Festival Info / FAQ

For your navigation:
Bergstrasse 32, 32351 Stemwede / Wehdem

By train, travel to either Lemförde or Rahden.

From there you can use the free Shuttle!

In Waldfrieden there is no place for racism, sexism, homophobia or any discriminatory behaviour and hateful ideology. This of course also means that nazis are not welcome here. Look out for each other. Those who do not respect these rules are kicked out, for example men who harass women.

If you have any questions or problems, the Bootschaft is your first point of contact at Hai in den Mai. The Bootschaft is located near the lake. It is also the collection point for lost and found items, whether you have found or lost something.

The campsite is exclusively open to festival visitors. Camping without a valid festival ticket is not possible. You are welcome to arrive and camp with motorhomes, buses and caravans and with a Car Ticket you can also camp next to your car. Keep an eye on your tents and ideally those of your neighbours. Use tent locks – you can buy these at the Bootschaft! The campsite is a quiet area. If you feel disturbed by sound systems on the campsite, you are in the right and will be supported by security.

It is also possible to reserve a pitch with electricity for your camper/caravan.

You can reserve camping equipment in advance at Utopia and pick it up on site.

The campsite must be completely cleared by Monday at 13:00 at the latest. Please take everything home with you and leave no rubbish behind.

Anyone who wants to bring their vehicle – whether car, van or motorhome – onto the campsite must additionally purchase a Car Ticket. Tickets are limited as space is restricted. If you arrive by car but do not want to bring it onto the campsite, you can park it in the car park for a fee of €10.

Walking pace applies across the entire site during the festival. This applies to all vehicles without exception. Please do not leave your engine running unnecessarily. Emergency routes and thoroughfares must be kept clear at all times.

Drive sober. In road traffic you bear responsibility, not only for yourself but for everyone else too. The PsyCare – Psychedelic Ambulance provides information on detection times and offers urine tests. If you are not fit to drive after the festival and don’t know where to leave your car, please contact the Bootschaft.

A contactless payment system will be used at Hai in den Mai. All visitors will receive a festival wristband with an NFC chip when entering the grounds.

Online Portal
From the start of the festival, you can register in the Cashless Dashboard to top up your credit. You will also use this login after the festival to have your remaining credit paid out.

Payment
To pay at the festival you can use your chip at every bar, food stall and shop. The amount will be debited directly from the chip on your festival wristband. This means you don’t need to carry cash or a wallet around with you and you can relax and party.

Top-up
You can either top up your credit directly online by scanning the QR code on your chip or at the top-up points on site with cash, EC or credit card. The top-up points are located at the gate, at the Bootschaft and at the food stalls in front of the club. The top-up points also accept EC card payments.

The nearest ATM is in the village, about a 15-minute walk from the festival.

Remaining credit
It will be possible to pay back the remaining credit on the chips from the Tuesday after the festival until May 19. To do so, simply enter your account details online and the remaining amount will be transferred to your account after a maximum processing time of one week.

Deposit
You can only get the bottle deposit that you have spent yourself, plus a few drinks of your friends. It is not possible to collect large deposits at the festival and have them transferred to your account afterwards.

Recycling
Once you have requested your remaining credit, you can dispose of the chip. Please note that the wristband and the chip must be disposed of separately. If you do not want to keep the wristband as a souvenir, please throw it together with the clasp in the residual waste. The chip counts as electronic waste and should be disposed of separately via retailers (electronics stores, DIY stores, discounters) or at a recycling centre.

Dogs are not allowed on the area. Unfortunately we can not allow you to bring your dogs due to spatial conditions of the nature reserve and the animals that live here.

We are very serious about ensuring that the environment is harmed as little as possible at our events. We therefore make sure, among other things, that the electricity from our power lines is completely covered by regenerative energy sources and require food shops to use only vegetarian and organically grown food.
In order for the plants and small animals on the grounds to survive the parties and festivals unharmed and to preserve the distinctive landscape of the Waldfrieden, please follow a few rules that should go without saying:
Please dispose of your trash and cigarette butts properly. Garbage bags and pocket ashtrays are available free of charge at the Bootschaft during the festivals. Please use only Dixi toilets and toilet carts and do not go into the forest or run around in the fields for this matter. Let’s make sure together that the forest keeps its peace.

It is allowed to use electricity generators as long as they don’t disturb anyone.

