Festival health & safety

Festivals are about music, nature and people. A little preparation keeps the days and nights good for you and the people around you. This page is general safety information, not medical advice. In an emergency anywhere in the EU, the UK or Ukraine, call 112.

Look after your hearing

• Wear earplugs from the first set. Musicians’ earplugs with filters lower the volume but keep the music clear.
• Don’t stand right next to the speakers, even for a moment. Moving a few metres back makes a big difference.
• Take quiet breaks away from the dancefloor, especially after long sets.
• Ringing ears or muffled sound after a night are a warning sign. Give your ears a rest the next day.

Heat, sun and water

• Drink water regularly through the day and night, in small amounts. Drinking far too much at once can also be dangerous.
• Long dancing in the heat makes you lose salt as well as water: eat proper meals and salty snacks.
• Wear a hat, use sunscreen and find shade in the afternoon heat.
• Learn the signs of heatstroke: hot skin, confusion, headache, being sick, fainting. Move the person to shade, cool them down and get the medical team at once.
• Nights can be cold, even after hot days. Pack a warm layer.

Camping safety

• Keep space between tents so people and fire crews can get through.
• Only use stoves and fires where the festival allows it, and never inside a tent.
• Keep valuables on you or in a locker. Note where your tent is on the map.
• Agree a meeting point with friends in case phones die or there is no signal.

Consent and looking out for each other

• Ask before touching, hugging or taking photos, and accept a no without discussion.
• If someone is bothering you or another person, tell the crew, security or the festival’s awareness team. Most festivals have one.
• Keep an eye on your friends, and on people who seem alone and unwell.

If someone is having a hard time

Sometimes people get overwhelmed: by heat, tiredness, emotions or substances. Most festivals have a calm space with trained people for exactly this, often called a care, welfare or psy-care area.

• Stay with them. Don’t leave them alone.
• Bring them somewhere quieter, with shade or warmth and water. Speak calmly and simply.
• Get the festival’s care team or medical staff. Tell them honestly what happened: they are there to help, not to judge.
• Call 112 or the medical team straight away if someone is unconscious, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, is very hot and confused, or you are worried about their life.

Where to find support

• Kosmicare: psychedelic crisis support and care spaces at festivals, from Portugal.
• Zendo Project: peer support for people having difficult psychedelic experiences at events.
• DanceSafe: health and safety information for the dance and festival community.
• TripSit: a free online chat with volunteers, open around the clock.
• At the festival itself: the info point, the medical tent and the care or welfare area. Look them up on the site map when you arrive.