Classic Festival Styles

One thing we love most about festivals is seeing all those groovy people rocking their best festival styles. It’s a beautiful, diverse, and eccentric cultural landscape that makes for some exquisite people watching.

Now if you prefer to attend festivals in shorts and a t-shirt, we have no beef with that – however you feel most comfortable is fine by us; but if you are searching for a style to spice things up, here are some classic festival styles that you might want to borrow from. Mix and match and make it your own! Try something different every day of the show. We don’t mean to pigeon hole anyone in any one style and we don’t encourage you just to copy anything listed here. Always try to showcase your true self and never try to be someone else. Ultimately we want you to be you because we love you 🙂

If you want to experiment with what that looks like, here are some classic festival styles:

The Bohemian Hippie

The Bohemian style can be recognized by loose, colorful clothing, fringes, and flowers, hippie glasses, and vintage jewelry. It is the most psychedelic of the styles, incorporating mandalas and other trippy patterns. Think legendary rocker, Janis Joplin, who is a boho fashion idol.

The 80s Revival

With its bright neon, this decade is attractive to even those that didn’t live it. The 80s Revivalist is compelled by fluorescent colors therefore this is a good look for someone who wants to stand out in a crowd, or in a black light! Look to style icons such as Salt n’ Pepa, Prince, Madonna, Boy George, Bowie, and of course who doesn’t miss Cyndi Lauper?

Gratefully Tie Dyed

Every festival enthusiast has something tie dye. There’s just something about those mesmerizing colorful patterns that our people can’t help being drawn to. Whether you are the classic every day tie-dye tee type; the occasional unexpected flaming tie-dye shorts guy; or you’re going full blown multi-patterned tops and bottoms plus satin velvet tailcoat tuxedo jacket, you are part of the festival landscape, a constant flow of morphing patterns. Thank you for being glorious.

Patchwork People

While some hippies are drawn to tie dye, others are inexplicably drawn to patchwork. There is definitely a lot of overlap here, but the patchwork pull is strong enough that it deserves its own category. Shorts, pants, sweaters, hats, bags – all can be made by patchwork… and perhaps worn at all the same time. Who knows? You do you.

The Vintage Rocker

The Vintage Rocker is a style that encompasses many classic items such as frayed shorts, fishnet stockings, vintage tees, and leather jackets. Denim and black dominate the color scheme, but pops of color are totally fine. A cousin to ‘The Punk’ but sweeter and less aggressive.

The Punk

There is a wide range of punk fashion but a dominant feature is a preference for dark clothing and leather jackets. Deliberately provocative slogans or graphics are not uncommon. Studded is not out of the question, and Mohawks should be considered — often this is where the Punk can showcase a hit of color. Boots should be worn at all times in all weather 😉

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While some of these styles are drastically different and reflect a variety of personality types, these distinctions do not cause division in our community. In the “real” world, everyone prefers to look alike, but festival culture celebrates differences. If you want to wear fuzzy boots and cat ear, heck ya, rock on, right?

So are you more of a Vintage Rocker or an Urban Street Crew? A Bohemian Flower or 80’s punk? Are there other classic styles that should have made the list? Let us know!