Guidance

Festivals in Europe: travel checklist

Travel tips and advice if you're going to a European music festival.

From:
Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
25 June 2017
Last updated
7 June 2023 — See all updates
Travelaware - Hassle-free music festivals abroad

This guidance is about going to music festivals in European countries. It may also be relevant if you’re going to festivals elsewhere. It 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
  • if you’re going to a festival in an EU country or Switzerland, get a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) before leaving the UK, for 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
  • leave copies of important documents with a family or friend, including your passport and travel insurance policy
  • tell family or friends where you’ll be staying
  • make a note of the local emergency numbers, details of the nearest British embassy or consulate and the number of a family member or a close friend in case you lose your phone

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
  • stay with your friends, look out for each other and avoid walking back to your accommodation on your own
  • laws can be different in other countries. Penalties for drug possession in Europe can be severe, with heavy fines or imprisonment. Elsewhere, it could even lead to the death penalty

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

Follow us

Published 25 June 2017
Last updated 7 June 2023 + show all updates

  1. Guidance reviewed, and links added to the 'Further information' section on personal safety information and support for British nationals abroad.

  2. Updated to reflect the latest guidance

  3. Checklist updated with latest advice

  4. Updated checklist

  5. First published.

Contents

Related content