Campers planning for active days
If you want fizz with food after walking or dancing, keep water in your drink plan. The NHS identifies water as the best way to replace lost fluids.
Who is choosing these drinks?
Campers avoiding sugar and caffeine
If you want a cola-style drink with a meal, look for a variant explicitly labelled both zero sugar and caffeine-free. Check the current pack for ingredients that matter to you.
Campers checking entry rules
Choose a container only after checking your named festival’s current terms, including any difference between campsite and arena rules. Bloodstock’s 2026 camping terms, for example, prohibit glass on site.
What should you check before buying?
Decide what role the drink will play with your food, then compare its label and pack format against your festival’s rules.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Water for active days | Keep water available for replacing lost fluids; choose sparkling water if you want fizz without a sweet drink. The NHS identifies water as the best way to replace lost fluids. | After a hot or active day, I want water available rather than relying on fizzy drinks served with meals. |
| Sugar per can | Compare sugars per 100ml and per serving on the current label. The Joybuy listing for Fanta Orange states 15g sugars per 330ml can; zero-sugar variants are a different choice. | If I am packing several days’ worth of drinks, the amount in each can matters as well as the flavour. |
| Caffeine | Check the exact variant and its ingredients: zero sugar does not establish that a cola is caffeine-free. Pepsi UK lists caffeine in Pepsi Max, while Pepsi Max No Caffeine is a separate product. | I may want cola with an evening meal while avoiding caffeine, so I need the specifically labelled caffeine-free version. |
| Other ingredients | Read the current ingredient list if sweeteners or a source of phenylalanine matter to you. Do not treat a zero-sugar or caffeine-free label as a complete ingredient list. | Before I buy a multipack, I want to check the ingredients of the exact variant I will take. |
| Containers | Check your event’s current rules for drink containers and for campsite versus arena entry. Bloodstock’s 2026 camping terms say no glass is allowed on site. | I need a pack I can carry and take into the areas where I plan to use it, without assuming another festival’s rules apply. |
Packing mistakes to avoid
-
Assuming zero-sugar cola has no caffeine
Pepsi UK lists caffeine among the ingredients of Pepsi Max, although it is a zero-sugar cola. A sugar claim alone cannot answer a caffeine-avoidance question.
Choose a product explicitly labelled caffeine-free and check the exact pack’s ingredients.
-
Making sweet fizzy drinks the water plan
The Joybuy listing for Fanta Orange states 15g sugars per 330ml can. The NHS identifies water as the best way to replace lost fluids.
Pack water for drinking throughout the day, and compare sugar per can when choosing fizzy drinks to have with food.
-
Buying glass bottles without checking entry terms
Container rules belong to the named event: Bloodstock’s 2026 camping terms prohibit glass on site.
Read your festival’s current campsite and arena terms before selecting a container format.
A prohibited glass bottle may have to be left behind at entry.
-
Overlooking ingredients in caffeine-free cola
Pepsi Max No Caffeine is a zero-sugar, caffeine-free choice, but those descriptions do not tell you everything in the drink.
Check the current pack’s ingredient list if sweeteners or a source of phenylalanine are relevant to your choice.
Brand and retailer references
Compare specific variants rather than treating every drink from a brand as having the same sugar, caffeine or ingredients.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola GB lists both Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and a caffeine-free zero-sugar variant.
- The separately named caffeine-free variant gives cola drinkers a way to choose by caffeine preference.
- Do not assume standard Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is the caffeine-free variant; check the exact pack.
Pepsi
Pepsi UK distinguishes Pepsi Max from Pepsi Max No Caffeine.
- Pepsi Max No Caffeine is described by Pepsi UK as having zero sugar and zero caffeine.
- Pepsi Max lists caffeine among its ingredients, so the two variants are not interchangeable for caffeine avoidance.
Fanta
Fanta Orange is a fruit-flavoured fizzy option that Coca-Cola GB identifies as caffeine-free.
- It offers an orange-flavoured choice for someone avoiding caffeine.
- The Joybuy listing states 15g sugars per 330ml can, which is worth checking when comparing servings.
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper has a zero-sugar variant for campers comparing flavoured fizzy drinks.
- Coca-Cola GB lists Dr Pepper Zero at 0g sugars.
- The same listed ingredients include caffeine, so it does not meet a caffeine-free requirement.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists Tesco British Natural Mineral Water Sparkling as a plain sparkling-water option.
- Its catalogue includes a 12 x 500ml format for comparing individual water bottles with other pack formats.
- Check the selected container and your festival’s rules before packing it.
Joybuy options for festival camping
These options cover sparkling water and several fizzy drinks to have alongside camping food. Compare the exact variant, serving size and container against your drink plan and your festival’s rules.
No image available
Pepsi Max Caffeine Free, 24 x 330ml
For cola with camping food when you want to avoid both sugar and caffeine. Pepsi UK describes the caffeine-free variant as zero sugar and zero caffeine; this pack contains 24 x 330ml cans. Check the current ingredients and your festival’s can rules before packing it.
No image available
7UP Zero, 24 x 330ml
A fizzy-drink option in individual 330ml cans for serving with camping meals. Check the exact pack’s nutrition and ingredients if sugar, caffeine or sweeteners affect your choice, and confirm that cans meet your festival’s rules.
No image available
Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 8 x 500ml
For campers who want sparkling water as part of their drink plan rather than a sweet fizzy drink with every meal. The pack contains 8 x 500ml bottles; check their container material and your event’s current rules before taking them.
No image available
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, 24 x 330ml
For cola with camping food when you want a zero-sugar variant and caffeine is acceptable to you. This is a 24 x 330ml can pack; do not confuse Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with the separately named caffeine-free variant. Check the current ingredients and festival container rules.
No image available
Fanta Orange, 8 x 330ml
For an orange-flavoured fizzy drink with food when caffeine avoidance matters. Coca-Cola GB identifies Fanta Orange as caffeine-free; the Joybuy listing states 15g sugars per 330ml can. This pack contains eight cans, so check both the serving label and your festival’s can rules.
Questions about festival drinks
Should fizzy drinks replace water at a festival?
Keep water available for replacing lost fluids: the NHS identifies it as the best option for that purpose. Fizzy drinks can be something you choose alongside camping food, while plain sparkling water offers fizz if you want water.
Does zero sugar also mean caffeine-free?
No. Pepsi UK lists caffeine in Pepsi Max, while Pepsi Max No Caffeine is a separately named zero-sugar, caffeine-free variant. Check both the product name and the current ingredients if you are avoiding caffeine.
Can I take glass bottles into a festival campsite?
Check your named festival’s current terms before buying glass bottles. Bloodstock’s 2026 camping terms prohibit glass on site, but that condition does not establish the rules at another event or for every festival area.
Should I pack cans or a larger bottle with camping food?
Choose by the portions you expect to serve, what you can carry and the containers your festival permits. Individual cans provide defined servings; before choosing a larger bottle, consider how you will carry and store it once opened.