What to pack for a summer festival in Portugal

The weather you are packing for

Portugal's weather service publishes 30-year averages for Castelo Branco, the nearest city to the festival. In July the average high is 32.5 °C and the average low 17.4 °C.

On an average July, 23 days reach 30 °C and about nine or ten reach 35 °C, and it barely rains. Yet the coldest July night on record there was 8.9 °C. So plan for strong heat by day and cooler nights, in the same bag.

For the heat

• A hat and light clothing, plus a cloth or scarf you can wet to keep cool. Boom's own guide asks for all three.
• Sunscreen, used all day. Boom asks for an eco-friendly one.
• A refillable cup or bottle. There are 57 free drinking water points on site, each metered and fed from the public grid.
• Electrolytes, which the festival suggests alongside plenty of water.

Boom also asks people to wake anyone sleeping in full sun and to rest in the shade during the day. It is a week-long festival, and its advice is to pace yourself.

For the night and for sleep

• A warm layer for the cooler hours.
• Ear protection, or at least breaks from the music. The festival recommends it.
• Something to sleep in the shade by day, as the festival suggests, such as an eye mask or a light sarong.
• A head torch, for finding your way around camp at night.

What to leave at home

Anything that makes a flame

Boomland is a high fire-risk area in summer. Campfires, candles, incense, cooking flames and gas canisters are all banned at camp; there are community kitchens instead. Firefighters and medical services are on site around the clock. If you smoke, bring a pocket ashtray: butts never go on the ground.

Flags, selfie sticks and chairs

Boom asks you to leave national flags, selfie sticks and camping chairs out of the programme areas, and to let your phone rest while you dance.

In and around the lake

Boom asks people never to swim in the lake alone or under the influence of anything, and to stick to the designated swimming areas. Leave shampoo and soap out of the water: the festival asks for that too. Quick-drying clothes and sandals you can walk in make the lake easier.

Looking after yourself and others

Medical services are on site around the clock, and the festival has worked with the harm reduction team Kosmicare for more than twenty years. Boom also asks everyone to respect consent and boundaries. None of that needs packing, but it is worth knowing before you go.

Money, power and papers

• Money: bars and food stalls are cashless, with top-ups on site and online. The Bazaar takes cash, and some stalls cards. Portugal uses the euro.
• Power: 230 V with European sockets, so bring an adapter and a power bank.
• Papers: your passport, your Boom ticket in your own name, and a paper copy of both kept apart from the originals. See visas and documents.

Camping kit

Camping at Boom is free, and you can bring your own tent. If you would rather not carry one from Mauritius, Boom offers Tipi Camp, Lizard Camp and Cardboard Village, and camping equipment can be rented through its partner. Your stay at the festival is your own arrangement, separate from our packages.

The short version

• Hat, light clothes, a scarf to wet, sunscreen, a refillable bottle, electrolytes.
• A warm layer, ear protection, a head torch.
• Passport, Boom ticket, paper copies, some euros, an adapter and a power bank.
• No flames, no gas, no flags, no selfie sticks, no camping chairs in the programme areas.

Bags for the journey

Our shop has Portal-branded travel pieces, such as a packable daypack, a waist pack and a rain poncho, made to order in small batches as pre-orders. Everything else on this list you can find at home.

All set? The Boom 2027 guide from Mauritius covers tickets and getting there.