The magic of summer is the influx of stars international and homegrown rocking up on stages across our great isle to entertain us with their latest tracks.
Unless you have spent the last few weeks on a digital detox, you have probably noticed that Beyonce’s brought her Renaissance World Tour to sold out arenas from Sunderland to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Harry Styles took his Love On Tour show from Coventry to Wembley and BST Hyde Park is gearing up for successive weekends featuring some of the biggest stars of all time - and that’s just the beginning.
There’s an onslaught of festivals filling on the calendar - whether you were lucky enough to secure a Glastonbury ticket, prefer the laidback luxury of Wilderness, the lesser-known Noisily or opt instead for day festivals - hello All Points East and Wireless! It’s a stellar line-up that cannot be missed.
Securing the ticket is one thing, nailing down your outfit and prepping your bag is quite another.
Concert and festival goers have shown that these are occasions to go all out at. You only need to look at snaps from the crowd to see a sea of bedazzled cowboy hats, feather boas and glitter-adorned faces as far as the eye can see. Seeing a superstar calls for a superstar ensemble so forget the monochrome ensembles and get creative; there’s no such thing as too much bling.
Take accessories, for example. Coordinating your bum bag or shoulder bag to your look is key, but while fashion is of course important, so is function. It’s not quite as simple as taking your day-to-day bag to one of these immense venues.
For example, at both Wembley and O2, you can only bring an A4 size bag (measuring H29.7 x W21 x D21cm). Glass is forbidden so leave your fragrances and mirrors behind. While at festival venues, it is likely that aerosols will be confiscated as well as the more obvious sharp items and illegal substances. Leave your backpacks, suitcases or larger bags at home to ease the search process at the venue.
Looking for inspo? See everything you need to enjoy your favourite artists to the fullest extent below.
Best bags for festivals 2023: Backpacks, bum bags and more
Best festival outfits of 2023 from crochet to sequins
Best festival tents for 2023: Get your camping setup sorted with two man tents and larger options
Best camping gear: from tents to cooking, the essential gear you need
Best lightweight tents to take to festivals, hiking and camping
Ladies Pink Sequin & Feather Texan Cowboy Hats
For you and your plus one, make sure your head is suitably adorned with one of these woo girl hats. Hens, concerts, festivals, work, the occasions to wear them are endless.
Buy now £20.95, Amazon
Feather Boa
You want to make an effort but you don’t want to purchase a whole new outfit. That’s fine. We have the solve. Two words: feather boa. Need we say more?
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
NHCDFA Heart Shaped Sunglasses, Sunglasses
Sunglasses can make or break an outfit. Ensure it’s the former with these playful heart-shaped frames. The set of three colours means you can treat the whole squad to their own shade.
Buy now £5.99, Amazon
Nasty Gal Mirror Embellished Cowboy Hat
This is the return of the disco cowgirl, sang Jamiroquai (almost). Jumping on one of this year’s brightest, brightest festival trends, Nasty Gal has recreated Queen Bey’s famous mirrored cowboy hat to excellent effect. Complete with a silver trim, this hat is destined to shine on the festival field - no matter the weather.
As it’s made with real glass mirror squares, it is on the slightly heavier side; and that’s not necessarily a bad thing - at least it won’t blow off in the wind.
Buy now £41.25, Nasty Gal
AllSaints Kacey Metallic Leather Cowboy Boots
Kick things off festival season with AllSaints, where the footwear has partytime written all over it. Our choice are these metallic leather cowboy boots, which have that rare quality of fancy dress in that they can be dressed up or down as the occasion calls. Giddy up. Sizes 3 - 7.
Buy now £289.00, AllSaints
Nando's Sweet Chilli Jam
The food at concerts is notoriously bad, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. No matter the dish, a squirt of Nando’s Sweet Chilli Jam will take it to the next level. Plus it comes in squeezy plastic packaging so there’s no stress about sneaking it through security.
