Safety Guidelines
Safety and comfort go very much hand in hand. In order to guarantee the smooth and easy progression of things for all parties involved in the Ilosaarirock festival, we have compiled some relevant guidelines and recommendations. Regardless of whether this year's Ilosaarirock festival is your first or 30th rock festival experience, we hope that you will read this section carefully.
In large events involving large crowds circumstances can change quickly. Here are some basic guidelines on how to react in possibly risky situations:
- Follow the advice given by the festival organisers or security personnel.
- Always take care of yourself and your friends.
- Respect the privacy of people who live in the vicinity of the festival area. Do not trespass their property, and especially do not use their gardens as a toilet.
- Avoid dense masses of people if you feel uncomfortable in crowded places. The front areas of stages, especially the Main Stage, are places in which the pressure of the audience masses can increase quickly and the situation may become uncomfortable.
- Should you nevertheless find yourself in a tight spot, stay calm. Do not go against the movements of the mass. Instead, when density decreases momentarily, try to move away. Do everything you can to keep your balance. Don't hesitate to use your voice to draw attention to yourself. The festival personnel and other festival goers will help you.
- In case you notice an accident or any other factor or problem that risks the safety of yourself and others, let the security personnel know immediately.
- If you feel dizzy among a large crowd, ask the person closest to you to help keep you on your feet. Keep up the contact with the person helping you until you feel steady again.
Gates and security check
There are two gates to the festival area: the Main Gate on Linnunlahdentie, near Sue Stage and the YleX Gate close to the YleX Stage.
The festival security personnel will check you at the gate for alcoholic drinks, alcohol bottles, or other objects classified as dangerous – these you cannot take with you to the festival area.
There can be long queues at the gates at times despite the number and hard-working attitude of the festival workers and security personnel. It's always worth checking if the other gate has shorter queues.
No glass bottles, no substances or any objects which can be classified as dangerous
It is forbidden to bring alcoholic drinks or any kind of glassware to the festival area! Note that it is also forbidden to bring in alcohol bottles regardless of their contents. Alcoholic drinks can be left in the free-of-charge alcohol deposits (Viinanarikka) outside the festival area gates. There are four licenced bar areas in the Ilosaarirock Festival area. The age limit for all licenced bar areas is 18 years.
Objects or substances that can be used to harm others, cannot be brought in to the festival area. This means weapons of any kind, explosives, fireworks etc. Please note this includes long umbrellas. You can buy raincoats from info point.
You can bring an empty plastic bottle with you to the festival area and use it as your water bottle. There are several water taps in the festival area. Especially when it's hot, remember to drink also water and not only alcoholic drinks! This will improve your ability to keep on partying into the night. You can bring in also unopened plastic lemonade bottles, juice bottles and other similar non-alcoholic bottles - the keywords are plastic and non-alcoholic.
Non-smoking areas in front of stages
According to new smoking legislation, smoking is forbidden in front of stages. You can find the non-smoking areas in the map. Please respect this prohibition – it is nicer and safer for all of us when nobody's smoking in the crowd. Ilosaarirock Festival reserves the right to remove from the festival area any persons who do not respect this order.
Info Point, Lost And Found
The Ilosaarirock Festival info point will serve the audience through the weekend. It is located next to the Third stage, about 50 metres from the Main gate (see map). During the festival the lost and found is also at the info point. So if you have lost something, or find something that someone else has lost, just go to the info point. The local police station's lost property office is closed during the weekend.
NOTE! During the nights and in the morning of Monday 18 July the info point serves in the Poppikoppi next to the Main gate.
After the festival on Monday at 12 noon, all items considered valuable are delivered to the Joensuu police station, which answers to your queries at number +358 71 875 6333. All other found items are delivered to the Joensuu Pop Musicians' Association office. You can call their lost and found hotline at +358 13 225 550 between 9 am and 4 pm during the week after the festival.
Poppikoppi Information Point
The Poppikoppi Information Point, next to the Main Gate (see map), is a place to solve all those problems that aren't solved in the Info point or other stalls. If you have a problem related to your ticket, wristband, lost and found etc., Poppikoppi Information Point is the place to go to. Poppikoppi Information Point is open from Friday to Monday, and it also hosts the Lost and Found during nights.
First Aid
The First Aid point of the festival site is open through the festival from Friday to Monday. It is located next to the Poppikoppi in the immediate vicinity of the Main gate (see map).
Victim Support Service
Victim support service is present during the festival. You can turn to them in case you need to report a crime or to cancel your mobile phone subscription after losing your mobile, or if you need general help and support. Victim support service is located in the vicinity of the Main gate and the First Aid point. For more info, visit www.riku.fi.
Police
The police is present and on duty in the festival area during the weekend.
Protect yourself
The sound intensity at the festival area and particularly near the stages may exceed safe levels from time to time, so do protect your hearing and use earplugs or earmuffs. You can buy your own pair at Plugmaster's stall right next to the information point.
Condoms are available at the Red Cross point near the Main Gate and at YleX's stall near the YleX Stage, as well as at the information points in the camping areas.
Cameras and tape recorders
All recordings of live performances by any other than authorised persons are forbidden under Finnish Copyright law § 2 and 45. It is forbidden to bring video cameras or tape recorders to the festival area. Security personnel have the right to confiscate forbidden recording devices and recordings should that be necessary.
Animals
Animals think that all Ilosaarirock festival performers are loud and that it's too hectic at festivals anyway. In other words, it is forbidden to bring pets to the festival area!
No crowd surfing
Crowd surfing, in other words surfing on top of a concert audience's heads supported by the audience members' hands, is forbidden in Ilosaarirock as it is in European festivals in general. Crowd surfing causes dangerous situations and also hinders possible help operations at front areas of stages. It is also forbidden to carry others on your shoulders. This ban has not been issued just for fun: the aim is to make sure that everyone is safe and to guarantee a pleasant experience for all festival goers. The festival organisation has the right to remove those who do not follow this order from the festival site.
Note! Remember to be careful when swimming!
The safety of the Linnunlahti beach and the Rento Stage is supervised not only by the festival security personnel but also a life-guard, on-duty first aid specialists, and members of the voluntary lifeguard team Joensuun Järvipelastajat on-duty in boats. Nevertheless, everyone should take care of their friends. If your friend fails to come back from his/her swimming trip, inform the security personnel at the beach without delay.
Prepare yourself well for the festival
Bringing the right gear with you helps the weekend to pass more smoothly and reduces the number of so-called earthly worries. Wearing sensible clothes and, above all, sensible shoes, increases your comfort. Good festival shoes are strong, not too new and comfortable to walk in. Without noticing it you will be walking kilometre after kilometre in the festival area, and blisters will prevent you from enjoying the festival to the max. Blisters and sores are the most common ailments that the people at the First Aid point treat.
The following list includes some gear that we recommend for everyone to take with them to the festival:
- rainproof clothing or a big refuse sack at the bottom of your rucksack
- a warm sweater
- something to wear on your head
- money
- a towel/swimwear
- a toothbrush
- food (something that is not easily perishable)
- a toilet roll
- some plaster for small accidents
- ear plugs
- painkillers and suntan cream
- important phone numbers on paper in case you happen to lose your mobile
- pen and paper for autographs or important phone numbers
- official identification document (a photo ID card, a passport, or a driving license)
