You’ve got your ticket. You know the lineup. You’ve already got a rough idea of which stages you’re spending most of your day at. Now comes the bit that separates a brilliant festival day from a slightly uncomfortable one. Packing properly.
The Golden Rule of Festival Packing
Before we get into the specifics, here’s the one principle that should guide every decision you make about what to bring to DonnyFest ’26.
Pack for the day you might have, not just the day you’re hoping for.
June in South Yorkshire can be absolutely glorious. It can also be grey, breezy, and a bit damp by mid-afternoon. It can start warm and finish cold. It can do all of those things on the same day. Pack accordingly and you’ll have a brilliant time regardless. Don’t, and you’ll spend half the afternoon wishing you’d listened to this blog post.
Right. Let’s get into it.
Your Ticket and ID: The Non-Negotiables
Let’s start with the things that actually get you through the gate, because none of the rest of this matters if you can’t get in.
Your DonnyFest ’26 ticket should be on your phone, saved somewhere you can access it quickly and easily without three minutes of scrolling through emails. Download it to your phone’s wallet app if that option is available, or screenshot it so you can pull it up without needing a signal. If you’ve printed it, keep it somewhere it won’t get bent, wet, or crumpled beyond recognition.
Bring photo ID. A driving licence or passport is ideal. If the ticket is in your name, having ID that matches that name is sensible. If you’re buying alcohol at the festival, ID may be requested at bars, so even if you’re well past the age where that feels relevant, stick it in your bag anyway.
The Bag: Getting This Right Matters
Your choice of bag will affect your entire day, so give it proper thought.
A small to medium backpack is the ideal festival bag. Big enough to carry everything you need without being so large that it becomes a burden, and leaving both hands free at all times. You’ll want your hands free. Trust us.
Avoid a large suitcase-style bag. Avoid anything with lots of external pockets that are easy for opportunistic thieves to access. Avoid a bag so tiny that you end up carrying half your stuff in your hands all day.
A 15 to 20 litre backpack hits the sweet spot. Waterproof or at least water-resistant is a genuine bonus. If your bag isn’t waterproof, a small dry bag or even a basic plastic liner inside it will protect your phone and valuables if the weather turns.
Clothing: Layering Is Your Best Friend
This is where people make the most predictable festival mistakes. Either they overdress for a warm day and spend the afternoon carrying a massive coat around, or they underdress for a cold evening and spend the headline set genuinely shivering.
The answer is layers. Here’s what to pack.
A comfortable base layer that you’d be happy wearing in the sun. A t-shirt or light long sleeve depending on the forecast. Something you can move around in and won’t be devastated about if it gets a bit grimy over the course of the day.
A mid layer for the afternoon and evening. A hoodie, a light fleece, or a zip-up jacket works perfectly. As the sun goes down and Jamie Webster takes the Main Stage, temperatures will drop, and having something warm to pull on makes all the difference.
A light waterproof layer. This is the one people always leave at home and always regret. It doesn’t need to be a full hiking cagoule. A lightweight packable waterproof that folds into its own pocket takes up almost no room in your bag and transforms a damp afternoon into a completely manageable one. Get one. Bring it.
Comfortable footwear is absolutely essential. Trainers that you’ve broken in are the gold standard. Boots if the forecast looks wet. Sandals are a romantic idea that tends to end with sore feet and a stubbed toe by mid-afternoon. Whatever you wear, make sure you’ve worn them before. DonnyFest is not the occasion to debut new shoes.
Socks. Good ones. Thick enough to prevent blisters, moisture-wicking if you have them. Bring a spare pair if you can. Your feet will thank you by the time Fergie finishes his set.
Sun Protection: Don’t Skip This
June can be genuinely sunny in South Yorkshire and spending a full day outdoors without sun protection is a fast track to an uncomfortable evening and a very red face.
Suncream of at least SPF 30, ideally SPF 50. Apply it before you leave the house and reapply through the day. Sunglasses if the forecast looks bright. A cap or hat if you’re going to be standing in direct sun for extended periods.
This sounds basic but the number of people who turn up to an outdoor festival in June without any sun protection and then spend the following week looking like a cooked lobster is genuinely remarkable. Don’t be one of them.
Rain Gear: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Rest
We’ve already mentioned the waterproof layer, but it’s worth expanding on this because the British summer has a particular talent for catching people out.
If the forecast for 6 June looks questionable, consider packing a small compact umbrella as well as your waterproof jacket. A compact poncho is another option, takes up almost no space, and can be pulled on over a bag in seconds.
Waterproof your bag contents regardless of the forecast. Put your phone, your ticket, your cards, and anything else that can’t get wet inside a zip-lock bag or a small dry bag. This is a five second job that removes an entire category of potential disaster from your day.
Money and Payment
Most festivals, and DonnyFest ’26 is no exception, are moving toward cashless or card-first payment systems for bars and food vendors, but it’s always sensible to have a small amount of cash on you as backup.
Bring your bank card or contactless payment method as your primary option. Bring a small amount of cash, maybe twenty to thirty pounds, as a backup. Keep your cards in a secure inside pocket or a zipped compartment rather than an easily accessible outer pocket.
Leave your most important cards at home if you can. Your everyday debit card and a small amount of cash is plenty. There’s no reason to bring your passport, multiple credit cards, or anything else that would be genuinely devastating to lose.
Phone and Battery
Your phone is your ticket, your camera, your map of the site, your way of finding your mates when you inevitably get separated, and your source of real-time information throughout the day. It needs to last.
Charge it to 100% before you leave the house. Non-negotiable.
Bring a portable charger. A decent power bank with at least 10,000 mAh capacity will give your phone two full charges and weighs almost nothing in your bag. If you don’t already own one, they’re inexpensive and genuinely useful far beyond festival season.
