Safety first! The Ilosaarirock organisers work closely with different authorities to ensure safety at the event, and the festival has indeed been praised for the smooth running and peacefulness of the event – also by the authorities.
We want that the Ilosaarirock customers can concentrate on enjoying the festival with peace of mind. To this end, we have hundreds of security guards both inside the festival and camping sites, as well as the areas just outside them, ensuring the safety of our customers. The local police and rescue services as well as the Finnish Red Cross’ first aid and support services are also all on duty on the festival grounds.
The Ilosaarirock organisers are also actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and the work being done regarding it. We take part in developing even safer ways of organising events in cooperation with various national and international parties. We are constantly planning and mapping out safe alternatives and options for the event organising industry.
Security Checks
Everyone entering the festival grounds will also go through a security check. The purpose of the checks carried out by the security guards is to prevent any prohibited items or substances being brought into the festival grounds. The final decision about whether an item is safe to bring into the festival site or not is made by the security guards.
If you are heading for the festival site to see a particular artist’s performance, make sure to allow enough time for the wristband and security checks at the gates. The gates might get congested at certain times.
Allowed Items and Substances
Items that you CAN bring are for example: telescopic rods, sealed and transparent max. 1.5-litre plastic bottles (non-alcoholic), empty transparent max. 1.5-litre plastic bottles (no alcohol bottles), empty re-usable drinking bottles – both transparent and non-transparent (excluding alcohol containers), hairsprays and other cosmetic products, camping chairs (foldable, no garden chairs), DSLR or SLR cameras, snacks and food for small children, e-cigarette/vape supplies as well as medication and medical devices prescribed to you by a doctor.
Prohibited Items and Substances
Items that you CAN NOT bring are for example: drugs and your own alcoholic drinks, alcohol bottles and containers, glass bottles and containers, metal food packaging, over 1.5-litre plastic bottles, opened bottles, own walkie-talkies and radio transmitters, long/stick umbrellas, laser pens/pointers and powerful thrower flashlights/torches, firearms or replicas or items resembling them, cartridges and explosives including flares and fireworks, edged or bladed weapons, needles (without a justified reason) and other items that can be used for cutting/jabbing, unnecessary tools (e.g. multi-function tools), other items/objects or substances that could be used for harming others, megaphones, airhorns and other noisemakers, drones, remote control aircrafts and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles not used by the organiser or the authorities, as well as crappy attitude towards your wonderful fellow human beings.
Equality and Safety
The cornerstone of Ilosaarirock is that everyone is welcome and can come to the festival as they are. Ilosaarirock does not allow any kind of discrimination.
There is also zero tolerance for sexual harassment or abuse at Ilosaarirock. Our security guards and festival staff have been trained to recognise incidents of harassment and how to intervene. Additionally, the Finnish Red Cross will have a sexual harassment support person on site and the police will keep the threshold for reporting crimes low. With all these actions, we want to make sure that the best weekend of the summer is indeed just that, for everyone.
Please respect the physical integrity of each and every one of your fellow revellers and take others into consideration. If you witness or experience any inappropriate behaviour, alert or turn to any of the festival security guards or Ilosaarirock staff members.
Dense Crowds and Crowd Surfing
There are a lot of people at Ilosaarirock. If you feel uncomfortable in tight spaces, it’s best to avoid dense crowds. The crowd pressure can build up very quickly, especially in the front-of-stage areas, and the situation can become very uncomfortable. If you are trapped in a crushing crowd, stay calm and don’t push, move with the crowd instead. If you need help, ask for it loudly.
Crowd surfing, the activity of lying flat while being passed over the heads of the audience (i.e. surfing) is banned. The purpose of this is to avoid and prevent dangerous situations in a large crowd. Sitting on someone’s shoulders is also not allowed.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited in the areas in front of the stages and in the tents with performances. There are big ashtrays on the festival grounds with designated smoking areas around them where smoking is allowed. All the festival site smoking restrictions apply also to e-cigarettes/vapes. Please be respectful of your fellow revellers – not everyone is a fan of cigarette smoke, even outdoors.
Animals
Bringing animals into Ilosaarirock is not allowed, for obvious reasons.
Children
All ages are welcome at Ilosaarirock. However, please keep in mind to enjoy the festival on the kids’ terms. Being in the throngs of festival goers as the night is drawing in is not the right place for children. Please make sure the children have a substance-free and safe festival experience.
Swimming
The Ilosaarirock Rento Stage (“Rentolava”) is on a beach and it’s nice to cool off in the water during the day. However, swimming under the influence/while intoxicated is not safe. The swimming area perimeter is marked with buoys on the water. For the sake of your own safety, please only swim in the designated swimming area. The beach is supervised by security guards and the Joensuu Lake Rescuers (“Joensuun Järvipelastajat”).
Photographing
Using various video and camera equipment is allowed at the festival. SLR and DSLR cameras, GoPros and other action cameras, tablets etc. are allowed. Selfie sticks are also allowed. Drones/UAV’s, however, are not allowed for safety reasons. Please remember to respect the privacy of your fellow festival goers – so don’t post pictures of other people online without asking for their permission first. The security guards also have the right to ban photography and filming, for example at a performer’s request during their gig.
Noise
The recommended sound-level exposure values might be exceeded on the festival grounds. Protect your hearing by using earplugs or noise-reduction ear muffs.
Get Ready to Rock – What to Pack
When you pack the right stuff, you can enjoy the festival in a more carefree way. The right kind of clothing, and especially comfortable “festival shoes” that are worn-in, durable and easy to walk in add to your comfort (Ilosaarirock is definitely not the right place to wear in your brand-new shoes!).
Listed below are some other festival gear that we recommend you bring:
- raincoat/waterproof coat
- a warm jumper
- hat
- towel and swimming costume/trunks
- pocket-size hand sanitiser
- toothbrush
- food that keeps well
- toilet paper
- plasters/Band-Aid and painkillers
- safety gear, i.e. earplugs and condoms/contraceptives
- sunscreen
- phone charger, a travel charger if you have one
- open-minded attitude towards your wonderful fellow human beings