5 Tips to Prevent Theft at Music Festivals

Written by Ade Ramos (@VibewithAde)

Every year as festival season is in swing, we see the highlights of attendees having fun, seeing some of their favorite artists, and making amazing memories. What we tend to also see are reports of phones, wallets, or other valuables being stolen while at the festival. Experiencing theft can definitely dampen your festival memory when you have to deal with the fallout of having your personal items stolen. 

Believe it or not, the reason lunchbox is here all began from a theft story at Ultra Miami. Here at lunchbox we are dedicated to ensuring you have an amazing time at the festivals you attend keeping your health and personal valuables in mind. Here are 5 tips to help you prevent theft at your next music festival!

 1. Prepare for the Festival with Anti-Theft in Mind

Before you even go to your next festival, the first key thing is to take inventory of what you typically bring with you to a festival. What do you typically use to carry your stuff? Do they have hard-to-reach pockets? Any general bag or hydration pack may not be equipped with anti-theft in mind. They might have easy-to-reach zippers or pockets that can make it easy for any theft ring to snatch what you have. All lunchbox packs are designed to ensure your valuables stay safe and make it difficult for any theft to get into them. Double-check the bag you’re typically taking to festivals and see if it’s time to invest in something with anti-theft in mind.

How are you protecting your phone? A key tip before the festival is to back up your phone to the cloud just in case it were to be stolen so you still have access to your contacts and photos. Also having a tracker on it like Find My iPhone or other tracking device on it just in case it could be found while at the festival. As an added level of precaution, we created the Lunchbox Lifeline which is a phone tether that can allow you to attach your phone to your pack or yourself. This is a great option to keep your pho ne still attached to you in some way without having to hold onto your phone. Doing some of these key things prior to the festival can already have you vastly prepared ahead of the festival you’re attending.

2. Only Bring Necessary Items

Be mindful of the things you are bringing with you to the festival. There are some must-haves like your wristband, wallet, and ID, but you might want to leave any credit cards or other cards you don’t need to have on you. Outside of those items, the rest is up to you for what you want to bring. If you have a sentimental item that you would be upset about losing, then you might want to keep it at home or in your car. Always double check the list of prohibited items on the festival website just to be sure and only bring those necessary items and leave the rest at home.

3. Make it Hard for Someone to Steal From You

Even though our packs are designed with anti-theft in mind, you may have a bag you bring to festivals that aren’t. In this case, you need to make it difficult for someone to steal from you. This means you put valuables in hard-to-reach pockets on the inside. If there are outside pockets, you don’t put anything valuable in those pockets as those might be easy wins for thieves. Of course, we want to have things easy for us to get to, but it’s not worth it if it means a thief can also get to it. 

4. Avoid Putting Things in Open Clothing Pockets

Thinking of the clothing choices you make for the festival can also help prevent theft at your next music festival. Pockets are easy and convenient for attendees, but also easy for thieves as well. You might want to put non-valuables in those pockets while keeping those main valuables in your bag of choice to avoid theft.

5. Be Vigilant of Your Surroundings

While at the festival, the key thing is to always be aware of your surroundings. Some of the hot spots are in deeply crowded places at stages and sets or in a crowd heading to another stage. It can be easy for a group of thieves to swipe as you navigate the crowd or as they navigate the crowd at a busy stage. The festival community has been retaliating against thieves as they see the behavior happening, so be aware of your environment and your group’s safety. If you see something, say something! 

Bonus Tip

If you are driving to a festival and parking your car, make sure you park it in a well-lit area preferably in the festival’s designated parking lots. There are unfortunately many thieves that break into cars while festival goers are enjoying themselves inside the festival grounds. You should also make sure you hide all items in your trunk or glove compartment so that it reduces any temptation for someone to break in. Even if it’s just a shopping bag with snacks, someone may think there is something valuable in it. So if there’s any doubt, put it in your trunk. Lastly, if you have a front windshield sun shade, put that up before you lock up your car so that it’s another obstacle for thieves to see inside your car.

All in all, we hope you have the best festival season and that you don’t experience theft at your next music festival. As mentioned, our mission is to ensure you can rave freely and not worry about your items being stolen on the dance floor. Browse our packs and accessories for anything you might need and we hope to see you at our next festival meetup!