Introduction
Water is the lifeblood of any festival – especially folk festivals often set in rural locations – making thoughtful water stewardship essential. Veteran festival organizers understand that providing ample, clean drinking water isn’t just a nicety but a safety imperative and a community responsibility. In recent years, a strong “refill culture” has emerged: festivals large and small are eliminating single-use plastic bottles and encouraging attendees to bring reusable bottles. Many events, from boutique folk gatherings to mega-festivals, have phased out single-use plastic water bottles in favor of refill stations. (In 2019, for instance, Glastonbury Festival banned the sale of single-use plastic bottles entirely (apnews.com).) Embracing this refill culture improves sustainability and enhances the guest experience. In this guide, an experienced festival producer shares hard-earned wisdom on providing water at festivals – from installing high-capacity refill stations to protecting local wells – so the next generation of festival organizers can keep the music flowing and the crowds hydrated.
High-Capacity Refill Points Near Stages and Camps
The first rule of festival water management is to make water easily accessible wherever people congregate. Attendees shouldn’t have to trek far or wait long for a refill. That’s why successful festivals install high-capacity refill stations in key locations: near performance stages, campgrounds, food courts, and other high-traffic hubs. These stations should be equipped with multiple taps or high-flow dispensers so dozens of people can fill bottles simultaneously without long queues.
Consider the scale of supply needed. A massive event like Glastonbury Festival in the UK, which becomes a temporary city of 200,000+, provides over 850 water points on site, including dedicated bottle-filling stations and “water bars” at major stages (glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). This ensures that even during a headliner’s set, thirsty fans can quickly fill up from a nearby tap and get back to the show. While a small folk festival won’t need hundreds of outlets, the principle is the same – match your refill capacity to your crowd size. For a folk festival with 5,000 attendees, that might mean installing a dozen or more well-distributed refill points (with extra units during peak daytime hours). It’s better to have a few more water taps than strictly necessary than to have people lining up or, worse, dehydrating.
Placement is critical. Near stages: Dancing and singing along is thirsty work, so put large refill tanks or tap towers within sight of the audience area (off to the side where they won’t be in the way, but clearly visible). If your event has multiple stages, each one should have a water station nearby. Near campsites: For multi-day folk festivals with camping, provide water in each campground so attendees can fill containers in the morning and late at night. No one wants to wander far from their tent at dawn just to find water for tea or tooth-brushing. Near food vendors: Eating salty festival food or drinking alcohol increases thirst, so placing refill taps by the food court and beer tents encourages attendees to hydrate and stay safe.
It’s also wise to design specialized “hydration hubs” – central refill areas with high-capacity infrastructure. Many modern festivals use innovative solutions like large water tanks with multiple spigots or plumbed-in “water bars” staffed by volunteers. These setups can pump out thousands of liters of water per hour. For instance, at some Australian outdoor events, event organizers deploy water trucks and portable troughs as refill stations during summer heatwaves, ensuring that cold water is always on hand even in remote paddocks. Whatever system you choose, test its output in advance: you want a robust flow rate so bottles fill in seconds, not minutes. A fast refill not only pleases attendees but also shortens lines, meaning more people can hydrate in less time.
Monitor Usage and Reposition Quickly
Even with ample refill points set up, smart festival producers continuously monitor water usage throughout the event. Crowds are dynamic – a refill station that’s quiet in the morning might see a massive rush after a sunset concert or during midday heat. By keeping an eye on where water demand is spiking, your team can respond in real time. This might mean redeploying mobile refill units, opening additional taps, or simply alerting attendees to alternative refill points with shorter lines.
One practical approach is assigning staff or volunteers specifically to water station duty. They can periodically check each refill point’s status: Is water flowing properly? Are any tanks running low or pumps losing pressure? Is a particular station overwhelmed with a line? With quick radio communication, the team can dispatch water trucks or backup tanks to the busy spots as needed. If one refill station runs dry or encounters a technical issue, have a contingency plan to divert people to the nearest working tap while it’s fixed. The goal is that no attendee should ever find an empty faucet or an interminable wait – proactive monitoring makes that possible.
Data can be your friend here. Some events use technology to track water distribution. For example, Scottish Water (a public utility) installed digital flow meters on its public refill taps to log usage in real time (www.scottishwater.co.uk). At a festival, similar meters or simple daily meter readings on water trucks can tell you which areas are guzzling the most water. If the campground on the west end is using twice the water of the east end, you might relocate a spare tank there, or increase its refill frequency. Flexibility is key – don’t be afraid to reposition a mobile hydration station or add an extra unit when you see demand rising.