Buy now £2.50, Tesco
Uniqlo Keith Haring Round Mini Shoulder Bag
This Uniqlo shoulder bag fits everything but the kitchen sink. We’ve long waxed lyrical over at ES Best on the miraculous powers of this accessory that really does fit everything you need for a day fest and beyond. It comes in an endless array of colourways, but the latest is part of a collaboration with Keith Haring that’s suitably fun and playful for a festival.
Buy now £14.90, Uniqlo
Amazon Basics 24L Transparent School Backpack with Heavy-Duty Shoulder Straps, Water-Resistant
Go for a see-through bag if you’re looking for something that won’t interfere with your carefully curated festival ensemble. It’s sturdy and waterproof too, but - and it almost goes without saying - the contents will be on display.
Now, there’s pros and cons to this: the former being that it will be easy to find what you’re looking for and the latter, well, everything will be on show. You will want to get smaller individual pouches for valuable items to make them easier to organise and deter light fingers.
Buy now £13.07, Amazon
lottie london eye gems - turquoise dreams
Little effort, maximium impact - just how we like our makeup. These face gems from Lottie London do the hard work for you. All you need to do is peel and stick.
Buy now £5.95, lottie london
Nasty Gal Metallic Star Bum Faux Leather Pants
In a sea of denim and black trousers, these pants are the unmissable style that your wardrobe has been crying out for. They’ll work for space cowboy dress codes or anytime you’re looking to bring a touch of Studio 54 to your look.
Buy now £66.75, Nasty Gal
Feather Bandeau
How much feather is too much feather? The limit does not exist. This bandeau brings the glamour and comes in three colourways - pink, blue and black. For maximalists only.
Buy now £24.00, Boohoo
Sequin jacket and skirt
This neon green two-piece set is not the kind of suit you’d wear to the office. Well, without being called into your boss’s office. This statement style proves that more is more. Go minimal on accessories to let the tailoring do the talking.
Buy now £69.99, H&M
Metallic Open Front Tiered Tinsel Fringe Jacket
When deciding on your outerwear for your up-coming festival, think to yourself: what would Elton do? He would certainly add this tinsel fringe jacket to basket (well as long as it had a Gucci label on the collar). For those with similar style ambitions but not quite as deep pockets, Nasty Gal has you covered. The colourways are endless, much like the possibilities.
Buy now £125.30, Nasty Gal
PrettyLittleThing Baby Blue Fluffy Faux Fur Bucket Hat
If cowboy hots are not your vibe, fear not. Festive headwear comes in all guises. Finish off your look with this furry bucket hat in the attractive cornflower blue hue. Sold.
Buy now £22.00, PrettyLittleThing
ASOS DESIGN crochet heart crop top in blue
Wear your heart on your, er top with this suitably summery crochet number from ASOS.
Buy now £28.00, ASOS
Premium Heart Sequin Tailored Mini Skirt
Sequins? Check. Hearts? Check. This co-ord is not hugely dissimilar to the piece Harry Styles wore on the first night of his Love On Tour three-night extravaganza at Wembley. It’s playful, vibrant and glitzy all over.
Buy now £41.25, Nasty Gal
Nasty Gal Zig Zag Printed Sequin Jumpsuit
With this jumpsuit, you are one and done. The shimmering sequin detail requires little else to have you concert or festival ready in an instant. The colourful piece has a subtle zebra design and flared trousers, giving ABBA a run for their money.
Buy now £34.50, Nasty Gal
BELKIN 10,000 mAh Magnetic Wireless Charger & Portable Power Bank - Black
Best for: one night in the wild
For just a night or two of overnight adventures, Belkin’s 10,000mAh battery should be in your kit bag. Though it offers less battery capacity than some of the other options in our list, it’s much lighter to carry so better if you’re walking or taking public transport to your pitch.
What’s more, there’s no need to worry about bringing the right wires as this gadget supports wireless charging with compatible products. It can provide up to two full charges which should be more than enough to see you through - especially if you leave home with your phone on 100 per cent power.
Buy now £49.99, Currys
