Packaging for food and drink festivals: the complete guide to glass bo

Assorted glass bottles and jars filled with craft beer, hot sauce, honey and fruit preserves displayed on a wooden market stall at a food and drink festival

Packaging for food and drink festivals: the complete guide to glass bottles and jars

Food and drink festivals are one of the best sales channels available to craft producers of beer, cider, sauces, preserves and specialty drinks. But choosing the right glass packaging, and preparing it properly for a festival environment, can make the difference between a successful stand and a costly day out. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Why glass is the right choice for festival producers

At a festival, your product sits on a table surrounded by dozens of competitors. The packaging is the first thing a customer sees before they read a label or taste a sample. Glass communicates quality, craft and authenticity in a way that plastic or aluminium rarely can.

For producers of artisan beer, hot sauce, jam, honey, cordial or infused oil, glass is also the natural material of choice from a product integrity standpoint. It is chemically inert, it does not affect flavour, and it preserves aroma and colour far better than alternative materials. When you are asking a customer to pay a premium price at a festival, the vessel needs to justify it.

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"Glass does not just contain your product. At a festival, it tells your story before you have said a single word."

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Choosing the right bottle or jar for your product

Not all glass packaging is suited to every product or every festival context. The format you choose affects how your product is perceived, how it travels, and how easy it is to display and sell at pace.

Swing top bottles

Ideal for craft beer, kombucha and sparkling drinks. The integrated stopper signals premium provenance and encourages reuse, which customers value.

Wide mouth jars

The go-to format for jams, chutneys, preserves and honey. Twist off lids are practical; hinged bail lids elevate the perceived value considerably.

Sauce and condiment bottles

Tall narrow profiles work well for hot sauces, oils and vinegars. Ensure the neck is wide enough for pouring demonstrations on the stand.

Crown cap bottles

The standard for bottled beer and cider at volume. Efficient to fill and seal, and instantly recognisable to consumers at any festival stand.

Miniature formats

50ml and 100ml bottles are excellent for samples, gift sets and impulse purchases. Customers who might hesitate at a full size jar will often buy a mini.

Spirits and cordials

Tall flint glass bottles with cork or screw closures suit gin, rum and premium cordials. The silhouette matters as much as the label at festival distance.

Sizing and quantities: what to bring

One of the most common mistakes craft producers make at their first festival is either bringing too little stock or bringing stock in the wrong format mix. Festival customers tend to buy on impulse, which means smaller, lower priced formats often outsell larger ones, even when the per unit value is higher.

A useful starting rule is to bring roughly 60% of your stock in your core retail size, 25% in a smaller or gift format, and keep 15% in reserve in the vehicle. If you sell out of your bestseller by midday, having backup stock is the difference between a great day and a missed opportunity.

Practical tip

Decant a few open bottles or jars for tasting samples rather than opening your retail stock. Customers who taste first are significantly more likely to buy, and your sealed packaging stays pristine for sale.

Labelling requirements for festival sales

Selling directly to the public at a festival means your labels must comply with food labelling regulations, regardless of the informal setting. Non-compliant labelling can lead to products being removed from sale by trading standards officers, who do attend larger events.

At minimum, your label must clearly display the product name, a full ingredients list, any allergen information (highlighted in bold or a contrasting style), the net quantity, the name and address of the producer, and a best before or use by date where applicable. Alcoholic drinks require an ABV statement and, for wine and beer, may require additional declarations.

Important

If you are selling alcohol, you will need a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) or to operate under the festival organiser's premises licence. Confirm this with the organiser well in advance. Selling alcohol without the correct authorisation is a criminal offence regardless of the scale of the event.

Transporting glass safely to and from the festival

Glass is heavy and breakable, and festival logistics are rarely gentle. How you pack and transport your stock is as important as the packaging itself. Broken stock on arrival is more than a financial loss; it creates a safety hazard and a difficult start to your day.

To ensure your products arrive intact, follow these logistics best practices:

Use divider boxes: Utilize purpose-built cardboard divider boxes or plastic crates with individual cell inserts to prevent bottles from knocking together.
Limit stacking height: Avoid stacking heavy crates more than three high to protect the integrity of the bottom layer.
Secure your jars: For jars, wrap each unit in tissue or pack tightly enough that there is no movement within the box.
Bring a "stand kit": Always have a small toolkit with spare lids, a cloth, and cleaning supplies ready in case of any breakage on the stand.

Display and merchandising on the stand

Glass packaging has a natural visual advantage: it catches light. Use this to your benefit by arranging your stand so that bottles and jars are at eye level and, where possible, backlit or positioned to catch natural daylight.

Tiered wooden risers or crates create height variation and make a small stand feel abundant. Group products by format or flavour rather than laying everything flat. A well merchandised glass display looks like a deli counter, which is exactly the feeling that drives premium festival sales.

Sustainability: glass at festivals

One of the strongest selling points of glass packaging at a festival is its sustainability credentials. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely without loss of quality. This is a genuine, provable claim that resonates strongly with the festival audience, which tends to be environmentally conscious.

If your event has glass recycling on site, communicate this clearly on your stand. Some producers go further by offering a small discount to customers who return previous purchases in the same format, creating a deposit return loop that builds loyalty and reduces waste simultaneously.

Ready to find the right glass packaging for your next festival?

Browse our full range of bottles and jars, from swing tops to wide mouth preserving jars, all available in wholesale quantities.

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