Festival Info / FAQ

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.

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 of course you can also camp next to your car. Keep an eye on your tents and ideally those of your neighbours. The campsite is a quiet area. If you feel disturbed by the sound systems on the campsite please let your neighbours know. You will be supported by the security if necessary.

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

The camping areas at this year’s Hai in den Mai festival are very limited! We therefore kindly ask you to move as close together as possible when setting up your camps and only use as much space as necessary. Out of fairness to the others, please refrain from setting up a large camp and reserving space for friends who are yet to arrive. Together let’s ensure that everyone has enough space and that we don’t exhaust the landscape around Waldfrieden.

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

Paying
To pay at the festival, you can use the chip at every bar, food stand and store. The amount is debited directly from the chip on the festival wristband. This means you don’t need to carry cash or a wallet around with you and can enjoy a relaxed party.

Topping up
You can either top up your credit directly online by scanning the QR code on your chip or at the top-up stations with cash, debit or credit card. The top-up points are located at the gate, at the Bootschaft and at the square in front of the club by the food stands.

Remaining credit
It will be possible to refund the remaining credit on the chips from the Tuesday after the festival until May 31. Simply enter your account details online and the remaining balance will be transferred to your account after a maximum processing time of one week.

Bottle deposit
You can only have the bottle deposit paid out that you have spent plus a few drinks from your friends. It is not possible to collect large amounts of bottle deposit at the festival and have it transferred to your account afterwards.

Online portal
From the start of the festival you can log in to a Cashless Dashboard to top up your balance. You can also use this login after the festival to pay out your remaining balance.

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.

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!

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. Barbecuing with charcoal is only permitted at the designated, appropriately marked barbecue areas. 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 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 description to lostandfound@waldfrieden.net.

During the festival you can ask for lost stuff at the Infobude.

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.

You can only enter the festival if you are over 18 years of age with a valid identity card or passport. Juvenile minors are not allowed on the festival, unless they 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 to 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!

Hai in den Mai offers the following discounts for visitors:

Wheelchair users and guests who are dependent on an accompanying person because of dissabilites can bring one accompanying person who will get free admission.

In order to keep the car traffic on the site as low as possible, we have to charge a car toll of 10€ for every vehicle (no matter if motorbike or caravan) entering the site! The fee is not a one-time fee for the festival, but is due every time you drive through the entrance to the camping site! We have only one single-lane road for several hundred vehicles available. The fee is intended to ensure that not everyone goes shopping in the village with their car, but only when it is really necessary, so that there is no traffic jam and the access and escape routes remain clear.

For each sofa you bring with you, you will have to pay an additional 5€ disposal fee, because in the past we had too many sofas left on the camp site.

There are free cold showers and warm showers for a small charge. There are also many drinking water taps on the festival area. Check the map for the exact locations.

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!

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 taxi fee is about 35 €.

Tickets are available here.

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.

Day tickets
There are no day tickets on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. There will only be the possibility to get the regular ticket cheaper at Sunday for the remaining festival on site.

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.

Reduction
Wheelchair users with a disability card do not have to pay admission for an accompanying person.

The ticket price includes a 5€ trash deposit, which you will get back after returning a filled garbage bag at the end of the festival.