The festival season has arrived, and the big question is: are you prepared? If you’re planning on staying at your chosen event for one night or the whole weekend, then you’ll need to ensure you have all the necessary gear – and that includes one of the best festival tents.
I've attended loads of music festivals over the years, and when shopping for a tent, there are a number of things you should definitely take into consideration before purchasing.
First, you’ll want to ensure that the canvas home in question has enough space for everyone in your party to sleep comfortably away from the main stage.
Second, it should be able to protect you from wind, rain and even extreme heat. Finally, make sure the tent has enough nooks and crannies to store your belongings while you’re in the land of nod. After all, the last thing you want is to wake up in the morning to find that the spare clothes you left outside have been soaked in a sudden downpour.
Those are the main three criteria but there are other things you might want to keep in mind such as: does the tent have blackout technology to help keep the sunlight out? Do you want a net to keep insects out? is there a porch area big enough for you to sit and strum your acoustic guitar at sunrise, much to the annoyance of everyone within a 50-yard radius?
Whichever weekender you’re heading to, my guide to the best festival tents will help you pick the best temporary accommodation for your needs and budget. For each of the listed tents, I've provided the lowdown on size, weight, waterproofing and any other features you need to know about – meaning that all you’ll need to do is choose one that ticks your boxes and make a purchase.
If you want to know my top pick, I've given that to the Betenst camping tent - a good quality, affordable tent that also has plenty of space.
Once you’ve finished with this guide, why not take a look at our article on camping essentials and check out our comprehensive guide to the best earplugs for concerts.
Quick list
This festival tent from Betenst sleeps four people, is weather tight, very easy to set up and sturdy enough to withstand rough weather thanks to its plastic fibre poles . It also has plenty of ventilation.
The Cflity camping tent sleeps three people and comes with handy storage compartments. There's also an awning-style door so you can - weather permitting - sit comfortably between live sets.
This is a fantastic tent and the best choice for anyone looking to camp long after the festivals have called last orders. It's heavy but will keep three people warm and dry during festival season.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want great all-round tent: With loads of sleeping space and easy set-up, the Betenst tent is my top pick.
❌ Avoid if you want a spot to hang out in: Yes, this tent sleeps four people, but there's no proper living space.
Comfort: ★★★★½
Space: ★★★★½
Set-up: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
When it comes to festival camping, the dream is to have a tent that’s spacious, weatherproof and easy to put up - and the Betenst camping tent covers all of those bases.
While it’s not vast, it’ll easily sleep four people, or three with plenty of space left over for storing clothes, bags and other camping essentials.
The high-quality, 190T polyester inner and outer shells and durable 210 Oxford groundsheet will combine to keep out any wet weather, while the tent’s sturdy plastic fibre poles will ensure that your temporary home doesn’t blow away while you’re off having fun.
One of the best things about this tent is how easy it is to erect. Thanks to its automatic hydraulic system, it’ll pop open in seconds, with the whole thing ready to sleep in within two minutes. And with plenty of ventilation, and mesh panelling to keep out the bugs, you should sleep like a baby.
Best easy-pitch
✅ Buy if you want a very easy to set-up tent: This is the tent you want if you need a swift and easy to set-up tent.
❌ Avoid if you more space: The Cflity camping tent will sleep three, but it's perhaps better for two.
Comfort: ★★★★½
Space: ★★★★
Set-up: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
Pop-up tents used to have a reputation for being flimsy – throwaway even. However, the Clifty camping tent is anything but.
This three-berth structure is designed for all four seasons, protecting its occupants with a whole bunch of weatherproofing smarts. With tough fibreglass poles and a unique three-layer structure, it’ll withstand winds up to 30mph.
The tent’s 190T polyester inner and outer shells, and 210D Oxford groundsheet, will keep you dry throughout the night, while a B3 mesh window will stop you stewing in the summer heat.
Elsewhere, there’s an awning-type door for when you want to shelter from the sun while sitting outside, and an extended floor mat and storage pockets inside the tent for keeping your gear safe.
Not a bad set of features considering you can get the whole thing up in just a few minutes.
