What to Buy for a Music Festival
A music festival needs more than food, drinks and a stage. Your shopping list also has to cover serving equipment, guest seating, artist areas, sound, lighting, power distribution and safe cable routing. Use the guest count and program length to calculate quantities, then add a small backup for breakage, spills and technical failures. Several items, including toilets, security and first aid supplies, must be arranged early rather than bought at the last minute.
What to bring
Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.
Furniture
- Foldable tablesqty 12
- Folding chairsqty 80
- Beer tablesqty 10
- Bar stoolsqty 12
- Bar blocksqty 3
- Party tentsqty 4
- Stage floor
- Dressing room racksqty 4
- Coat racksqty 4
Tableware
- Reusable drinking glassesqty 250
- Wine glassesqty 60
- Platesqty 180
- Cutlery setsqty 180
- Serving bowlsqty 18
- Serving spoonsqty 12
Equipment
- PA speakersqty 4
- Subwoofersqty 2
- Mixing console
- Wireless microphonesqty 4
- Microphone standsqty 4
- DI boxesqty 4
- Monitor speakersqty 2
- Music laptop
- Spare headsetqty 2
- XLR cablesqty 12
- Jack cablesqty 8
- Extension cordsqty 10
- Power stripsqty 8
- Cable matsqty 12
Lighting
- LED light barsqty 8
- LED spotlightsqty 6
- Light standsqty 4
- String lightsqty 6
- Battery lanternsqty 10
Kitchen
- Coolersqty 6
- Refrigeratorsqty 2
- Food warmersqty 6
- Cutting boardsqty 6
- Cooks and vendorsqty 6
- Serving tongsqty 10
- Measuring cupsqty 4
- Ice cube traysqty 8
- Washing-up basinsqty 8
Decorations
- Festival Flagsqty 12
- Balloon archesqty 3
- Tableclothsqty 16
- Stage drapesqty 4
- Photo backdrop
- Directional signsqty 10
- Program postersqty 20
Cleaning
- Waste binsqty 12
- Broom setsqty 4
- Floor squeegeesqty 2
- Bucketsqty 6
- Cleaning glovesqty 12
- Hand soap dispensersqty 6
Catering
- Groceries
- Spa Blauw - 120 bottles
- Spa Red - 48 bottles
- Cola - 24 bottles
- Coke Zero - 24 bottles
- Sinas - 18 bottles
- Tonic - 12 bottles
- Ginger ale - 12 bottles
- Ice tea - 18 bottles
- Beer - 360 bottles
- Non-alcoholic beer - 72 bottles
- White wine - 18 bottles
- Rosé - 12 bottles
- Red wine - 6 bottles
- Prosecco - 6 bottles
- Vodka - 3 bottles
- Gin - 3 bottles
- Rum - 3 bottles
- Whisky - 2 bottles
- Bitter lemon - 12 bottles
- Orange juice - 12 cartons
- Apple juice - 8 cartons
- Lemon juice - 4 bottles
- Limes - 8 nets
- Lemons - 5 nets
- Mint - 10 bunches
- Ice cubes - 50 kilogram
- Coffee beans - 4 kilograms
- Tea bags - 200 pieces
- Sugar - 2 kilograms
- Milk - 12 liters
- Oat milk - 6 liters
- Stirrers - 300 pieces
- Coffee cups - 300 pieces
- Hamburger buns - 180 pieces
- Hamburgers - 180 pieces
- Veggie burgers - 40 pieces
- Hot dog buns - 120 pieces
- Frankfurters - 120 pieces
- Fries - 35 kilograms
- Coleslaw - 12 kilogram
- Mixed salad - 12 kilograms
- Tomatoes - 10 kilogram
- Cucumbers - 8 kilograms
- Onions - 6 kilograms
- Lettuce - 8 heads
- Pickles - 8 jars
- Cheddar slices - 6 kilogram
- Bacon - 5 kilograms
- Ketchup - 6 bottles
- Mayonnaise - 6 bottles
- Mustard - 4 bottles
- Barbecue sauce - 4 bottles
- Garlic sauce - 4 bottles
- Satay sauce - 6 kilogram
- Salt - 2 kilograms
- Pepper - 500 grams
- Paprika powder - 500 grams
- Herb mix - 1 kilogram
- Paprika chips - 12 bags
- Plain chips - 12 bags
- Tortilla chips - 10 bags
- Nacho cheese sauce - 6 kilogram
- Peanuts - 8 kilograms
- Olives - 6 jars
- Grapes - 8 kilograms
- Apples - 80 pieces
- Bananas - 60 pieces
- Watermelons - 6 pieces
- Brownies - 180 pieces
- Cookies - 12 packs
- Bread - 12 loaves
- Unsalted butter - 2 kilograms
- Cheese - 4 kilogram
- Hummus - 6 kilograms
- Raw vegetables - 8 kilogram
- Aluminum foil - 6 rolls
- Plastic wrap - 4 rolls
- Paper towels - 12 rolls
- Napkins - 500 pieces
- Paper straws - 300 pieces
- Garbage bags - 120 pieces
- Cleaning product - 6 bottles
- All-purpose cleaner - 4 bottles
- Dish soap - 4 bottles
- Sponges - 12 pieces
- Paper towels - 12 packs
- Toilet paper - 48 rolls
- Hand sanitizer - 8 bottles
- Nitrile gloves - 10 boxes
- Food containers - 40 pieces
Tips
- Plan reusable drinking glasses, plates and cutlery for the full guest count, then add 10% extra for loss, breakage and items waiting to be washed. Count wine glasses separately if wine is being served.
- For the bar and food areas, measure the service line before ordering foldable tables, beer tables, bar blocks and serving bowls. Allow roughly 60 cm of working space per staff member so queues do not block the entrance.
- Treat the sound system as one connected setup: PA speakers, subwoofers, monitors, microphones, DI boxes, XLR and jack cables, extension cords and power strips all need to match the stage plan. Keep at least one spare microphone and a few spare cables on site.
- Buy or hire enough cable mats to cover every cable crossing used by guests or staff. Mark emergency exits and keep a clear route around the stage, bar, tents and toilets before placing furniture.
- Do not leave lighting and weather protection until the final week. Check that LED light bars, party tents, dressing room racks and coat racks fit the site layout, and review the forecast before confirming what must be protected or moved indoors.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I buy for a music festival?
- Start with serving items, furniture, tents, stage and sound equipment, lighting, power distribution and cable protection. For the catering count, plan one plate, one cutlery set and at least one reusable glass per guest, plus 10% extra.
- How many reusable glasses do I need for a music festival?
- Use one reusable drinking glass per guest per service round and add 10% for loss and washing delays. If wine is served, count wine glasses separately instead of assuming standard glasses will cover both drinks.
- When should I arrange music festival equipment?
- Reserve the stage, PA system, microphones, monitors, lighting, toilets and security as soon as the date and venue are confirmed. Finish the technical check and site layout at least 7 days before the festival so missing cables or power points can still be fixed.
- How much spare festival equipment should I have?
- Keep at least one spare microphone, one spare headset and 10% extra serving items. For cables, extension cords and power strips, prepare several backups based on the stage layout rather than relying on a single route.
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