This July (2022), I joined host Tracy Moore on Cityline—North America’s longest-running daytime talk show for women—to share some must-haves or summer concert + festival season!
Summer Concerts and Festival Essentials
Segment originally aired July 11, 2022
Note: some items mentioned were donated to be featured in the segment!
Shout out to The Backyard (Music Venue)
First of all I want to shout-out to The Backyard, an amazing outdoor music and entertainment venue in Edmonton, who lent us their space to record this Cityline segment!
If you’re in Edmonton, The Backyard hosts regular outdoor concerts, brings in food trucks, has lawn games, sea can stages, assortment of drinks, and other entertainment. They also make a great venue for private parties / group bookings.
As they say, The Backyard is like your backyard, but better. 😉
If you’re not in Edmonton—be sure to check out the music venue options where you live!
Even if you’re not headed to a specific big concert or outdoor music festival, there is usually some great local options all over—you just have to look for them!
1. Bra Wallet
Start with unique ways to carry your cash and essential documents using something called a bra wallet! This is, well, exactly how it sounds lol.
The bra wallet goes under your outfit, in your bra! It’s moisture resistant, so it keeps sweat away and is a great way to keep important documents close and prevent theft.
I’ve also seen secret stash scrunchies online for some of your smaller items too, but I prefer the bra wallet as it’s easier to grab things without messing up your hair.
2. Fanny Pak
Fanny packs are back! And there are a ton of stylish options available for convenient, hands-free storage of your stuff. Make sure you choose a fanny pack that’s waterproof, especially if your concert or festival is outdoors!
The Cotopaxi brand bought at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) is great because their bags are made from excess materials that keep fabrics out of the landfill. Cotopaxi bags are also all handmade so no two items are ever exactly the same. It’s a fun story, outfit accessory, plus it’s sustainable!
3. Deodorant Wipes
I don’t know about you, but deodorant and I are really good friends (I am always applying it lol). Sometimes it can feel a little silly carrying around or pulling out your typical deodorant bar though to apply, so I recommend trying the Pacifica Natural Underarm Deodorant Wipes!
Deodorant wipes are odour neutralizing and great for touch ups throughout the day without bringing your bulkier home deodorant.
You want to feel comfortable and you can likely expect to be around crowds at most music venues so this gives some fragrant piece of mind.
4. Ultra-Lite Portable Chair
I have two chair options for your summer concert season. The first one is also from MEC Mountain Equipment Co-op, an Ultra Lite Chair designed to be super portable so it’s perfect for backpacking, hikes, and of course—concerts.
Don’t let the light carry weight fool you though, it’s super sturdy and can hold up to 250 lbs and it comes in three colour choices (I love the teal!)
This is the type of chair you might expect to see at an outdoor concert!
5. Portable Stool (and Toilet)
The second chair option I’m suggesting is admittedly less cute but it’s got a ton of function!
Not only does this make a great stool, is super sturdy, handles a ton of weight like the Ultra Lite Chair, and is also super compact and light to carry, but you can also use this stool as a portable… toilet!!!! If you REALLY needed to. You just never know at an outdoor festival, right? The line-ups at the outhouses might be long? lol.
6. BioLite Portable Battery Charger
(Breathe Outdoors)
You obviously need to have a reliable portable battery charger for your concert or music festival experience, especially if you’re planning to take photos and videos of the show with your phone!
I love the BioLite charger from Breathe Outdoors (an Alberta/Canadian brand that I’ve talked about on Cityline before—formerly known as Camper’s Village).
This is just a super long lasting and heavy duty battery which is why I love it. Do be careful though, some battery packs aren’t allowed on planes because they may present a safety issue.
Related:
7. Face Masks
It’s a good idea to bring a mask to your concert / festival. Mandatory masking will depend on venue or artist. For instance, at the BTS concert I went to in Las Vegas in April, BTS required masks but the venue did not.
Just a reminder we are still in a pandemic—so it’s always a good idea to have a mask with you and especially for crowded, indoor spaces, it doesn’t hurt to protect yourself.
N95 to KF94 masks offer the best protection, but make them fun for your concert!
I love the Kaze Origins brand for their colourful selection and comfortable fit. The Light Series is my preferred style. It does say disposable but I do end up reusing them a fair bit, lol.
And while we’re talking pandemic reminders—note that some venues or artists may require proof of vaccination AND some countries may require proof of vaccination before you enter—if you’re travelling for your show.
8. Clear Bags
Most concert venues now require clear bags so they can ensure nothing dangerous is being brought in—it expedites the security/check-in process.
It’s important to double check bag rules at venues before you go and decide which clear bag option you want—backpack, shoulder / cross body bag, there are also clear fanny packs too!
I adorned my clear bag with BTS stickers and pins, so you can really personalize your concert bag to the artist you’re seeing!
What not to bring to your summer concert
Generally people don’t bring signs to concerts as much these days, but if you are bringing one, just be aware of etiquette around keeping the sign in front of you so you are not blocking other people’s views of the stage and show.
Something that came up when I was at both the BTS and Backstreet Boys concerts in Las Vegas was people throwing things at the artists. The venue had to issue a safety warning after the first weekend of BTS shows to remind people not to throw flowers, stuffies, toys, or underwear/clothing at the stage because it can be dangerous.
There was also underwear thrown at the Backstreet Boys concert during a talking moment so they kind of incorporated that into their talking notes but probably you should just keep your underwear to yourself at a concert???
And finally, you don’t need to bring a professional camera to the show! It’s likely not going to be allowed into the venue anyway. Recording or snapping photos on a phone is expected but at
the BTS concert security actually removed someone for sneaking in a professional video camera – best not to risk it, plus, you want to be in the moment anyway!
Just a general reminder to try not to spend the whole concert filming. I am reminding myself that too—try to take in the moments live as you’re there, don’t just watch the show through your screen!!
What did I miss?
Okay so really everyone has different things they’ll want to bring to a concert—your essentials really just depends on what you think will keep you comfortable and hold your essentials.
I’d love to hear your must-brings too!
Comment with suggestions for others.
And watch the segment on YouTube below:
Thanks again to Cityline for having me on the show! I love being one of their guest “experts!”