Monitoring isn’t only about supply quantity, but also quality and cleanliness. Regularly inspect the sanitation of refill points – keep an eye out for any unhygienic conditions (mud puddles around taps, for instance) and address them with drainage or cleaning. Ensure any water being dispensed remains potable; if you’re drawing from on-site wells or tanks, periodic testing during the festival is wise to catch any contamination early. There’s a famous cautionary tale from a marathon event in Las Vegas where unsanitary water stations led to many runners falling ill (drinkflowater.com). A festival can’t afford such a scenario. Set up your water infrastructure to food-grade standards (using proper hoses, clean storage tanks, etc.) and have a maintenance crew on call to fix leaks or replace faulty spigots immediately.
In short, treat water service like a live, adaptive operation – much like you’d manage festival security or medical teams, manage your water. Watch, analyze, and respond swiftly. By dynamically adjusting to crowd needs (moving units, refilling tanks, fixing issues on the fly), you’ll prevent minor inconveniences from snowballing into major problems like dehydration cases or public frustration. Attendees will likely never notice this behind-the-scenes work, and that’s a good thing – it means the water is always just there when they need it.
Communicate “Bring a Bottle” Loud and Clear
The refill infrastructure only succeeds if festival-goers actually bring containers to use it. Cultivating a strong refill culture starts long before gates open. Effective communication is essential: you need to plainly encourage everyone to “bring a bottle” and make sure they know water will be freely available. This message should be omnipresent in your pre-event outreach – on the festival website FAQ, in the packing list, on social media, and in the informational emails or ticket purchase confirmation.
Many festivals have adopted catchy campaigns around this idea. For instance, Shambala Festival in the UK launched a pioneering “Bring a Bottle” campaign years ago, implementing a site-wide ban on selling bottled water and asking every attendee, crew member, and artist to arrive with a reusable bottle (www.shambalafestival.org). In the first year of this initiative, they dramatically increased water tap points across the site and partnered with a water charity so that free, chilled water was always on tap (www.shambalafestival.org). The result? Attendees embraced the change, and Shambala not only eliminated tens of thousands of single-use bottles, but also earned goodwill (and even raised money for charity through reusable bottle sales).
Even if your festival isn’t going entirely plastic-free yet, set clear expectations about refills. A simple but powerful step is including a bold reminder in the travel or ticket info: “Bring an empty reusable water bottle. Free water refill stations will be available throughout the festival.” Glastonbury Festival does this to great effect, reminding ticket-holders that hundreds of water taps on site will provide free drinking water (glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). By highlighting the availability of water, you reassure attendees that they don’t need to lug in a personal water cache or buy expensive bottled water on site – they just need a refillable container.
On-site, continue to reinforce the message. Use signage like “Refill > Landfill” or “Drink Water, Refill Here!” with arrows pointing to water stations. Consider having MCs from the stages occasionally remind the crowd to stay hydrated and use the refill points (especially if it’s a hot day). Most festival-goers want to do the right thing environmentally; sometimes they just need a nudge. Also, make water refills part of the culture by encouraging people to carry their bottle as a must-have accessory (you might even hand out carabiner clips at the info booth so people can hook bottles to their bags).
Don’t forget to plan for those who forget to bring a bottle. It will happen. Savvy organizers provide a solution, whether it’s selling inexpensive reusable bottles at the merch stand or offering compostable cups at refill stations as a last resort. Some festivals offer branded steel or BPA-free bottles, which can serve as a nice souvenir (and an extra revenue stream or sponsorship opportunity). Just ensure any on-site cup or bottle solution aligns with your sustainability goals (e.g. compostable paper cones for water are better than single-use plastic cups). The easier and more normal you make it for people to refill, the more they will do it without a second thought.
Partner with Utilities and Sponsors for Water Support
You don’t have to tackle water logistics alone. One hallmark of veteran festival producers is that they forge partnerships to bolster their event’s infrastructure. When it comes to water, a key ally can be the local water utility or a like-minded sponsor. In many regions, public utilities and environmentally-minded companies are eager to support events that promote tap water over disposable bottles – it’s great PR for them and aligns with community interests.
Start by reaching out to the municipal or regional water provider where your festival is held. They may be able to assist with technical planning or even provide equipment. For example, some town water departments have portable water refill stations they loan out for community events (often trailer-mounted fountains designed for exactly this purpose). There are cases where utilities have sponsored water stations in exchange for brand visibility and messaging about local water quality. A real-world example: Cambridge Folk Festival partners with Cambridge Water, the local water company, which sponsors the festival’s green initiatives (www.cambridgelive.org.uk). This kind of partnership can help cover the costs of extra taps or pipelines needed, and it sends a positive message that the festival cares about local resources.
