Top festival tech: 5 must-have gadgets

Thursday 19 May

Festival season is nearly here, and if you’re going to check out the latest bands and enjoy the sunshine it makes sense to equip yourself with the latest gadgets. Just don’t leave them in your tent while you pop out! Read on to see the top five gadgets for festivals.

Android phone Taking your mobile phone to a festival may sound like a no-brainer – you’ll need it to stay in contact with your mates, you may need it to meet up with people at the beginning, and it’s also handy to be able to set reminders and alarms so you don’t miss anything. However, it’s also possible to download festival-specific apps for your Android handset – such as the Reading Festival app – so you’ll be able to use the GPS to find your way back to the tent at night.

Fuji FinePix S3300 For most of us, the idea of taking a digital SLR camera and a bag of lenses to a festival isn’t really a very good one. That doesn’t mean you can’t get up close to the action with cheap and more compact cameras, however. Fuji’s FinePix S3300 is a neat little camera with a staggering 26x optical zoom – which is more than enough to zoom in on the stars.

Camelbak M.U.L.E You’ll need a rucksack at a festival – it’s just convenient for carrying important things that you don’t want to leave in your tent. This slimline option from Camelbak is ideal, it’s small, lightweight and offers a reservoir for storing drinks! You’ll probably have to drink any alcohol before heading into the gigs themselves though, unless you can convince the staff the bag is just full of tech stuff.

Folding chair While we haven’t got any specific model in mind, the cheapest folding chair you can find should be the first thing on your festival list. You won’t be wanting it for gigs, but it’s perfect for sitting round a campfire or BBQ when you head back to the tent, and it’s also ideal when having breakfast in the morning. Just don’t spend much, as somebody will probably steal it when you’re looking the other way!

Halfords Pop Up Tent There’s no point in spending lots of money on tents – people will probably trip over it, there’s a good chance it’ll get broken, and most seem to get left at festivals. With this in mind, Halfords’ pop up tent is a great choice. It’s cheap, cheerful and it pops up in seconds – there’s no faffing around with guide ropes or having to construct it when all you want to do is go see a band.