Entry fee

Each visitors makes a donation at the entrance (5 Swiss Francs per day and person is ok). Visitors who are solely there for the weekend are asked to donate at least CHF 39.95 at the entrance.

What we use the donations for:

  • Art fund of the next festival
  • Wood to burn and for art projects
  • Water and bathrooms
  • Big tents
  • Main kitchen
  • Campground
  • Fees

 

Short visitors

The festivals lasts seven days. Whoever can’t stay as long has to consider that our system relies on personal engagement. There are no hosts who provide bars, stages and concerts. Too many passive visitors and the festival dies. There would not be enough food, no program, no music. Therefore, make sure that during your stay you contribute as much as you can. Donate generously, apply at the employment office, donate yourself rich.

Infrastructure

 

  • Welcome tent
    Donations, information office, market stall, employment office, first aid. Pin wall for workshops, concerts, happenings. Lost and found.
  • Water
    Standpipe with potable water and simple showers.
  • Bathrooms
    Use provided bathrooms ONLY!
    No condoms, diapers, tampons or baby whips in the toilet!
  • Kitchen
    Kitchen tent with cooking areas and pots to use for everybody. Clean after use. You can eat here for free. Donations of groceries and cooking as part of a group are very welcome!
  • Wood
    Untreated wood from the local woods to burn or build art projects is included in the entry donation. There is plenty. Use only as much as you need.

Food

Everybody brings his own food, dishes and a cup.

Cooking in a group or in a camp reduces workload for everyone. No fossil fuel. Dig fireplaces big enough. Save grass sods to cover fireplace hole after use.

  • Market stall with local food
    Local, raw, and organic food (shorter transportation, less waste, support of local farmers). Order bigger quantities one day before ahead. Closest grocery shop located in Signau.

Waste

We leave no trace. Nothing, no cigarette butts, no beer mat, no nail.

There are no trash bins. Whatever you bring, you have to take it back. Carry a container for you waste on you.

Local waste fee stamps and trash bags are available at the entry. We leave the site cleaner than we met it!

  • Lost
    We have ‘lost arrows’ instead of trash bins. Whenever you find litter, get a lost arrow and mark the object. This will help the owner to find their item. Unretrieved items can be taken or be brought to lost and found.
  • No trash bins
    Do not start a public trash bin. They are full quickly and nobody feels responsible for them. Waste attracts more waste.
  • Problematic Items
    Items like nails, screws and wire disappears quickly in the lawn and are dangerous for the cows. Instead use nonhazardous items. Absolutely no:

    • Nails, pins, screws, wires
    • Cullet
    • Styrofoam
    • Wax
    • Feather boas, confetti and alike

Children

We are a kids friendly festival. Many parents organize events and happenings for kids. Often events and performances are kids friendly (however, others are not). Parents are responsible for their kids. They bring them to bed at an appropriate time. Kids may be confronted with unusual or even bizarre situations. Kids may need their parents to process these. The campground is big enough to find a more or less quiet place. However, this is a festival and music is played 24/7.

Everybody takes care of our kids! We always protect them.

Music

This is a self-made music festival: All bands and DJs play as their contribution to the festival.

    • Live acts
      Bans and DJs are always welcome to play at the festival. Bring your instruments and sound systems! Any style is welcome. Live acts can play without registration, bands and DJs should talks with each other and plan ahead.

      Apply here to be announced in the official program. All stages are privately organized, it’s up to them to do the booking and decide who can play on their stage.

      Whoever wants to build a stage has a very good chance to get an art grant from the art fund.

      There are not musicians’ fees, backstage areas, or VIPs. Just the respect and love of everybody, wild and legendary days.

 

    • Electricity for the music
      There are no sockets. Each stage and dance floor has its own power supply, often batteries filled with solar electricity. Build your own simple solar collector.

      Ask the Verein Solarinsel for power.

      If you play on a stage, ask the organizers if they can provide power, plan to play unplugged in worst case.

 

  • Noise
    There is a loud zone on the fire site for bigger and louder venues. However, artists can play everywhere on the festival site.

    The maximal allowed sound volume is 93dB. Be aware that sound system are much louder than music from other sources. Therefore, respect your neighbors and reduce the volume if necessary. The music master may ask you to reduce your volume.

    No soundsystems between 4 and 11 a.m. allowed.

    The organizers of the festival may ask you to reduce the volume or end the event.

Electricity

We do not use any fossil fuel or nuclear power (like diesel generators). The Verein Solarinsel provides sustainable electricity for the basic infrastructure of the festival.

It runs:

  • A small solar system (500 watt) providing energy for the village of the organizers of the festival, the main kitchen, and electric tools.
  • A medium size solar system (1500 watt) for first aid, security, water pump, bathrooms, electric tools and the welcome tent. If there is enough sunlight, we will charge the electric scooter and use it as a transport vehicle.
  • The ‘recycles’: visitors can use modified bikes to produce electricity for the concerts.

Contact Verein Solarinsel if you need power for your camp or project: strom@energiewandler.ch

Fire

Are you building a flammable art project? Please consider the following:

  • Use only untreated wood, no cardboard or plastic. No metal like screws, nails, or wire.
  • Every flammable art project must stand in a fire place. Fore this, remove grass sods (save them to put them back after the burn). The radius of the fire place equals the height of the construction.
  • The fire master organizes the burn of the various art projects on Saturday night. Please ignite your construction to the sign of the fire master. Always follow instructions of the fire master and firemen.

Rituals

The soul fire will be ignited during the opening ceremony on Monday 20:00 and will be kept burning until the closing ceremony Sunday 14:00.

All are welcome to participate. The ceremony is denominationally neutral.

Cameras

Everyone has the right not to be filmed or photographed. Get permission personally before you take pictures of people. Please don’t publish photos without this consent.

You may send us your best pictures for publishing on this website.

Dogs

Kid friendly dogs are welcome. Dogs must be kept on a lead 24/7 on the festival site.

Location

The festival site is in Signau on the Rainsberg, Emmental, Switzerland, 1000 m above sea level.

There is a signed, steep path from Signau train station to Rainsberg (30 min). Use public transportation or carpool whenever possible.

Closest train station is in Signau. Regio-trains Bern to Langnau (during the day on the half hour).

A shuttle bus departs from the train station daily at 14:00 and 18:00.

Maps


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Cars and trailers

The campsite can only be entered on Monday before 8:00 PM and Sunday after 3:00 PM. For exceptions contact the transportmeister.

Parking

The parkinglot for cars is in Signau, 30 minutes on foot from the festival site.

There is a limited number of parking lots on the Rainsberg.

Wrongly parked cars will be painted on by children. We have plenty of paint.

Weather

The festival takes place in any weather. There are plenty of shelters to have a convenient experience. The festival site can be windy. Build your tent stormproof. The festival site is evacuated during storms, info at the entrance

What to bring

It’s your own responsibility to survive one week in the wild 1000 m above sea level. Please plan accordingly. Checking weather forecast beforehand is a must.

WHAT YOU MUST BRING:

  • Tent
  • Sleeping bag
  • Waterproof, warm outfits, nights might be cold!
  • Waterpoof shoes
  • Beverages (potable water available for free)
  • Cup
  • All the food you eat
  • Water tank
  • Knife
  • Dishes and cutlery
  • Trash bag

GOOD TO HAVE:

  • Costume
  • Presents
  • Bike
  • Cart
  • Ax, saw, shovel, wheelbarrow
  • Construction material
  • First aid kit, band-aid
  • Music
  • Instruments
  • Toys
  • Bio-degradable soap, condoms, sunscreen