Another avenue is working with organizations or companies that specialize in sustainable event water solutions. In the UK and Europe, non-profits like WaterAid and Frank Water collaborate with festivals to run on-site “refill kiosks”. These kiosks not only dispense free water but also often collect optional donations for clean water projects, turning your festival’s hydration service into a charitable cause. Having uniformed volunteers from a charity managing some refill points can lend credibility and relieve your own staff, all while educating the public – a win-win situation. Similarly, some festivals invite sponsorship from filtration system brands or beverage companies (minus the single-use bottles). For instance, a major folk festival in Australia might team up with a filtration equipment supplier to provide large tanks of filtered rainwater for attendees, with the supplier’s logo modestly displayed in return for their support.
When engaging sponsors for water, ensure they align with the “refill not landfill” ethos. A utility or a reusable bottle company makes sense; a bottled water brand offering cash in exchange for selling their product on-site would undermine your goals (and likely anger your audience, who today are quite conscious of greenwashing). Instead, structure sponsorships that enhance free water access: maybe a local company funds the installation of permanent water fountains at your venue or an energy drink brand underwrites a “hydration lounge” where festival-goers can relax and rehydrate (without pushing single-use product).
Finally, involve the local community in water planning. Especially at folk festivals in smaller towns, the festival’s water use might dwarf the usual local demand. Engaging with local authorities and residents not only avoids potential conflicts (for example, concerns about the festival straining the town water supply), but can also open doors to resources. Perhaps the volunteer fire brigade can lend a water tanker, or the town council provides access to a high-capacity water connection. Building these relationships demonstrates good faith – you’re showing that the festival wants to be a part of the community, not just an imposition on local utilities. In some cases, festivals have reciprocated by leaving a positive legacy, such as installing a new public water tap in the village or improving water infrastructure that benefits locals year-round. Those gestures go a long way in strengthening community support and pride in the festival.
Protect Local Wells and Waterways
When planning water for a festival in a rural or small-town setting, it’s crucial to understand the local water supply realities. Unlike a city event where you might have virtually unlimited municipal water pressure, a folk festival on a farm or village green may be drawing from wells, small water systems, or trucked-in supplies. Responsible water stewardship means making sure your festival’s thirst doesn’t negatively impact the surrounding area’s environment or residents.
Start by evaluating where your water will come from. If the site has an on-site well, get it tested and rated for yield (how many liters/gallons per hour can it sustainably provide?). You may discover that the well is fine for a farmhouse but woefully insufficient for thousands of festival-goers. In such cases, festival organizers often bring in potable water tanks or arrange bulk water deliveries to meet the shortfall rather than deplete the well. It’s a balancing act: tapping the local source a bit while supplementing with external water can protect against running the well dry. Always communicate with local well owners and authorities – over-extraction could leave the community with a water shortage or pump failures, which would understandably create backlash. An illustrative figure: the Cambridge Folk Festival calculated about 16.3 liters of water used per person per day on-site (www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk). For 10,000 attendees that’s over 160,000 liters each day – clearly beyond what a small rural well could handle alone. Knowing stats like these helps in arranging adequate supply without straining local resources.
Next, if you are using public water mains in a rural town, coordinate with the utility on timing and pressure. It might be necessary to fill your storage tanks during off-peak hours (e.g., late at night) so the sudden high demand doesn’t reduce water pressure for local homes and farms. In some cases, festivals install temporary booster pumps or water towers to ensure a steady flow. Partnering with the local water company again pays off here – they can monitor the network and advise on the best approach to keep everyone (festival and town alike) fully watered.
Protecting local waterways is equally important. Festivals should implement strict policies to prevent pollution of any nearby rivers, lakes, or streams. Gray water (from showers, sinks, etc.) should never be dumped untreated where it could run off into natural water bodies. Instead, collect gray water in holding tanks or sumps – and if possible, treat it. Forward-thinking events like Portugal’s Boom Festival have invested in on-site wastewater treatment plants that can process nearly 100% of the event’s water usage, protecting the surrounding ecosystem (www.boomfestival.org). Treated water can even be reused for things like irrigation. Your festival might not have the budget for a full treatment plant, but at minimum hire reputable contractors to handle sewage and gray water disposal safely. Do not allow vendors or campers to pour waste liquids on the ground indiscriminately.
