The food between the meals. The coffee that saves mornings. The extras that turn a good festival into a great one.
We’ve covered the big meals, the prep, the cooler strategy, and the food safety rules. This last post is about everything in between — the snacks that keep you going through six hours of back-to-back sets, the camp coffee ritual that anchors every morning, and a handful of small extras that make the whole camp kitchen feel a little more civilized.
The Snack Strategy
Festival snacks serve a different purpose than regular snacks. They need to survive heat and being shoved into a bag or pocket. They need to be eaten one-handed while standing in a crowd. And they need to provide actual energy — not just calories.
The non-perishable snack haul (pack these in a separate tote bag):
- Trail mix — make your own with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips
- Beef jerky or meat sticks — protein without refrigeration
- Nut butter packets (Justin’s, RX Bar, etc.) — squeeze on a banana or eat straight
- Granola bars and protein bars — bring more than you think
- Crackers — the canvas for cheese, nut butter, or hummus
- Single-serve hummus cups — snack packs that don’t need refrigeration until opened
- Dried mango, apricots, or dates — dense energy and they travel incredibly well
- Mini dark chocolate bars — morale is important
- Pita chips or pretzels
- Instant oatmeal packets — backup breakfast if someone sleeps through cooking time
Cooler snacks worth keeping cold:
- String cheese — one of the best festival snacks that exists
- Hard boiled eggs (boil at home, peel at home, store in a container)
- Baby carrots and snap peas
- Cherry tomatoes
- Grapes or apple slices in a container
- Greek yogurt cups for Day 1 and Day 2
PRO TIP: Put together ‘snack packs’ for each day — a zip-lock with that day’s snack assortment. Grab one in the morning on your way to the stages and you won’t have to come back to camp just to eat.
Camp Coffee: Non-Negotiable
There is no version of this weekend that works without good morning coffee. Here are your three options, ranked:
1. French Press (The Classic)
A camp French press makes genuinely good coffee with zero electricity. Bring pre-ground coffee, heat water to just-off-boil on the stove, add grounds (2 tbsp per 6 oz water), steep 4 minutes, press, pour. Takes about 8 minutes total. Worth every second.
2. Percolator
Slightly more involved, works directly on a stove or over a fire grate, makes a strong and bold cup. A 6-cup percolator is ideal for a group of 4. Takes 8–10 minutes.
3. Instant Coffee
Starbucks VIA packets and Cusa instant coffees are genuinely good instant options now — not the watery packets of 10 years ago. Hot water from the pot, one packet, 30 seconds. Zero cleanup. Completely respectable.
PRO TIP: Boil a full pot of water first thing in the morning. Use it for coffee, then leave the pot on low for anyone who wants tea or oatmeal. One task, multiple purposes.
Drinks Beyond Coffee
Your drink cooler (kept separate from the food cooler, remember) should have:
- Water — more than you think, especially for cooking and cleanup
- Electrolyte drinks or packets — Liquid IV, Nuun tablets, Gatorade powder — you’re sweating all day
- Sparkling water for a refreshing option that isn’t sweet
- Whatever beverages your group enjoys — keep this cooler in the shade and try not to open the food cooler for drinks
The Camp Kitchen Extras That Actually Matter
These are the small additions that separate a comfortable camp kitchen from a frustrating one:
A camp table
Even a cheap fold-out table changes everything. Cooking on the ground is miserable. Cooking at a proper height with a surface to work on is civilized. Bring the table.
Headlamps for cooking
You will cook in the dark at some point. A headlamp on while you’re at the stove means you can see what you’re doing and have both hands free. One per person.
A small cutting board that doubles as a serving board
Charcuterie vibes, campsite edition. A wooden board for setting out cheese, crackers, and fruit makes snack time feel like an actual occasion.
Wet wipes
Not just for hands — for quickly wiping down the stove grates between uses, cleaning off the table, and general camp kitchen hygiene when water is limited.
A roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil
Beyond foil packets, foil is a camp utility player: line your skillet for easier cleanup, wrap leftovers, cover the pot, make an improvised lid. Bring a full roll.
Pre-portioned spices in labeled bags
Instead of bringing the whole spice kit, measure out exactly what each recipe needs into small zip-locks or tiny containers and label them. Zero rummaging, zero spilling smoked paprika all over your sleeping bag.
One Last Thing: The Vibe
Festival camping food is about more than just eating. It’s about having something good to come back to between sets. It’s the smell of coffee at 8am before the grounds wake up. It’s eating a real dinner with your people instead of standing in a 25-minute food truck line. It’s the thing that makes the campsite feel like a home base and not just a place where you sleep.
Plan it well, prep it smart, and enjoy every bite of it. See you at the campsite.
This is Part 6 of the Camp Food Club Music Festival Cooking Series. Start from the beginning with Part 1: The Complete Prep Guide.