Tip: Burying the generator with sufficient ventilation dampens the noise and turns it into a quiet companion. Please fill the hole back in afterwards so that no hazard is created.

Storms or other dangerous situations are very rare, but we are prepared. So that you also know what to do in an emergency, here are the most important points.

If it becomes necessary to interrupt or evacuate parts of the site or the entire festival, you will be informed via the loudspeakers and megaphones. Please take these announcements seriously – they are never drills.

Stay calm and move in an orderly manner. Follow the instructions of the security personnel and observe the designated escape routes and signage on the grounds.

Always keep emergency routes and thoroughfares clear. Emergency vehicles must be able to access the site at all times.

Chilled drinks, mobile phone charging and your own lighting – no problem thanks to your own power supply! Rent a pitch (approx. 6 x 8 m) with electricity for the Hai in den Mai Festival today and enjoy the benefits.

We charge the electricity flat rate per pitch. Share the pitch with several people and the 500 watts you get from us. This offer is valid for tents as well as mobile homes for all four festival days incl. support by our electrician.

Please note before booking that the operation of electric heating systems is not possible.

The purchased Energy Camping ticket is valid as an additional ticket to the regular ticket. Of course, you have to buy a normal ticket to visit the festival regardless of this!

The use of gas grills and gas cookers is permitted for guests on the campsite.

Due to the risk of forest fires, open fires in any form (e.g. torches, sky lanterns, campfires, fire bowls, etc.) are strictly prohibited for visitors on the entire grounds. Only supervised fireplaces organised by the organiser are exempt from this ban, as long as there is no acute danger of forest fire.

At our festivals there is a diverse selection of food stands. The offer always varies a little, there is usually fried potatoes, pizza, pasta and rice dishes, fries, falafel, burgers, crêpes and much more to eat. For ecological and ethical reasons we have decided to offer only organic vegetarian and vegan food at the stands! But of course you can bring to the campsite and cook whatever you want. If you want to have a barbecue, you can do so at the designated barbecue areas on the campsite.

Laser pointers must not be taken with you because of the high risk of injury. Graffiti, markers and confetti may not be brought to any of our events! It is simply too much work to get rid of the garbage and paintings. Confetti also causes unnecessary environmental pollution. If you are interested in participating as graffiti artist you are welcome to apply and contact us. However, it is not permitted to bring spray cans and markers with you without permission!

If you have lost something on the festival please send us a detailed description to lostandfound@waldfrieden.net.

Lost items are kept for 4 weeks after the event. If nobody gets in touch by that point, valuables will be handed in to the local lost property office, and everything else will be donated or disposed of.

During the festival you can ask for lost property at the Bootschaft.

You can take as many drinks and food as you like to the camping site. Even glass bottles and cans are allowed on the camping area. On the festival area / infield (where the floors are) only plastic bottles are allowed, no glass bottles or cans!

Please leave fireworks, confetti and graffiti cans completely at home. Weapons of any kind are not tolerated anywhere on the area.

A simple kitchen knife or pocket knife for the campsite is okay, but please use it exclusively there. Weapons of any kind as well as knives are generally prohibited and will be confiscated.

You can only enter the festival if you are over 18 years of age with a valid identity card, driving licence or passport. School ID cards are not accepted. Juvenile minors are not allowed on the festival, unless they are with their parents. Unfortunately we can not provide family camping so we do not recommend you to bring your children!

To have enough room for dirty, tired and happy faces on the festival that will not appear on the internet, please do not take pictures of others without permission. There will be professional photographers taking pictures that will be uploaded here. If you appear on a picture against your will let us know and we will remove it.

Apart from the fact that other people may not want to be filmed or photographed by you, you don’t do yourself a favor if you want to capture everything on camera. The festival is a good time to put your smartphone aside and take a vacation from the digital world. Keep the good memories in your heart – not on a chip!

Drones are not permitted anywhere on the site.

Our festivals are supported by PsyClean. The PsyClean Crew aims to keep festivals free of waste and raise awareness of a more considerate approach to pollution.

The goal is not just to clean up after people, but to encourage guests to produce less waste themselves. With their help, we want to make the festival even more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

If you would like to take part in the festivals as part of the PsyClean Crew, you can find all the information here.

Our festivals are supported by eve&rave.

This initiative from Münster has been involved in accepting drug work for many years. Its goal is to minimize the risks associated with substance use through education without moralizing.

