Festivals work because tens of thousands of people agree, without ever discussing it, to behave in a particular way. Most of the rules are obvious once you have been to one. If you have not, they are invisible, and breaking them is the quickest way to have a worse weekend than you needed to.
In the crowd
- Do not push forward through a packed crowd. If there is no space, there is no space. Arriving early is the accepted way to get to the front.
- Watch your height. If you are tall, take a step back rather than standing directly in front of someone much shorter. It costs you nothing.
- Flags and totems belong at the back or the sides, and should come down when the headliner starts.
- Sitting down in a standing crowd is how people get hurt. If you need to sit, move to the edge.
- Filming the whole set with your phone up puts a lit screen in the face of the person behind you. A minute or two is fine.
- If someone goes down, everyone stops and helps. This is the one rule with no exceptions.
- Shoulder rides are banned at many events and unpopular at all of them.
On the campsite
- Guy lines are trip hazards. Walk around tents, not between them, and never step over a guy line in the dark.
- Do not touch, lean on or sit on someone else's tent.
- Noise after about 2am is where goodwill runs out. Portable speakers in the campsite at 5am make you the least popular person in the field, and are banned outright at a growing number of festivals.
- Leave a walkway. Pitching across the natural path between rows blocks hundreds of people all weekend.
- Say hello to your neighbours on day one. The people either side of you are the ones who will notice if something is wrong with your tent.
Queues, bars and toilets
- Do not queue jump, including the version where one person queues and six friends join at the front.
- Know your order before you reach the bar.
- Take your rubbish with you when you leave a spot, including cups. Bins fill up, but leaving a pile on the grass is still your choice.
- Close the toilet door and use the sanitiser. Norovirus outbreaks at festivals are entirely preventable and entirely miserable.
- Do not use the urinals or toilets as a shortcut for anything else, and never relieve yourself against a fence, a hedge or a tent. Most festivals will eject people for it.
Consent, space and looking out for people
Festival crowds are physically close, and that closeness is not consent to anything. Do not touch people you do not know. If someone tells you or signals that they want space, give it immediately. If you see someone being harassed, being followed, or clearly not coping, say something or find a steward. Every UK festival of any size has a welfare team, and they would far rather be called unnecessarily than not called at all.
The environmental bit
The single biggest complaint festivals have about their audiences is what gets left behind. Take your tent home. Take your chair, your airbed and your gazebo home. Use the recycling points. Bring a refillable bottle rather than buying a new one each time. None of this is difficult and it is the main reason some festivals have lost their licences or their sites.
Small courtesies that go a long way
- Thank the stewards. They are frequently volunteers on an eight hour shift.
- Help someone who is struggling with a tent, a trolley or a bag.
- Share your spare peg, cable tie or plaster. It comes back around.
- Look after the newcomers in your group. Everyone was one once.
Frequently asked questions
Is it rude to push to the front at a festival?
Yes. The accepted way to get near the stage is to arrive early and stay put. Forcing through a dense crowd is both unpopular and unsafe.
Can you play music in a festival campsite?
Quietly, and not through the night. A growing number of UK festivals ban portable speakers in campsites entirely, so check the rules.
What do I do if someone collapses in a crowd?
Shout for help, make space around them, and get the attention of the nearest steward or the stage. Do not try to move them through the crowd yourself unless directed.
Is it really that bad to leave a tent behind?
Yes. Abandoned tents are almost never reusable, are expensive for festivals to clear, and have contributed directly to sites and licences being lost.