Also, consider the wildlife and natural environment. If your folk festival is by a lovely country stream, it may be tempting for attendees to cool off in it. Make sure they aren’t using soap or shampoo in natural waters (provide free rinse-off stations or “solar showers” as an alternative). If you’re drawing water from a creek or lake for any non-drinking purposes (say, to dampen dusty roads or for flushing toilets), consult environmental experts on the potential impact and secure the necessary permits. Often it’s better to haul in water than to disrupt a fragile aquatic ecosystem or drain a farm irrigation pond without permission.
Remember that festivals often pride themselves on leaving the site as they found it (or better). Water stewardship is a big part of that ethos. It might not be as visibly obvious as litter cleanup, but locals will quickly notice if their well runs dry or their fish pond is polluted. By planning conservatively and prioritizing the long-term health of local water sources, you demonstrate respect for your host community. It might not be as flashy as the main stage, but this diligence not only prevents environmental damage, it also builds trust. Communities will welcome a festival back if they see that organizers take water and environmental care seriously.
Conclusion
In the grand orchestra of festival planning, water management might not be as glamorous as booking headline artists or designing stages – but it is absolutely foundational to a festival’s success. Ensuring that every guest can stay safely hydrated, that no one suffers from lack of water, and that the local community’s resources are respected requires a deliberate strategy and a heartfelt commitment to water stewardship. As we’ve discussed, fostering a refill culture with convenient infrastructure and clear communication can virtually eliminate the need for disposable bottles, slashing waste and costs. By monitoring usage and staying agile, a festival can adapt to the ebbs and flows of demand, nipping any water issues in the bud. And by partnering with local utilities and caring for the local water sources, an event can turn what might be a strain into a story of collaboration and sustainability.
Successful festival producers approach water with the same creativity and thoroughness as any part of the production. They turn hydration stations into welcoming social spots, water refills into moments of education and solidarity (“we’re all in this together, saving plastic!”), and water sourcing into an opportunity to do right by the hometown that hosts them. There will always be challenges – maybe a day turns out hotter than expected and you have to scramble to triple your water output, or a miscommunication means some attendees forget bottles and you improvise with cups. But with the guidance outlined here, such hurdles are manageable. Each festival that implements these practices is not only caring for its own attendees but also setting an example for others.
For folk festivals in particular – often rooted in community, tradition, and respect for the earth – embracing robust water stewardship can be a natural extension of their values. It shows that the festival honours both its guests and its place in the environment. The next generation of festival producers has the chance to innovate even further: from solar-powered water filtration systems to rainwater harvesting on-site, the possibilities to enhance water sustainability are growing. By building on the hard lessons and bright ideas of those before, tomorrow’s festivals will hopefully be both joyous celebrations and models of responsible water use.
In the end, a well-watered festival is a healthy, happy festival. Get the water right, and you’ve created a solid foundation for everything else – the music, the dances, the lifelong memories – to flourish without a dry throat in sight. Cheers (with a refillable bottle) to that!
Key Takeaways
- Abundant Refill Stations: Provide plenty of water refill points wherever crowds gather (stages, campgrounds, food areas). Use high-capacity stations with multiple taps to minimize wait times and keep everyone hydrated.
- Plan for Peak Demand: Anticipate surges (e.g. hot afternoons, post-concert rush) and ensure your water supply can meet them. Monitor refill station usage in real time and be ready to add or reposition stations on the fly to meet the crowd’s needs.
- Encourage BYO Bottles: Communicate clearly and often that attendees should bring their own reusable water bottles. Offer free water widely so people know they don’t need to buy single-use bottles. Back this up with on-site signage and affordable reusable bottles for sale.
- Partner for Support: Work with local water utilities, charities, or sponsors to bolster your water infrastructure. They can provide expertise, equipment (like portable tap units), and even funding or free water in exchange for positive exposure, all of which can improve your festival’s water service.
- Protect Local Resources: Be mindful of where your water comes from. Avoid overstressing small local water supplies – supplement with trucked-in water or storage as needed. Treat all wastewater properly and prevent any contamination of nearby wells, rivers, or lakes to leave the site as you found it (or better).
- Health and Safety First: Make clean drinking water a top priority for attendee wellbeing. Ample hydration options reduce the risk of heat exhaustion and medical incidents. Safe, tested water systems also prevent illness – an absolute must for your festival’s reputation and the trust of those who attend.
- Community and Sustainability Benefits: Embracing refill culture and responsible water use enhances your festival’s sustainability credentials and strengthens community relations. Guests will appreciate the free water (and remember the festival fondly for it), and local residents will appreciate that the festival cares about its impact on their shared water resources.
25th August 2025