Information

Personal Safety

Security

We take the security and safety of our festival goers very seriously – it is a real priority.

Please help us by bringing as little as possible and remember we do not allow bags larger than A4 into the arena. Please be patient while we carry out our security checks and searches, which take place at the campsite gates, the arena entrance and may also happen at any time at any location onsite.

Our security staff are there for your safety – please co-operate with them as they work to keep us all safe and sound. Some are covert, but most are obvious by their numbered tabard. Always go to them if you need help. The medical tent is fully staffed, open in line with the arena and located near the arena entrance. There is a second tent next to the N4 Stage.

There are security measures you will see and of course ones that you can’t. The whole site is monitored throughout by staff on the ground along with an extensive CCTV system watched round the clock by a team of monitors in a fully staffed Event Control.

We work very closely with The Met Police and members of the security services to ensure our security procedures are up to date and we are following best practice. We put a lot of time and effort on briefing and training and run emergency exercises. We also have a team of sniffer dogs working around the clock. Please help us by reporting anything that doesn’t look right to you and also please let us know if you spot an area where we can do better and we will get on it.

Care and Safety

We don’t accept any discrimination towards any individual or groups of individuals at any of our festivals.

Irrespective of the background of the individual, be that gender, race, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity. We are proud of the diverse nature of our festivals and their customers, if you see or experience anyone undermining this – no matter the severity – please report it immediately to one of our onsite staff.

Care and safety on site

Decide on a meeting point with your friends. Choose a time and place to meet up later in case you get separated from each other
Learn the layout of the site so you can easily find toilets and stewards
Keep your phone charged in case you’re separated from your friends
Stay hydrated. There are tested drinking water points throughout the arena which are free to use
For a full list of what you can and can’t bring into the site, please visit Event Info
Keep your wits about you. Drink responsibly and know your limit
Security measures are in place, which include metal detectors and sniffer dogs, at all entry gates. Large bags are not allowed to be taken into the festival. There is no cloakroom. Small bags are allowed into the festival with the dimensions W21cm x H30cm x D8cm. We appreciate your cooperation and patience when entering the festival
Festival stewards are here to help you. Don’t be worried about asking for help in any situation, whether it’s asking for directions or to report something or someone you’re worried about
Strobe lighting – pyrotechnics, lasers, smoke machines, strobe lighting/special effects may take place during some performances.
The Welfare Tent is open throughout the event and is staffed by experienced and supportive people. They can provide confidential advice about drugs, alcohol, legal highs and sexual health, and offer support if you need to talk. They offer a monitored rest and recovery area if you’ve overdone it. Please go to the Welfare Tent if you experience any problems or need to talk to someone for any reason

What To Do in an Emergency

There are hundreds of security, stewards and staff on duty, all of which wear our festival tabards. For any emergencies, locate a member of staff, who will be able to assist or locate the correct assistance.

If you need to contact the Metropolitan Police to report a non-emergency crime or to provide information on a crime while at the festival, please call 101.

If a serious or life-threatening crime is being committed, please contact a member of staff or police officer immediately. If in the unlikely event you cannot find someone, please call 999.

Welfare Facilities

The Welfare Facilities will be open throughout the event and are staffed by experienced and supportive people who understand festivals. They can give confidential advice about drugs, alcohol, legal highs and sexual health and offer support if you need someone to talk to for any reason. They offer a monitored rest & recovery area if you’ve overdone it and they also care for lost children and vulnerable people.

Lost Children

If you have lost a child, please contact a member of staff or police officer immediately who will be able to help you or go to the Welfare facilities.

Drugs Policy & Advice

Drugs Policy

Festival Republic does not condone the use of drugs. Drugs enforcement laws are as applicable onsite as anywhere else in the UK. It is illegal to buy, sell or take drugs. All drugs are potentially dangerous, there are no harmless drugs. The only way to avoid risks is to not take drugs at all. This goes for new psychoactive substances (formerly known as “legal highs”) as well.
But we want our festival goers to know above all else that you can come to us for help if you or your friends need it without fear of getting in trouble at any time.
Always be honest with medics and welfare teams about what you have consumed so that they know how best to help you.

Drugs Advice

We do not recommend you take drugs, but if you do please bear the following in mind.
There are drugs in circulation in the UK that can kill with one single pill.
Mixing drugs with other drugs / alcohol / prescription drugs can be very dangerous and mixing is behind many drugs deaths.
Cheap does not mean weak.
Pure does not mean safe.
You don’t know the strength of what you might be taking. You don’t know how your body will react. You can’t tell what you are taking by looking at it. You can’t tell how you will react by the reaction others have had.
Remember that tolerance levels can vary. You may not have the same tolerance level as your friends. You can always up your dose but you can’t reduce it. Wait at least 2 hours before taking any more. Start low and go slow.
If your powder or pills don’t take effect as quickly as you would expect, don’t assume they are poor quality – they may contain another substance that takes longer to take effect. If you then take more as a result you are at increased risk of overdose when the combined doses do kick in. Start low and go slow.
Treat all drugs as unknown.
Take regular breaks if you are dancing or exercising or in a hot environment and rehydrate with water or soft drinks – take small sips regularly but don’t have more than one pint an hour.
Having an isotonic drink can help if you have been drinking a lot of water.
Use in a safe environment, with people you trust and not alone. Be open with your friends about what you are taking and look out for each other. Ask for help if you need it.
You can talk to the Welfare Team onsite in confidence at any time and they will have drugs advisory staff to help you. At camping festivals they are open 24 hours and their location will be advertised on the site maps or stewards / security will know where to direct you.

