Going to your first music festival? This is the ultimate festival survival guide and checklist

It’s hot out there, whether you’re at Fort Canning Park or in Sentosa. Rain or shine, you need to stay hydrated — especially at a budget.

Rather than shell out $4 for a water bottle, why not bring a refillable water bottle? Not only is it cheaper, you can stay hydrated throughout the entire day.

Though it’s tedious to carry around, it is worth the trouble. If you want to be extra hands free, bring a water bottle holder.

Without a doubt, almost every festival you go outside of Singapore will have port-a-potties or bathroom trailers. I have been able to get access to bathrooms at F1, Garden Beats and ZoukOut here. In the States, I had to deal with port-a-potties at Warped Tour and Coachella. A total luxury compared to port-a-potties,  bathrooms are a rare privilege at festivals.

Since there are no functioning sinks at bigger festivals, you get a sanitiser dispenser inside a port-a-potty. While sanitiser dispensers are great, it’s best to use a hand sanitiser after your port-a-potty trip. If you are sensitive to alcohol, there are some alcohol-free sanitisers that can keep your hands clean, too.

You are lucky that you are able to access toilet paper at festivals here. If you are abroad and there’s no toilet paper, the next best thing is to bring a mini tissue. As someone who has experienced port-a-potties at music festivals, I have had moments when I forgot to bring mini tissues. Mini tissues are so ideal as they are easy to tear and/or dispose of.

Put away your backpacks and say hello to your hands-free cross body bag. A less troublesome alternative, a crossbody bag is ideal. Not only can you watch bags your bag closely, a crossbody bag must also have a built-in wallet. These types of bags have helped me to feel less worried about losing my wallet as I have my cash and cards on me.

If you don’t have a built-in wallet feature in your bag, you can just bring your cardholder to tuck in your cash safely.

5. Bring charcoal pills

Credit: iHerb

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You can never predict how food is being stored in extremely hot weather. Especially cold and/or raw foods. If you get food poisoning, it’s the worst way to miss out on a festival. When in doubt, sneak in charcoal pills inside your bags. They’re the best antidote I swear by whenever I get stomach upsets anywhere.

I was out on a 3 day weekend celebration for Coachella during my uni years and though I had a great time, I ended up coming home sick with a sore throat from severe dehydration. Not only was I dehydrated, my body felt sore from standing up for more than 12 hours for three days. Since I underestimated the desert climate, I didn’t think that the sandy elements would make me sick!

No matter where you go, the environmental elements are bound to challenge your immune system. Please, please, please pack Airborne or any immune system support supplements. Not only are they life savers, they have truly helped me to maintain my immune system.

Whether you’re in a crop top or a bodysuit, a nip slip is almost inevitable if you choose to go braless. Rather than letting your nipples perk out from your top, tuck ‘em in under a set of pasties. As someone who has worn backless bodysuits and bra length crop tops, I always swear by pasties. From silicone to fabric, the best kind of pasties I’ve tried are the former as they are seamless underneath the thinnest fabrics.

I’ve tried different types of lipstick at festivals from your regular bullet to the liquid matte kinds. I love lipstick, but it’s not something that kept my lips sustained. Bullet lipsticks are at risk of melting and matte liquid lippies are prone to drying out your pucker. Glosses and balms are best as they can keep your lips extra moist - especially underneath a mask.

Do you hate the thought of losing or breaking your sunglasses? Try bringing a soft sunglasses case! If there’s one with a neck loop, you can style it like a necklace by wearing it with your favourite gold chain.

You're going to be on your feet most of the time during a festival, so you'll need some sensible shoes. Ditch those towering heels, and throw on a pair of boots instead.

Boots are your best bet as they can protect your feet from both crowds and mother nature. If you opt for a pair of sneakers, try to make sure they're not new and blindingly white – you wouldn't want to be in the same situation as some of the recent F1 concertgoers, who had their footwear ruined by heavy rain and mud obstacles.