the festival provides sorting bins. Take food scraps to the bins promptly in hot weather rather than leaving them in the van overnight, which attracts insects.
How do I keep a campervan cool at a summer festival?
Open the roof vent and any windows on opposite sides of the van to create cross-ventilation. Park the van with the rear or side door facing shade if possible. A battery-powered clip fan on the bunk or over the bed makes a significant difference. More detail on ventilation strategies and window coverings is in How to Keep a Campervan Cool at a Summer Festival.
What documents do I need to show at the festival gate for campervan parking?
You’ll typically need your hire agreement (with the vehicle registration number on it), your festival camping ticket, and your driver’s licence. Some festivals also ask for proof of vehicle length to confirm you’re in the right parking zone. Carry printed copies of all three rather than relying on phone screenshots, since signal at the gate is often poor.
Can I bring my dog in a hired campervan to a festival?
Most hired campervans explicitly prohibit pets under the hire agreement, and most festivals also prohibit animals other than registered assistance animals. Check both the hire agreement and the festival’s terms before assuming this is possible.
Event Campers compares hired campervans and motorhomes from leading operators across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, including Britz, Apollo, JUCY, Maui, Cruise America, and CanaDream. Search by event, vehicle size, and pickup location to find the right van for your festival weekend.