NPS AND FORMER LEGAL HIGHS

Our drugs policies include Nitrous Oxide (Nos) and former legal highs all of which are dangerous. They are not safe or mild because they used to be legal.
Former legal highs are now known as NPS (New Psychoactive Substances) and it is now an offence to sell them. If you take NPS, then keep the packet in case you need to show someone what you have taken but note that what it says on the packet isn’t necessarily what is in the packet. Also chemicals can fall to the bottom of the bag leading to a very high dose.

DEALERS

There are covert staff onsite and as a condition of entry you are subject to search at any time. Staff will search for illegal items including drugs.
If someone offers you drugs, please report them to the nearest member of security with as much information as you can.

ALCOHOL

Pace yourself.
Try to avoid getting too intoxicated in unfamiliar situations. You can lose control, make risky decisions and become less aware of danger.
Alcohol and other drugs can impair your judgement; don’t feel pressured into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.
If you are having a bad time or struggling but don’t feel you need medical attention, visit the Welfare Team.
If someone becomes unconscious or unresponsive, put them in the recovery position (on their side) and seek immediate medical attention by alerting the nearest member of security.
Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks. Being blind drunk and vomiting isn’t fun.
If you are drinking from early in the day, try to stick to drinks with a lower ABV for example lager rather than spirits.
Alcohol is the most common substance used to spike drinks. Never leave drinks unattended and don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Remember if you take drugs and become ill, depressed or concerned, make sure you ask the nearest member of staff to direct you to our Welfare Tent. If you or someone you are with has a bad reaction and needs medical help, talk to the nearest member of staff immediately. Let the medics know what has been taken. You could save your friend’s life. People who are overdosing can go downhill very quickly so don’t delay in seeking help.

Ecstasy deaths appear to be rising year on year. There appears to be a link with the amount of MDMA found in tablets more recently. In 2005 each pill contained around 80mg of MDMA. Some recent pills have tested upwards of 250mg MDMA. This could be firmly in the fatal overdose range. A combination of factors are at play such as bodyweight, hormone levels, mixing with other drugs including alcohol, underlying health and so on. There is no safe dose.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE DANGERS OF MIXING DRUGS

Mixing drugs intensifies the effects of each drug and makes them more dangerous and potentially fatal. Mixing drugs and alcohol is common but alcohol can have a big impact on the way many substances affect you. It could enhance the effects of the first drug but it could also create a dangerous or potentially fatal chemical reaction. Mixing ecstasy with cocaine can increase the high but also increases the risk of cardiac arrest. The more drugs that are used simultaneously including alcohol and including prescription drugs, the greater the risk. DO NOT MIX.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON PARTICULAR COMBINATIONS

ALCOHOL AND ECSTASY

Alcohol can moderate the high from ecstasy and also increase the intensity of the come down. Both drugs cause dehydration which increases the risk of heatstroke. There is a greater strain on the liver and kidneys which can lead to feeling / being sick. Both drugs impair judgment. Mixing alcohol with ecstasy has resulted in a number of drugs overdoses at music festivals in recent years.

ALCOHOL AND COCAINE

This combination results in the formation of an entirely new chemical in the body called cocaethylene. This is then associated with liver damage, seizures and immune system damage. Immediate death from cocaethylene is 20 times more likely than from cocaine alone. The impact of alcohol can increase the levels of cocaine in the blood by as much as 30% increasing the strain on the cardiovascular system. There is also an increased likelihood of violent behaviour and suicide.

ALCOHOL WITH OTHER STIMULANTS

A combination of alcohol with other stimulants such as ritalin, adderall, amphetamine, some diet pills, some over the counter cold remedies and even some strong energy drinks can also be dangerous. As with cocaine they can obscure the sedating effects of alcohol enabling a person to get dangerously drunk without fully realising. Overheating is more likely which can lead to organ damage. A person taking alcohol with these stimulants can lose their inhibitions but be irritable and aggressive.

MISUSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription drugs are not safe if not used according to the issuing doctor’s instructions. The benzodiazepine (benzo’s) group of drugs – valium, xanex, tamazepan etc are often used to come down from other drugs such as ecstasy or speed. This is a dangerous combination as the tranquilizers can be numbing and when taken with alcohol the combined depressant effects can cause fatal overdose by inhibiting breathing or slowing down vital organs.