Turn your phone’s brightness down a notch and disable features you don’t need, like Bluetooth if you’re not using it and location services for apps that don’t need them. These small adjustments can meaningfully extend your battery life across a full festival day.
Food and Water
DonnyFest ’26 has food vendors spread across the site, so you’re not going to go hungry. But there are a few things worth packing regardless.
A reusable water bottle. This is one of the best things you can bring to any festival. Staying hydrated throughout a day of music, sunshine, and potentially alcohol is genuinely important, and having your own bottle means you can refill it at water points rather than buying drinks every time you feel thirsty. Lightweight and collapsible bottles are brilliant for this because they take up almost no space when empty.
A few snacks for the early part of the day. A couple of cereal bars, a bag of trail mix, a piece of fruit. Nothing heavy, just something to keep your energy up between meals. Food vendor queues at a festival can be long during peak times and having a snack in your bag means hunger doesn’t dictate your movements.
If you have specific dietary requirements, it’s always worth checking the DonnyFest website for information on food vendors and their menus ahead of the event, so you know what’s available on site.
Health and Wellbeing Essentials
This is the section people skip and then wish they hadn’t.
Paracetamol or ibuprofen. A couple of tablets in a small bag. Headaches happen. Feet ache. Having something to take the edge off without having to hunt for a first aid point for something minor is just sensible.
Any prescription medication you take regularly. This should be obvious but it’s easy to forget when you’re rushing out the door on a festival morning. If you take daily medication, put it in your bag the night before.
Plasters. A small selection. Blisters are the great uninvited guest of festival days and catching one early with a blister plaster is infinitely better than spending the last three hours of the night limping.
Hand sanitiser. Festivals involve a lot of handshaking surfaces and the toilets, while functional, aren’t always immaculate. A small bottle in your bag costs almost nothing and keeps the post-festival lurgy at bay.
Lip balm and a small travel-size moisturiser if you’re prone to dry skin. A day in the sun and wind does funny things to your face.
Ladies, or anyone who might need one, a small period kit just in case. These situations never announce themselves conveniently.
Things to Leave at Home
Just as important as knowing what to bring is knowing what to leave behind.
Large bags or suitcases. The site has its own infrastructure. You don’t need to bring your entire bathroom.
Professional camera equipment with detachable lenses. Most festivals restrict these and you don’t want to be turned away at the gate or have equipment confiscated. Your phone camera will do a brilliant job.
Glass bottles or cans. These are standard restrictions at festival events for obvious safety reasons. Check the official DonnyFest website for the specific banned items policy before you attend.
Anything that would genuinely ruin your day if it was lost or damaged. Leave sentimental jewellery, expensive watches, and anything irreplaceable at home. Festivals are wonderful but they’re also environments where things get lost, knocked about, and occasionally nicked.
Your entire wallet. Take what you need and leave the rest. Three bank cards and your full driving licence documentation is unnecessary. A card, some cash, and your ID is sufficient.
Folding chairs and large camping equipment. This is a day festival at a stadium venue, not a camping weekend.
The Accessibility Bit
If you or someone in your group has specific accessibility requirements, DonnyFest ’26 has clearly marked disabled viewing points on the official site map and the Eco-Power Stadium has established accessibility infrastructure. Check the official DonnyFest website for specific information and contact the organisers directly ahead of the event if you need to discuss particular requirements.
If you’re bringing mobility aids, medication, or anything specific to a health condition, it’s always worth getting in touch with the festival in advance so the team can make sure your day goes as smoothly as possible.
The Night Before Checklist
Do this the night before. Not the morning of. The morning of a festival day is always more chaotic than you expect, and things get forgotten.
Pack your bag the evening before DonnyFest. Go through this list. Lay everything out, check it off, and put it in your bag. Charge your phone and your power bank overnight. Set your alarm with enough time to get ready without rushing.
Know your route to the Eco-Power Stadium and your train times if you’re travelling by rail. Have your ticket somewhere accessible. Brief your group on a meeting point in case you get separated on site.
Then go to sleep knowing you’re sorted.
The Quick Reference Packing List
For anyone who wants the condensed version, here’s everything in one place.
Ticket, saved and accessible. Photo ID. Bank card and small amount of cash. Fully charged phone. Power bank. Comfortable, broken-in footwear. Good socks plus a spare pair. Appropriate clothing layers including a warm mid layer and a light waterproof. Suncream and sunglasses. Reusable water bottle. Light snacks. Paracetamol or ibuprofen. Plasters. Any prescription medication. Hand sanitiser. Small bag that keeps your hands free.
That’s it. Everything else is optional extras.
When and Where Is DonnyFest ’26?
DonnyFest ’26 takes place on Saturday 6 June 2026 at the Eco-Power Stadium, Stadium Way, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 5JW. Presented by PassLogistics, the full day festival features four stages, food vendors, bars, a fairground, VIP options, a merch tent, and a headline lineup featuring Jamie Webster on the Main Stage, Newton Faulkner on the Acoustic Stage, and Fergie headlining the Dance Stage, alongside Sea Girls, Ash, and a brilliant full supporting cast.
For the most up to date information on prohibited items, site rules, accessibility, and anything else you need to know before you arrive, always check the official DonnyFest website.
Get Your Ticket
If you haven’t already got yours, head to the official DonnyFest website now. Then come back to this list, pack your bag, and get ready for one of the best days of your summer.
See you at the Eco-Power Stadium on 6 June, mate. We’ll be the ones with the waterproof jacket and the power bank, just in case.
Andy is a Co-Founder of Donny Music Festival. Experienced in the events industry, there’s no one better for organising huge bands and artists to play in DMF – Doncaster’s biggest party!
