Summer is just around the corner, and you know what that means: The outdoor concert season is nearly here! Although attending a show in a great concert hall or arena is always a fun experience, there’s just something special about feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and the breeze whipping through your hair as the music of one of your favorite bands fades into the distance.
As fun as outdoor concerts are, though, some venues aren’t particularly helpful when it comes to carrying the things you might need during the show and may have forgotten at home. In many cases, the most that you’ll find are a few refreshments and perhaps a medical station. If you need anything else, you’ll need to supply it yourself – and that’s where this article comes in.
Before bringing anything to an outdoor concert, it’s important to check the venue’s rules because there may be restrictions on what you can bring, what types of bags you can carry and whether outside food and drinks are allowed. Otherwise, the only real limit is your own creativity.
So, what are the essential items that you should always bring to an outdoor concert? You probably already know how important it is to bring things like your wallet, your phone, sunscreen, some snacks and a wide-brimmed hat – so in this article, we’re going to dig a little deeper. If you want your next outdoor concert to be as fun as it can be, these are the things you should pack in your bag.
Beach Ball
There’s always a bit of downtime at concerts. That’s especially the case at outdoor shows, which often feature several acts. If you’ve ever gotten bored between bands at a summer festival and wished that you could find something to do other than checking the messages on your phone, we’ve got the perfect solution for you: Bring a beach ball. While you’re waiting for a band to set up its equipment, inflate the ball and hit it high into the air. Before long, you’ll be watching your ball as it bounces all over the venue. Who knows – it might even make its way back to you. People have been hitting beach balls around at Dodger Stadium for decades, and there’s an excellent reason for that: It’s good, clean fun that never really gets old.
Glow Sticks
If you’re attending an outdoor concert that’s likely to stretch into the evening, it’s a very good idea to have a light source available. The days of waving a cigarette lighter during your favorite band’s best power ballad are long gone – and good riddance, we say, because burning your fingers is no fun. These days, most people just use their phones’ flashlights – but this is an excellent way to burn out your phone’s LED and kill the battery. Instead, put some glow sticks in your bag. They’re fun, and they’re also handy for identifying your friends in the dark if your group happens to become separated.
Vape Pen
Cigarette lighters aren’t the only concert staples of the past that are basically nonexistent these days – lighting up at a concert if you’re a smoker is also a serious no-no and could even get you booted from the venue. If you smoke, you know how quickly a nicotine fit can ruin your mood – so stash a vape pen like this one in your pocket. It’s slim and light, and it’s also designed for discreet vaping. If you take a few stealthy puffs here and there during the show, chances are that no one will be bothered at all.
Binoculars
It’s hard to get a feel for how large an outdoor concert venue is until you’re actually there, and it can be incredibly disappointing to show up for a concert and find that you’re too far from the stage to really get a good view. Thankfully, the solution for this problem is very simple: Don’t ever attend an outdoor concert without a pair of binoculars. A good pair of pocket binoculars typically costs a little over $20 and provides magnification of around 8X. That’s more than sufficient to get a great view of the stage even if you’re at the back of the venue.
Portable Power Bank
More than anything else, your phone is probably the most essential item that you can bring to any concert. You’re probably going to be checking your messages during the show and telling your friends what a good time you’re having, and you’ll definitely want to take some pictures and record a few video clips as well. If you’re a really dedicated fan, you might even want to record the entire concert. Video recording can drain a phone’s battery extremely quickly, though, and the last thing you want is for the battery to die in the middle of the show – especially if you have to make an emergency call later. A portable power bank is exactly what you need in this type of situation. Equipped with a built-in battery and a USB port, a portable power bank can charge almost any electronic device.
Collapsible Water Bottle
Visiting the refreshment stand can be one of the fastest ways to kill your mood at any concert. With typical prices these days hovering around $15 for a can of beer and $10 for a bottle of soda, getting thirsty at a concert is a great way to ensure that you’ll go home with an empty wallet. Thankfully, though, many outdoor concert venues at least offer free filling stations for water bottles. You can flatten a collapsible water bottle when it’s empty, so it’s easy to store in your bag. You’re guaranteed to get thirsty at an outdoor concert, and having a collapsible water bottle can help you save a lot of money without making you feel overburdened.
Notepad and Pen
Are you the type of person who loves to socialize and meet new people at concerts? If so, it never hurts to have a notepad available for writing down names and phone numbers. Some people find it faster to just input numbers directly into their phones, so you can skip this if you fall into that category. If you’re faster with paper, though, you’ll be happy if you have a notepad in your pocket during your next outdoor concert.