THE LIST,
NO FILLER.
Doors open at 12 pm on 31 December and campers stay until 11 am on January 2, so this list is built for the full visit, not for an afternoon at a campground. Screenshot it, run through it with the trunk open, and roll out once everything is in the car.
For sleeping
You are looking at a full New Year's visit on open ground, with official music from 12 pm to 3 am. What actually saves your night is not an expensive sleeping bag, it is whatever you put between your body and the dirt.
- Tent, sleeping mat and rain protection
- Sleeping pad, mat, or something inflatable
- A sheet or a light bag; the coast rarely gets cold enough for a heavy one
- A pillow, or a hoodie rolled up to do the job
- Earplugs, plus a spare pair
- An eye mask, because 6 am is already bright whether you are ready or not
Light and power
Off the dance floor the ground goes properly dark, and your phone dies faster than you plan for, between photos, flashlight, and checking the time every five minutes.
- Headlamp, with spare batteries
- A small light for inside the tent
- A charged power bank and its cable
- Something that marks your camp at night: reflective tape, a small light, a scarf you would recognize
- A lighter, even if you do not smoke
Water and food
Pack like you have to cover yourself, because right now you do. Tickets are on sale now. Choose your night and buy tickets for La Selva del Bajo at The Park at Ocean Ranch. Check the details of your pass and pack your personal essentials.
- A refillable bottle, filled before you leave the house
- Water for the full visit, not just the first stage
- A small cooler
- Food that needs no fire: something salty for the early hours, something for breakfast
- A separate bag for food waste
Clothes and weather
The sun hits hard during the day, and by the early hours the damp shows up more than you expect after a hot afternoon. December on the Pacific coast usually falls in dry season, but dry does not mean you wake up without a drop on the tent.
- Closed shoes. Always
- A light long sleeve, for the bugs and for the early hours
- A rain layer or a poncho
- A full change of dry clothes, in a plastic bag
- A small towel
- Repellent and sunscreen
Documents and crew
The easiest thing to forget and the most expensive thing to forget turn out to be the same list. Keep it all in one pocket, not scattered across three bags.
- ID or passport
- Cash and a card, both
- A charged phone
- Your QR from invites, printed or saved so it works without data
- One phone number from your group, written on paper
- Personal medication and bandages
Better left at home
None of this is an official rulebook yet. Entry rules land with the arrival instructions. This is judgment from people who have slept outside before.
- Glass. It breaks, it disappears into the leaf litter, and somebody steps on it barefoot at four in the morning.
- Fireworks. It is New Year's, we get it, but there is dry brush here and people asleep under fabric.
- Speakers. The central stage is the stage. One in your tent only competes with what you came to hear.
- Drones. They buzz over tents with people inside and wreck somebody else's shot in the process.
- Extra luggage. Everything you take out of the car, you carry back in yourself.
Leave the grounds as you found them
We carry out everything we carried in. The cleanup crew covers shared space; what is in your camp is on you.
- Two bags per tent: one for recycling, one for the rest
- One more empty bag for the wet clothes at the end
- No butts, no bottle caps on the ground; the ground here is alive
- Before you go, walk your spot looking down
What that actually feels like from the inside is in New Year's camping.
The night before
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Charge anything that runs on a battery
Phone, power bank, headlamp, camera. Leave them charging overnight and drop them in the bag the second you wake up, before anything else.
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Build one sleep kit
Earplugs, eye mask, dry clothes, and water, all in one bag, right on top. When your body says stop, you will not want to dig through three bags with the bass still going.
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Load the car in order of use
What you need first goes in last, so it lands on top: tent, pad, headlamp. Go over the route in getting there and leave the car ready so you never have to open it again.
Packing questions
Do I have to bring my own water?
Yes, assume you do. We are not promising water, food, or power on site; whatever ends up there gets confirmed with the arrival instructions. Nobody has ever regretted extra water at a campsite.
What should I sleep in?
Bring a tent, a sleeping mat and rain protection. Check the camping access included in your pass and follow the campsite instructions.
Can I bring a cooler and cook?
A cooler is normal at any campsite. Cooking with fire is a different question, and that gets settled by whatever entry rules come out. In the meantime, pack food that needs no flame.
What if I am only there for the night and not sleeping over?
Trim the list to the essentials: water, closed shoes, earplugs, a headlamp, documents, and something warm. You are still outside for hours either way, and whoever drives home has to be in real shape to do it.
If you are unsure about something, ask yourself if you actually want to carry it back to the car on January 1.
Open-Air Festival in Costa RicaHeat, damp, bugs and dark by six. What the open air near Jacó does to a two-stage music festival with camping in Costa Rica, told without the postcard.
New Year's Camping near JacóWhat a New Year's camping night near Jacó, Costa Rica looks like hour by hour, from check-in to sunrise, with dubstep and bass among the trees.
Camping in Jacó, Costa Rica: Where to CampWhere to camp in Jacó: hotels, hostels and rentals compared with our 31 December car camp in the trees, with two stages, music until 3 am, and camping until 11 am on January 1.