So if you need information about substances or safer use materials, they are exactly the right people to contact. They are also trained to care for people in altered states of consciousness and, if necessary, to advise them on how to get home safely.

If you would like to help out as part of the PsyCare psychedelic ambulance yourself, please contact eve&rave directly.

Wheelchair users and guests who are dependent on an accompanying person because of disabilities can bring one accompanying person who will get free admission if they show their disability card. The same applies to guests with a degree of disability of 100 and the G marker on their disability card.

People aged 60 and over do not pay admission to the event.

There are free cold showers and warm showers. There are also many drinking water taps on the festival area.

For all rail travellers, there will be free shuttle buses to the Hai in den Mai Festival from the nearby Lemförde and Rahden stations, as always!

The departure times are not exact to the minute – all buses wait for the trains at the respective station. For example, if your train arrives at 20:10 but the shuttle bus leaves at 20:00 according to the timetable, the bus will wait for you, don’t worry!

Trip there

Trip back

There is a “Special Needs” camping area on the site for people with disabilities. This area is located as close as possible to the road, near the dance floors and to the sanitary facilities, so that wheelchair users or chronically ill guests have as little distance to cover as possible. Camping here with a companion is possible upon presentation of a disability card. If you don’t have a disability card but have some form of impairment and would like to camp here, please get in touch with us in advance or register at the Bootschaft when you arrive.

Here some numbers of local taxi services:

Stemweder Berg: +495443 99660
Engelbrecht: +495443 8827
Blanke: +495771 2107
Wehrmann: +495474 6310

A ride from Lemförde to Waldfrieden costs about €30.

From Rahden to Waldfrieden the taxi fare is about €35.

There is a €10 waste deposit per ticket, which you will get back after the festival when you return a full waste bag. One euro of the ticket price goes directly to the PsyClean crew.

Personalization
All tickets are personalized. After you have ordered and paid for your ticket, you can enter the name of the person who will use the ticket in the ticket shop under “My Tickets“. The name of the ticket can only be changed once. If you have received a ticket and want to check it for validity, you can do so by entering the code here that appears at the top of the ticket next to your name.

Transfer of tickets
The name on a ticket can be changed once. Under “My Tickets” you can get a new ticket with a new name. It is not possible to return purchased tickets.

Day tickets
This year, we will once again be offering a strictly limited number of day tickets for Friday and Saturday. These tickets will only be available five weeks before the festival, starting on March 26. Sunday tickets will also be available from this date.

Car ticket
If you want to park your vehicle, whether car, van or motorhome, on the campsite, you must also purchase a Car Ticket. The tickets are limited because we only have a limited amount of space available. If you arrive by car but don’t want to use it on the campsite, you can park it in the parking lot for a fee of €10.

Reduction
Wheelchair users and guests who are dependent on an accompanying person because of disabilities can bring one accompanying person who will get free admission upon presentation of a disability card. The same applies to guests with a degree of disability of 100 and the G marker on their disability card.

People aged 60 and over do not pay admission to the event.

The ticket price includes a €10 trash deposit, which you will get back after returning a filled garbage bag at the end of the festival. A deposit token for this is attached to your festival wristband.

Garbage bags can be returned at the following times:
Sunday 9:00 – 16:00
Monday 8:00 – 13:00

Make Your Festival Experience Effortless and Sustainable with Utopia!
Forget the stress of lugging camping gear to and from the festival. With Utopia, you can rent everything you need, from tents to accessories, and have it all waiting for you onsite. Not only does this save you time and energy, but every rental helps support their mission to reduce the environmental impact of festivals. By choosing to rent with them, you’re actively making a difference in preserving the planet while enjoying a smooth, hassle-free festival experience. Reserve your gear now and be part of a greener future.

Book now!

Tents: DIY or pre-pitched options for 1–4 persons starting from €41
Camping Essentials: Sleeping bags, mattresses, blankets, gas stoves, and more from €15
Extra Comfort: Camping chairs, tables (high and low), shade and rain protection, lanterns, and more from €12
Extras: Our onsite shop offers a variety of hygiene products, snacks, and many other useful items available for purchase.

Helping hands are needed both during the festival and during the build-down. We’re happy to have all volunteers who want to support us!

Register here for Hai in den Mai and get all the information.

If you would like to take part in the festivals as part of the PsyClean Crew, you can find all the information here.