Camping festivals offer endless adventures and human connections. Whether you’ve camped at a camping festival before, let alone camped at all, it’s important to know desert rave camping festivals offer a completely different type of experience than regular camping festivals. Although camping in a desert may seem a bit overwhelming, there’s no need to worry! They’re totally worth it. We’re here to give you the best tips and advice for the best first-time desert festival camping experience.
Table of Contents:
- Camping At A Desert Festival
- Clothes To Bring Camping At A Desert Festival
- Essential Items To Bring Camping At A Desert Festival
- Conclusion
Camping At A Desert Festival
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. So why on earth would anybody want to camp in a desert? Let alone rave at one in the blazing sun? Desert festivals offer a one-of-a-kind experience that truly lifts the human spirit. The desert brings people closer together and emphasizes the beauty of culture, community, and human connection.
Whether you’re headed to Burning Man Project to experience art, self-expression, and self-reliance, Desert Hearts Festival to enjoy some house, techno, and love, or Desert Boom Music & Arts Festival to get down to a stacked sound system with a multi-genre lineup of talented musicians, be sure to plan and prepare ahead of time.
Clothes To Bring Camping At A Desert Festival
You don’t want to forget any important items for your first desert festival! In our opinion, making a checklist of everything you need is the best way to prepare. Give yourself enough time to pack so you don’t forget any necessities.
Warm Clothes
Just because you’re in a desert during the summer, that doesn’t mean it won’t get cold. The temperature will drop when the sun goes down. So yes, it can, and probably will get pretty cold at night. You’ll never regret packing a pair of long pants, a warm sweatshirt, and a jacket.
Comfortable Shoes
Expressing yourself and making a statement with your rave outfit is completely understandable. But before you pack those cute heeled booties or platform sandals, ask yourself if they’re ideal for walking, dancing, and standing around all day. Packing boots, comfortable sneakers, or hiking sandals are your best options. They’ll give you the support you need while also providing you with comfort and protection from getting your feet dirty.
Bandana
Your bandana will be your best friend. Have you ever seen pictures of people at Burning Man Festival and wondered why they were wearing masks? Face masks and bandanas cover your face and help prevent breathing in any dirt or dust. Protect your lungs & check out our large inventory of face masks, bandanas, and face shields in a variety of different colors and styles!
Essential Items To Bring Camping At A Desert Festival
Sunscreen
It gets hot in the middle of the desert. There will be very limited amounts of shade. You definitely do not want to forget to pack sunblock! Be sure to reapply throughout the day. Nobody wants to deal with a bad sunburn (or worse – sun poisoning) when you’re trying to dance and enjoy the weekend.
Earplugs
Protect your hearing for when you’re older! Many people think that music earplugs make it hard for you to hear music at a concert. But that is not the case when you own a good pair of music earplugs. Music earplugs are meant for raves and are designed to just lower the volume rather than muffle sounds. Matter of fact, the quality of sound is incredible with music earplugs and you can most definitely still hear the bass! Learn more about music earplugs here.
Sunglasses
It will be very very sunny! Pack yourself a pair of sunglasses or two to protect your eyes when you’re out in the sun. Nobody wants to be blinded by the sun when they’re trying to enjoy a set!
Goggles
Goggles are super convenient to bring to a desert festival. They will help keep dust out of your eyes and make it easier to see, especially if there were to be a dust storm.
Fans
Having a fan during desert festivals will help cool you down when the sun is beating down on you all day. Not only do fans help keep you cool, but they definitely help you meet new people! Friendly strangers standing next to you in the crowd will appreciate the cool breeze!
Wet Wipes & Tissues
Wet wipes will help you wipe off all that desert dust that sticks to your body! It’s always a good idea to bring extra tissues or toilet paper too because you never know when the porta-potties will be out of toilet paper.
Flashlights
It will get dark at night! Be sure to pack a few flashlights and bring extra batteries. This will allow you to comfortably walk around and see your surroundings at night.
Water
Water is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s important to pack way more than you think you might need. Festival organizers require 1.5 gallons of water per day for drinking, washing, and cooking. Dehydration is a serious concern in the desert. Gatorade and other drinks with electrolytes are always good to bring to help you stay hydrated too.
Conclusion
Although desert camping may seem a bit overwhelming, we promise it’ll probably be one of the best things you ever experience! We hope these desert festival camping tips and advice help you have the best time. Head to our blog for more helpful tips and information such as How To Make A Rave Totem Pole or How To Become A Vendor At Music Festivals.

Juliet Norelli has been a part of the rave community for 10 years. She shares her knowledge through writing to give helpful tips and advice to all ravers.