Best weatherproof
✅ Buy if you want excellent waterproofing: This is a robust tent that has top-tier waterproofing. Perfect for less than stellar weather.
❌ Avoid if you want a lightweight tent: The Coastline isn't the lightest of tents, so weight issues could be a travel factor for you.
Comfort: ★★★★½
Space: ★★★★½
Set-up: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
This is a fantastic festival tent for the price and the best choice for anyone looking to camp long after the festivals have called last orders. I think it’s more durable and waterproof than other tents on the list, but it’s heavier and pricier, although it's spacious for three people top sleep comfortably.
If you tend to feel claustrophobic in tents, definitely go with the Coleman 3+ Coastline. It has three doors, large mesh windows and roof vents to maximise airflow. The storage area doubles as a porch for setting up chairs and your loudest Bluetooth speaker.
There’s a great waterproof rating here too, matching the Vango below, with a ‘dry-setup’ structure ensuring the inner section stays dry if you have the misfortune of pitching up in the rain.
In short, the Coleman 3+ is an excellent festival tent to see you through many summer festivals, and it's a great camping option for other trips into nature.
Best for big groups
✅ Buy if you need a family-sized tent: The Vango Icarus 500 Deluxe is a top choice for up to five people with loads of space and front & side access.
❌ Avoid if you want things a little more cosy: This is a big tent, and the space might be wasted if there's only a couple of you.
Comfort: ★★★★
Space: ★★★★★
Set-up: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
With space to sleep five people comfortably, the Vango Icarus 500 Deluxe tunnel-style tent is ideal for a family or a group of mates.
You’ll sleep in two compartments (three people in one, two in the other), protected from the heat by Vango AirZone ventilation, the rain by a sewn-in, 10,000mm groundsheet and a 4,000mm waterproof flysheet, and the wind by PowerFlex fibreglass poles.
Outside of the bedrooms, a large porch area with front and rear doors will give you room to put chairs, clothes or any other festival accessories.
And what’s more, the whole thing can be erected in 20 minutes, meaning you won’t miss out on much of the music. Sure, not as quick and easy to set up as some other tents in the list, but not bad at all when you consider the size of the tent.
Best inflatable
✅ Buy if you want a no-fuss inflatable tent: You'll have this tent up and done in 15 minutes and it can withstand strong winds.
❌ Avoid if you want total flexibility: The Cave has five vents, but they can't be closed from inside, which isn't ideal.
Comfort: ★★★★
Space: ★★★★★
Set-up: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★
The Heimplanet Original Cave is an icon in the world of camping and one of the first inflatable tents to hit the market. It has since transitioned to the world of luxury festival tents thanks to its sheer ease of use – it has a one-pump system, meaning the entire tent is inflated from one valve.
The waterproofing is excellent, and the Heimplanet Original Cave is also the best festival tent for withstanding wind speeds of up to 110mph. The only bugbear is that the five vents can’t be closed from the inside.
Five rain drains in the roof ensure good water run-off, with several sewn-in pockets and a tent vestibule serving up storage space for up to three people. Two would sleep the comfiest in here though.
Best storage
✅ Buy if you want a lot of living/storage space: With space for a bedroom, living area and porch, this is a big ol' tent.
❌ Avoid if you don't need a massive place to crash: All the space is a bonus, but it might be overkill for some.
Comfort: ★★★★½
Space: ★★★★★½
Set-up: ★★★★½
Overall: ★★★★½
Eurohike is another big name in the camping world and we have spotted many of its inflatable tents dotted around UK campsites. The Eurohike Genus 400 Air Tent is a festival tent favourite because its cheap in relation to the air tech, the quality of features and the spaciousness.
Check the camping guidelines of the festival you plan on attending first to make sure you can pitch a tent of this size. Get the green light and you’ll be staying in a home-from-home with the Genus 400 Air Tent. It has separate bedroom, living and porch areas, with lantern hanging points throughout.
It doesn’t offer the panoramic views you get with some tents, but it does have large windows to give the tent an airy feel. And like the Heimplanet Cave, it’s easy to inflate in around 15 minutes.
FAQ
What essential features should I look for?
