A dead or stolen phone can mean losing your crew, your ticket and your ride home. Here's how we keep ours powered and in hand all weekend, at EDC, Coachella or any festival.
The short answer
Bring a power bank and a cable. Keep your phone in a zipped front pouch or on a tether. Know where the festival's charging stations and lockers are. And agree on a meet spot and time before you walk in, so your crew can still find each other if a phone dies or disappears.
Why it matters
EDC Las Vegas says it plainly on its amenities page: "Don't risk losing track of your friends or missing the perfect photo op! Keep your phone powered up at our battery charging stations." (EDC Las Vegas)
Part 1: Keep it charged
- Start full, and bring a power bank plus the right cable. A 20,000 mAh bank is a common festival size. We carry the Anker 20K 45W power bank with built-in USB-C cables and the Anker 20K camp charger. With the cable built in, there's nothing to forget.
- Know the festival's own options. EDC Las Vegas lockers each have a universal phone charger, and the festival runs battery charging stations (EDC amenities). Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo list chargeFUZE portable-charger rentals in their help centers (Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo). Check your festival's map or FAQ before you go.
- Cut the drain. Lower brightness, close apps you aren't using, and turn on Low Power Mode or Battery Saver.
- Camping? Recharge the power bank at camp. For a whole crew, a bigger power station covers everyone. See our festival power basics guide.
Part 2: Keep it yours
- Front, zipped, close to you. EDC attendees describe pickpockets working crowded chokepoints like entrances, exits and bathroom lines (attendee threads, anecdotal: Theft at EDC, Phone thieves this year?). Back pockets are the worst spot.
- Tether it. A crossbody strap makes a grab harder. Treat it as a deterrent, not a guarantee. We carry the Phone Crossbody Lanyard Strap and the Diaclara Phone Strap + Zip Pouch, which holds your card and ID too. See our full phone security picks.
- Before you go: turn on Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) and back up your photos. On iPhone, consider turning off Control Center on the lock screen (Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Allow Access When Locked).
- Use the festival's lost and found tools. EDC Las Vegas lets you register your phone for a custom lock-screen wallpaper so lost and found can identify it, and suggests filing an online police report if you think it was stolen (EDC Lost & Found).
- Write one friend's number on paper or on your wristband, in case your phone is gone.
Part 3: Plan for the phone you don't have
- Pick a meet spot you can find in the dark. "By the main stage" isn't a spot. The lockers, the info booth or a big art piece all work. Pick a backup too.
- Pick a time. Agree on "If we split up, meet there at 1:30," then wait about 15 minutes and head to the backup.
- Time-stamp your texts. Insomniac's advice: networks get busy and texts land late, so write the time in the message (Insomniac).
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Related guides: portable power stations for festival camping and desert festival power basics.
Want it pre-packed? See our festival essentials kits, built by fest type and climate.