Festivals in Europe: travel checklist
Travel tips and advice if you're going to a European music festival.
This guidance is about going to music festivals in European countries. It may also be relevant if you’re going to festivals elsewhere. Most visits to festivals are trouble-free, but incidents can happen. These range from lost passports and other valuables to arrests, assault and occasionally more serious matters, including rape, sexual assault or death. This guidance aims to help you plan so that you can stay safe while you are abroad.
Before you go
Before you travel, you should:
- read the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development travel advice to prepare yourself, particularly the sections on entry requirements, safety and local laws
- sign up to receive travel advice email alerts for the country you are visiting; you’ll get alerts if the travel advice changes before you travel or while you are abroad
- get appropriate travel insurance that covers your itinerary, planned activities, and expenses in an emergency; keep the contact and policy numbers with you
- get a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) before leaving the UK if you’re going to a festival in an EU country or Switzerland, giving you access to essential medical treatment if you have an accident or get ill; if you already have a UK European Health Insurance Card (UK EHIC), it will be valid until its expiry date
- fill in the last page of your passport with your emergency contacts and tell family or friends where you’ll be staying
- have a backup plan for accessing key information such as your accommodation, flight and passport details, contact numbers and insurance policy (for example, in case you lose your phone); leave copies of documents or share the details with friends or family or store online using a secure data storage platform
- ensure you can access enough money to pay for unexpected costs if your main payment method fails (for example, because you have lost your phone and cannot complete two-factor authentication)
At the festival
While you are at the festival:
- always keep your valuables, including your passport, in a safe place – some festivals provide lockers
- if you have to carry your passport or other valuables with you, keep them in a safe place (for example, in a zipped inside pocket)
- keep some spare cash separate from the rest of your money and credit cards
- don’t leave bags unattended; if you spot anything suspicious, report it to security staff immediately
- stay with your friends, look out for each other and avoid walking back to your accommodation on your own
Penalties for possessing drugs in Europe can be severe, including heavy fines or prison.
If you need help
If you need help at a festival:
- go to the information point: most festivals have information points you can go to for help, advice and lost property
- in an emergency, call the local emergency services on 112 (in Europe); in other countries check what the emergency number is
- if your passport is lost or stolen, you will need to apply for an emergency travel document to get back to the UK
Sources of further information
- Travel Aware for information about staying safe and healthy abroad
- personal safety advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)
- support for British nationals abroad guidance
- festival safety advice from Counter Terrorism Policing for UK festival goers (#BeSafeBeSound)
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Contact the FCDO
You can contact the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate, or the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London (24 hours a day) on 020 7008 5000 for advice. Read the privacy notice on how the FCDO will process your data.
Feedback
We welcome your views on the support we provide, to help us to identify what we do well and what we could do better. Contact us using our feedback contact form.
Alternatively write to us:
Consular Feedback Team
Consular Directorate
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH
Or telephone +44 (0)20 7008 5000
Disclaimer
Our information on preparing for festivals in Europe aims to help you plan for a trouble-free trip. It is not exhaustive. No foreign travel can be guaranteed as safe, and you must take personal responsibility for your own travel. You can read the disclaimer relating to this guidance.
Last updated 29 May 2024 + show all updates
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Guidance reviewed and updated.
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Guidance reviewed, and links added to the 'Further information' section on personal safety information and support for British nationals abroad.
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Updated to reflect the latest guidance
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Checklist updated with latest advice
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Updated checklist
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First published.