When shopping for a festival tent, it’s tempting to go straight for the cheapest option. After all, we've probably spent a small fortune securing a weekend ticket and then there's travel and food costs to take into consideration. So a cheap tent sounds good on paper, but there are considerations to take into account.
Think about how many people will be sleeping in the tent and how much baggage everyone will have, especially if you’re taking lots of kit with you.
If there are two of you plus bags, beer coolers and more, for example, consider a two-person-plus or a three-person tent. That way you get ample sleep and storage space.
When choosing the best festival tent for you, I would recommend looking out for the following features:
- Blackout blinds to diffuse early morning sunlight
- A 3000mm hydrostatic head - fully waterproof
- In-built storage pockets to keep things tidy
- At least one window to let in light
- Ventilation for adequate airflow
- Bright guy lines that'll be easy to spot in a festival field
- A small vestibule for stashing your festival kit
If you have budget for a mid-range festival tent, you’ll have plenty of choice from top-rated brands including Vango, Decathlon and Coleman. There are some great tunnel and dome tents available this year, and you can expect to pay around $140/£120 for one of the best festival tents in this price bracket.
For luxury festival camping or a no-nonsense approach to pitching a tent, choose an inflatable festival tent.
These take around 15-20 minutes to inflate on average, and all the hard work is done for you – just peg out the base. Rolling them up again to fit in the carry bag can be tricky though. Something that's definitely not fun to do in the pouring rain.
How we choose the best festival tents
Here at Louder, we are music lovers and experts in our field, with many years of music listening and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products when selecting the recommendations for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best festival tents available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are music fans, and we want others to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set and ease of use to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best festival tents on the market right now.
Why you can trust us
⚡ Louder was established in 2017 and founded on long-running brands including Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog (launched in 1986, 1998 and 2009 respectively)
⚡ Over 80,000 products reviewed on site, from music listening tech to albums and box sets
⚡ Our reviewers are all passionate music fans who draw on decades of testing experience
Louder’s reviewing team consists of music fans, musicians and professional product testers, who between them have accumulated decades of product reviewing experience, writing thousands of words on music listening gear across thousands of reviews on Louder. Our tests also inform our buyer's guide - just like this one.
As lifelong music fans, we're serious about the tech we listen to our favourite artists on. We want them to sound incredible, giving us all the detail those bands intended us to hear, and deliver the perfect balance of bass, mids and highs. We're looking for pure immersion in our chosen sounds, whether it's a classic '70s rock album, or a cutting-edge noise band.
And we test the best headphones for music with albums we know inside and out, and that we've listened to on a variety of systems already, so we know exactly what we should be hearing and when we're being short-changed by lackluster audio.
Meet the experts
During her tenure as a Total Guitar staffer and later as a freelance music journalist, Claire has attended her fair share of festivals and has camped out at most (there may have been the odd hotel stay). Claire was also the Outdoors Editor for Louder’s sister site T3, where she was in charge of hunting down the best tents for all camping scenarios.
Chris Barnes is the eCommerce Editor for Guitar World, MusicRadar and Louder, and is also a drummer. With the sound of crash cymbals permanently ringing in his ears after 20+ years of playing, and with 26 years of attending and playing live gigs under his belt, he knows the importance of quality ear protection and has used everything from free foam earplugs to custom moulded in-ear monitors.
Paul has spent the past nine years testing and writing about gadgets and technology for the likes of Louder, T3 and TechRadar. He might not have the wealth or the looks of Tony Stark, but when it comes to knowing about the latest cool kit, Paul would surely give Iron-Man a run for his money. As for his musical leanings, Paul likes everything from Weyes Blood to Nirvana. If it's got a good melody, he's on board with it.
Latest updates
16/06/25: The guide has been updated to include three new tents: Betenst camping tent, Cflity camping tent and the Vango Icarus 500 Deluxe. The top three picks now feature in a Quick Links section at the top of the guide. All tents now have "At a glance" and star rating panels, while a new section of why you can trust the Louder team has been added. There's also now a "meet our experts" section so you get to know the faces behind the creation on this guide.
Read more
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
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