Campers choosing a lower-sugar drink
Plain sparkling water and flavoured varieties call for different label checks. If sweeteners or other ingredients matter to you, read the ingredients as well as the sugar declaration.
Who is choosing a drink?
The useful distinction is whether the drink is mainly for meals at camp, carrying around the site or taking into an arena.
Campers carrying drinks to the arena
Bottle size, material and whether a container must be sealed can affect entry. Choose a format only after checking the named festival’s current arena rules.
Groups sharing campsite supplies
Multipacks and larger bottles can serve several people at camp. Consider how the pack will be transported and whether individual bottles will also be needed away from camp.
What should you check before buying?
Choose the drink and the container separately: an ingredient list answers a different question from an arena-entry rule.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink type | Compare plain water with flavoured drinks. Check the exact ingredients if avoiding sweeteners, acids or flavourings matters to you. | I want something sparkling with camping food, but I would rather have an unflavoured drink. |
| Sugar labelling | Read sugars per 100ml where stated, then the ingredients. Do not treat ‘no added sugar’ and ‘sugar-free’ as interchangeable descriptions. | I like a flavoured drink but want to know what is in this particular bottle, not just what its front label says. |
| Arena entry | Check your event’s current rules for size, material and sealed containers. Reading Festival’s 2026 guidance allowed sealed water bottles up to 500ml in its arena; that is not a rule for other festivals. | I need a drink I can carry from camp without assuming that its bottle will be admitted to the arena. |
| Campsite quantity | Compare the number and size of bottles with what your group can transport and store. Keep campsite supplies distinct from bottles intended for arena entry. | We are sharing drinks with meals at camp, rather than carrying the whole pack around the site. |
| Container material | Check the pack material against the named event’s rules. Glastonbury has stated that glass is prohibited anywhere on its site. | I do not want to pack glass without knowing whether my festival permits it. |
| Storage and refills | Follow the bottle’s storage and after-opening instructions. Check whether your event permits an empty reusable bottle and provides water refill points. | I may spend a long day away from camp and need a practical way to carry or refill a drink. |
Packing mistakes to avoid
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Assuming one festival’s bottle rule applies everywhere
A bottle intended for camp may not meet an arena’s size or material restrictions.
Check your named event’s latest campsite and arena rules separately. Reading Festival’s 2026 arena guidance allowed sealed water bottles up to 500ml; Glastonbury has stated that glass is prohibited across its site.
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Reading ‘sugar-free’ as ‘plain water’
A flavoured drink can have a different ingredient list from unflavoured sparkling water even when it is labelled sugar-free.
Compare the nutrition panel and ingredients on the exact variant you plan to pack.
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Buying only large bottles for camp and arena
A large pack takes more effort to carry, and its individual bottles may exceed an arena’s permitted size.
Plan campsite supplies and arena drinks separately, using the event’s container rules to decide what to carry in.
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Overlooking storage instructions
Sparkling-water containers are pressurised, while an opened flavoured drink may have specific refrigeration instructions.
Follow the pack’s storage advice, avoid shaking bottles and check whether you can meet any after-opening instructions at camp.
Brand and retailer references
These examples illustrate drink types and pack checks; the name on a bottle does not establish its suitability for a particular festival.
Highland Spring
An unflavoured sparkling spring-water option; Highland Spring describes its sparkling water as having nothing added but bubbles.
- Tesco lists an 8 × 500ml sparkling-water pack, a format with individual servings.
- Check the material and size of the exact pack against your festival’s rules.
S.Pellegrino
Offers plain sparkling mineral water alongside flavoured drinks. The brand describes its Essenza range as containing no sweeteners or sugars.
- The distinction lets you compare an unflavoured bottle with a flavoured variant.
- Check the exact variant and container; do not assume a glass bottle is permitted.
Perrier
Perrier describes its plain carbonated mineral water as sugar-free and calorie-free.
- Provides a plain-water option when comparing it with flavoured drinks.
- Check the ingredients and packaging of the particular product offered by your chosen stockist.
Tesco
Its own-label listings include plain sparkling mineral water and flavoured sparkling water in different pack sizes.
- Tesco lists plain sparkling mineral water in 500ml and 2L formats, including a 6 × 2L pack.
- A ‘no added sugar’ product name does not replace a check of that variant’s nutrition panel and ingredients.
M&S
Its Lemon and Lime Sparkling Water is presented as a sugar-free flavoured drink in a 500ml bottle.
- Offers a named flavoured option to compare with plain water.
- Check the ingredients and after-opening instructions if those affect what you can use at camp.
Joybuy sparkling-water options
These plain sparkling-water packs offer individual servings or larger quantities for shared campsite supplies. Check each pack’s container material and your festival’s rules before planning to take a bottle into an arena.
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San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, 6 × 0.5L
Six individual bottles can be shared at camp or carried separately. The product information describes natural mineral water with carbon dioxide and reports 0g sugars per 100ml. Check the pack material and your festival’s sealed-container rules before taking a bottle to an arena.
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Buxton Sparkling Water, 8 × 500ml
This pack provides eight individual servings for camp. Its product information describes carbonated natural mineral water and reports 0g sugars per 100ml. Confirm the bottle material and any sealed-bottle requirement before planning to carry one into an arena.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 4 × 8 × 500ml
Four bundles of eight 500ml bottles provide 16 litres for shared campsite supplies, though transporting the full pack takes planning. The product description identifies naturally sourced water. Check the bottle material and your event’s rules before taking individual bottles away from camp.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 8 × 500ml
Eight individual bottles provide plain sparkling water for campsite meals or carrying, where permitted. The product description identifies naturally sourced water. Verify the bottle material and sealed-container requirements for your festival.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 6 × 1L
Six 1L bottles are a campsite-supply format rather than an assumption about arena entry. The product description identifies natural sparkling mineral water. Check the container material and size rule at your event; Reading Festival’s 2026 arena guidance, for example, specified sealed water bottles up to 500ml.
Festival sparkling-water questions
Can I take sparkling water into a festival arena?
Check the rules for your named festival and arena before packing; a bottle’s size alone does not establish that it will be admitted. Reading Festival’s 2026 guidance allowed sealed water bottles up to 500ml and empty reusable plastic or metal bottles of any size in its arena. Confirm whether your intended drink and container meet your event’s current terms.
Are glass sparkling-water bottles suitable for a campsite?
Only pack glass if your event permits it. Glastonbury has stated that no glass is allowed anywhere on its site, including campervan fields; other festivals set their own rules.
Is sugar-free flavoured sparkling water the same as plain sparkling water?
No. ‘Sugar-free’ describes a sugar claim, not the drink’s full ingredient list. If you are comparing a flavoured bottle with plain sparkling water, read both its nutrition panel and ingredients for sweeteners, flavourings and other additions.
How much should I plan to drink during a festival day?
The NHS gives 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day as a general guide, with fluid needs varying in hot conditions or during prolonged activity. Check refill access at your event rather than relying on the sparkling-water bottles you brought from camp.
How should I keep an opened flavoured bottle at camp?
Follow that bottle’s after-opening instructions. M&S advises refrigerating its Lemon and Lime Sparkling Water after opening and consuming it within three days; if you cannot meet a product’s storage instructions at camp, consider a serving you can finish when opened.