Last Updated on 23 March 2026 by Colette
I’ve said it time and time again but the less stuff you can take to a festival the better. This isn’t like your standard campsite where you can either park next to your pitch or at least drive to your pitch and then move the car to a car park – camping at a festival involves dragging your camping gear across multiple fields in some combination of either baking heat or pouring rain (there is no in-between in my experience).
Having the right festival tent will make a massive difference to your festival experience so choose carefully!
As a family of five we have a pretty large tent and we do take that to festivals with us – sometimes I think it would be easier to have a separate smaller set up for festivals but we don’t have the space to store that!
Something I think you need to be really aware of is that, whilst you want your tent to be affordable, easy to carry and put up – you also want to know that it’s not going to blow away in high winds (did you see the videos from Leeds Festival the other year?!)
I see so many cheap and flimsy pop-up tents at festivals and honestly they just make me cringe as they look so cramped and certainly don’t look like they would withstand bad-weather – some of them are also a right pain to put back down again so you know these are the ones that you’re going to see left behind in the festival field for someone else to deal with.
“I work at festivals in the summer. The waste areas are fantastic data collection points. Whatever brands you see there, dont buy them. Cheap tents, chairs, air beds, wellies etc. Awful mess. Quecha and Berghaus gear gets packed away and taken home” Kevin
The best festival tents are the ones that, with a bit of care, will last you through this festival season and beyond – a cheap festival tent might seem like a good idea if you’re only going to use it for a festival once a year but the chances are you’re going to end up replacing it fairly quickly – as my mum is so fond of saying, “you get what you pay for”.
It’s really important to consider the size and layout of your tent – for example, a tiny two man tent is a great idea in terms of not having to lug loads of stuff about or find a big space to pitch it (and of course compact tents are super important if you’re getting to the festival site via public transport). Festival goer Peter explains, “I have a very low 2 man tent because i prefer length over height and as someone that can’t drive it needs to be handheld or fit a suitcase” which makes total sense. I personally prefer having a tent you can stand up in or at least sit in – consider the fact you’re going to have to sleep in the tent, get dressed in the tent, store all your stuff for the weekend in the tent . . . and if the weather is bad, you might want to seek shelter in your tent for a while.
Larger tents have their downsides in terms of taking up more room in your car, taking longer to set up, needing a bigger space to set up – but then when you’ve got somewhere you can stand up to get dress and plenty of space to shelter from the weather, I tend to think it’s probably worth it!
The best small tent I’ve used at a festival was a three-person tent which had a small porch area so we could at least take our shoes off and any wet clothes and leave them there rather than bringing them into our sleeping space which basically had enough space for a sleeping bag each and our bags. In fairness this was 25 years ago and I’d be hard pushed to camp so minimally these days!
Top Tip: “Always get a tent that is 1 person more than intended occupancy.” Hard agree with Lynne on this one – there is nothing worse than feeling cramped in a tent!
If you’re looking for the best tent to take to music festivals this summer as recommended by festival goers, check out this list of tents that we think cut the mustard (and a few that don’t!)
Quecha Fresh and Black from Decathlon
When I asked a group of experienced festival goers for their recommendations, time and time again the Quecha Fresh and Black was top of the list. Promising to keep you cool and dark – which, anyone who has woken up with a hangover in a sweaty tent will know sounds like an absolute dream – the Quecha Fresh and Black range from Decathlon comes in a variety of shapes and sizes including a selection of inflatable tents too.
Votes for the Quecha Fresh and Black included Tim who says “The best tent I’ve ever had is my 2 man decathlon quecha – the blackout nature means it stays dark and cool and means you can sleep off more of your hangover” and ZionLevi who says, “Window to allow the breeze thru and total black out, I stored my ciders under my camp bed and still had cold drinks 5 days in middle of a blazing summer!“
The Quecha Fresh & Black 3-person tent is currently available from Decathlon for £139.99.
Berghaus Air Tent
I’ve going to give a shout out to the Berghaus Air range here. This is not a cheap festival tent but an investment that will last you years with the right care. We have a Berghaus Air 6 and I love it – it’s huge so you don’t want to be rocking up late to a festival and hoping you can find a space – but I love that we all have plenty of space to sleep, there’s a spacious living area where we can easily stand to get dressed or sit and chill if the weather isn’t great. Yes it’s big to transport and a bit of a pain to lug across a field but we can have it pitched in no time. We’ve noticed more and more of them popping up at family festivals in recent years – they’re definitely a popular choice for festivals with kids!
The Berghaus Air range is available from Go Outdoors
Coleman Kobuk Valley 4 plus Blackout 4 man tent
My friend Shaz, who is no stranger to a festival, recommends the Coleman Kobuk Valley 4 plus Blackout 4 man tent saying it’s the best tent she’s had so far:
“It’s withstood high winds and heavy rain without any leaks. Is comfortable, light to carry and easy to put up even on my own.“
The Coleman Kobuk Valley 4 plus Blackout 4 man tent is currently available from Charlies for £169.99
Coleman Octagon BlackOut Tent
If you’re looking for a tent you can stand up in, Hannah recommends the Coleman Octagon BlackOut Tent
“My wonderful delight. “Its heavy. Its big. But its amazing. The size of a bell tent but better because it has height all around. It’s huge inside so I am glamping rather than camping. Had it 4 years and it’s still in great condition… I do at least 5 festivals a season so that’s good going. Its a black out tent. It has lots of ventilation and can be cool. It fits all my dresses and sequins and shoes in!!! Best tent ever. Its easy to put up and didn’t move in storm winds when other peoples tents got blown away.”
Claire, a regular festival work recommends you avoid the 2-man Regatta pop ups which she says aren’t waterproof before going on to say, “I work at festivals and most workers now use Decathlon range as they are good quality at great prices. I still have ones from over 15 years ago that’s like new.”
Lynne suggests “The DofE recommended ones are designed for teenagers trekking in mind. Might be worth looking on DofE site” if you’re looking for a really lightweight tent!
Billy suggests you “Buy Vango or Outwell – not cheap but last for years and bullet proof!“
Things to consider when choosing a festival tent:
How many people are going to be sleeping in the the tent – always go “one man” up for storage space.
Buy cheap, buy twice . . . Spending a little more money on a decent tent now means you should have a tent you can rely on for years instead of one you’ll be disposing of after one use.
Consider the vibe of the festival you’re going to – maybe don’t spend so much if you’re going to somewhere like Leeds which has a reputation for being rowdy . . .
Inflatable tents are more expensive but generally lighter and SO quick to put up / take down (I wouldn’t go back now!)
Can you pitch your tent on your own or will you need help? Ben has a cracking little two man tent that he can put up and take down himself which he uses on our family camping trips and will be brilliant for when he starts to go to festivals himself.
How are you getting to the festival? If you’re taking public transport, consider a couple of smaller tents rather than one big one as they’ll be much easier to carry.
Look for a tent with a porch area where you can leave wet, muddy shoes etc so you don’t bring wet things into your tent.
Look for a tent with blackout fabric- or at least pack yourself an eye mask (and some ear plugs!)
When it comes to surviving the rain, Niks says a two layer tent is a good idea and that “anything Berghaus, Coleman, Vango and so on” will see you right.
Good luck finding the perfect festival tent for your summer fun! Just make sure to give your tent a thorough clean and air out when you get home so that it’s ready for your next festival – you’ll find a whole load of tips on packing up and unpacking after a camping trip that might help here!
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