High Water Festival Bag Policy

Let’s talk about the High Water Festival bag policy. It’s the modern-day equivalent of that awkward moment when you show up to a friend’s party with a full cooler, only to realize they only serve canned seltzer. You’re not mad, just confused and a little bit judged.

We’ve all been there. You spend an hour picking the perfect tote—cute, functional, big enough for a picnic blanket and a secret stash of sunscreen. Then, you hit the gate and a nice but very firm person with a measuring tape says, “Sorry, that’s a hard no.” It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, except the peg is your beloved bag and the hole is a tiny cardboard template.

The Clear Bag Rule: Your New Best Friend

The star of the show is the clear bag requirement. It’s not just a suggestion; it’s the law of the land, like a HOA for your belongings. Think of it as wearing a glass house for your stuff—everyone can see your emergency granola bar and that reusable water bottle you bought three festivals ago.

Why the obsession with transparency? Simple: speed. Security doesn’t want to fumble around in your bag like a raccoon in a garbage can. They want to see everything at a glance. It’s a little intrusive, but weirdly freeing—like owning a fishbowl for a pet. You lose the mystery, but gain the ease of entry.

The One-Pocket Wonder

Here’s a pro tip: if you bring a clear bag, it can be up to 12” x 6” x 12”. That’s roughly the size of a small loaf of bread or a very ambitious lunchbox. Don’t try to bring a clear suitcase. That’s just you asking for trouble and a lifetime ban from shoulder shrugs.

I once saw a woman try to sneak in a non-clear clutch that was literally the size of a debit card. The gate worker looked at her, looked at the bag, and said, “Ma’am, that’s just a wallet with higher ambitions.” She had to walk it back to her car, muttering about “the audacity.” Don’t be that lady. Be the person who respects the 12-inch max.

High Water 2024 | the PROPAGANDA site

What You Can Actually Bring

Okay, so you’ve got your clear bag. Great. Now, let’s talk about the good stuff. You can bring an empty reusable water bottle. This is the festival’s way of saying, “We care about your hydration, but we don’t trust your tap water filtration skills.” Fill it up at the free water stations and feel like a smug environmental champion.

You can also bring a small blanket. The rule is no bigger than 4’ by 6’. That’s right: you can sit down, but you can’t lie down like you’re at a 1970s rock concert. It’s a sitting blanket, not a “I’m going to take a nap while The Strokes play” blanket. Respect the space.

Need sunscreen? Bring a sealed, factory-issued bottle. Nothing says “I’m a responsible adult” like duct-taping a new tube of SPF 50 to your hand because you lost your clear bag. Just don’t bring aerosol cans. They get side-eyed harder than a guy in a full suit at a dive bar.

Lineup announced for North Charleston’s High Water festival | WCBD News 2

The "No-Go" Zone

Let’s talk about the stuff that will get you sent back to your car faster than a dad joke at a wedding. No backpacks. None. Zero. Zip. You might as well be trying to bring a mobile home. I saw a grown man try to argue that his “hiking pack” was just “a large purse with straps.” Spoiler: he lost.

No large totes, even if they’re cloth and cute. No camera bags unless the camera is a professional one, and even then, you need a press pass. Basically, if your bag looks like it could hold a week’s worth of groceries, leave it in the trunk. The festival wants you to travel light—like a ninja, but with better sunscreen and a clear pouch.

The "Just in Case" List

Speaking of sunscreen, you can bring medical items, but they need to be in original packaging. No, you can’t bring a Ziploc bag of Advil that looks like evidence from a crime scene. That’s suspicious. You are a festival-goer, not a pharmacist in a windbreaker.

Barnstorm — Work High Water Festival 2024 —Event Production & Management

Same goes for tampons and wipes—keep them sealed. Security has seen it all, and they don’t want to inspect your “emergency kit” with the same energy they’d use for a suspicious package. Just wave your sealed product and say, “It’s for the body, not the party.” They’ll nod.

The Golden Rule: Check Before You Go

Here’s the final, easy-going wisdom: check the official High Water Festival website before you leave. It’s easier than begging a stranger to hold your bag while you run back to the car. I once spent forty-five minutes in a parking lot debating whether my “fanny pack” counted as a “belt bag” or a “prohibited accessory.” Spoiler: it counted as a delay.

So, pack smart. Use a clear bag that fits the loaf-of-bread dimensions. Bring your empty bottle, your sealed sunscreen, and your tiny blanket. Then, walk through that gate with your head high and your bag visible, like you’re carrying a prized fish in a parade. You’ve got this. And if you forget? Just laugh, blame the sun, and buy the overpriced merch bag inside. That’s the true Lowcountry way.