OUR
Commitments
CarFest is all about connecting people and celebrating the diversity of our world. We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome, respected and safe no matter their race, gender, sexuality, age, ability, religion, or anything else.
We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of discrimination or harassment.
Located north of the demo zone (at the top of the Kwik Fit- Michelin track), The Main Visitor Information Point and our Team is there to answer any questions and help reunite visitors with anything they might have lost during the festival. You can find the exact location of the information point(s) on our Festival Map.
If you have lost some of your property, please head to any Information Point to report the loss. We will recontact you if your item was found during or after the event.
If you find someone else's property, please hand it over to one of our security, stewards, or at any Information Point so we can try to find their owners.
We will keep any lost property for up to a month after the event, please make sure to contact us via info@carfest.org to report any loss as soon as possible.
Our Festival Maps are available around the festival and close to our main information points to help you navigate your way around. You can also purchase a Festival Guide to keep the map on hands.
CarFest has an impressive, noisy and action-packed track in the middle of the event site. There are several crossing points across the track, which are open when there is no track show. During the track show you can cross the track via pedestrian bridges. Please always listen to the directions and advise of our track safety marshals.
Our Stewards and Volunteers are there to point you in the right directions from your arrival to you leaving the venue. They have a uniform so can be easily spotted in the crowd. If you have any questions whilst at the event, you can ask anyone in CarFest uniform.
At our Main Stage, the crowd is organised into sections with clearly defined walkways (entry/exit routes). It is important that these routes are kept clear.
We have a standing area in front of the Main Stage, this is for CarFesters wishing to dance the night away standing. No chairs are permitted in this area.
The back of our Main Stage area is our seating area, we allow blankets and folding chairs to be brought in and set up in this area. This will be sign posted. Please note, our policy is one chair per person and these chairs must be foldable. You can also bring a flag but please be considerate of the people behind you. We do not allow gazebos, windbreakers or tents. Structures like this block the view of the stage for other CarFesters, so please be considerate of others when setting up your area for the evening and don’t take up too much space!
Please only reserve the space you need. Please make sure to not obstruct the view of the people behind you.
The campsite is marked out into sections with clearly defined walkways. It is important that these routes are kept clear of any tents or structures to allow access for emergency vehicles if required.
Main walkways are lit throughout the night to assist with navigation around the campsite to the toilet areas.
The ‘Campsite Manager’ tent is open 24/7 and in the event of any emergency seek the assistance of the campsite manager, so CarFest can formulate a response.
Please make sure you have read our Campsite rules before packing and coming to CarFest.
Our Medical Centre provides 24/7 support and is located at the entrance from the campsite into the event site (or FoodFest) on your site map. Walk-ins are welcome to the Medical Centre at any time.
If you are staying in the campsite, you will be permitted access into the event site (out of event open hours) to access the Medical Centre.
If you, or someone in your party, feels unwell and requires assistance make yourself known to a steward, marshal or volunteer. It is likely they will have a radio and can seek help/assistance from the medical team.
If you witness a life-threatening medical emergency call 999. But please also inform a member of staff (steward, marshal or volunteer), this enables CarFest to liaise with the emergency services so they can access the event via the quickest, and safest route possible.
Some useful tips for attending Carfest with children that you may find useful:
You can find the Tiny Tots Pit Stop near the top of the track, close to the Main Information point and lost child. Tiny Tots Pit Stop offers baby changing facilities (including nappies and wipes), microwave facilities, a fridge, highchairs and play area -perfect chill area to take a breather with your little ones.
Anyone who has a child that may find the event sometimes overwhelming/sensory overload, please feel welcome to join us as it’s a chilled, quiet area especially in the evening - no matter how old your child.
The Tiny Tots Pit Stop is open from when the festival opens until the close of the event each night - so providing a quiet environment to change your babies / toddlers into their pyjamas and warm milk ready for bed once they have worn themselves out dancing to the music
CarFest is a family friendly festival and is an amazing place to take your little ones to and can create lifelong magical memories for the whole family.
The Tiny Tots Pit Stop have put together some tips that you may find useful when planning your festival visit:
1. Do a little planning before you go. Check what facilities the festival has e.g. At Carfest, The Tiny Tots Pit Stop provide a baby /toddler area for your little ones to play, for you to chill and also areas for you to feed your babies/toddlers and change their nappies /potty facilities. At The Tiny Tots Pitstop, we do have fridges that families are more than welcome to store any milk, food in over the weekend.
2. Taking bubble wands and glow sticks is a great way to join in with the festival vibe, but also great to entertain your little ones.
3. Use buggy's/trolleys (remember the festival is on grass!) - handy to store things in rather than have to carry it around, but also doubles as a useful chill area when tiredness takes over and your child needs a nap
Battery /solar powered fairy lights come in handy to decorate a wagon - giving a party feel, but also helps prevent drunk people knocking into it in the dark.
4. Put together an activity pack to keep them entertained if they get bored - coloring book, crayons, favourite toy, stickers etc. You can get one from our Festival Pack!
5. Stay hydrated - at Carfest, there's drinking water stations dotted about so you can refill water bottles.
Overall, don't worry too much about routines, go with the flow and what is best for you and your families, and you will have the best time.
If you’re needing a minute to yourself on a comfy chair or a quiet calm place to help baby feed, The Real Birth Cowe are here for you. Staffed with midwives and volunteers wanting to make sure that expectant parents and parents with little ones are looked after in amongst the festival. We will be providing comfortable air fan /heated private area for respite and a relaxing area for feeding.
Also, if it seems that you have come to a festival and all of a sudden, it’s your T.O.M – we got you covered too.
The Track Show may feature Formula 1 and other cars which are very loud. If you would like to watch these from close quarters, we would recommend bringing and using ear protection on children for their own comfort. Likewise, it is not recommended that young children get too close to the sound systems for the Main Stage.
Ear defender can be purchased from Airs and Graces stand located in FoodFest - https://www.airsandgracesuk.com/product/kids-ear-defenders/
There will be ear plugs available from the security team at the front of the Main Stage – if you require some please ask.
Our phone charging hubs are available at the campsite, on the main festival site and at The Premium Lounge. Links to pre-book will be available soon.
Drinking Water taps are located by the toilet blocks. We encourage all visitors to bring their own bottle to refill. Please keep hydrated.
Children under 18 years old need to be accompanied by a responsible adult (even 16 and 17 years old), including in the campsites.
Relevant definitions within the UK being and as taken from the CarFest child protection policy: In the eyes of the law, anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday is defined as a child.
You can collect an extra wristband for your child at any point of entry. This wristband includes an empty space where a contact number can be written. We recommend parents to write their phone number directly on the wristband.
If you are separated from your child/vulnerable adult, please report this to the nearest festival official / member of the security staff as soon as possible - they will be able to communicate with the event control team and the Lost Child Zone immediately to make all festival staff/security staff on site aware. You will be advised to go to the Lost Child Zone who will record further details and work with the event staff to reunite everyone as quickly as possible.
If you find a child / vulnerable adult that has lost their parents/carers, please go to the nearest event official / security staff (they will have a high viz vest on) in the vicinity of where the child/vulnerable adult has been found.
The event official / security staff will be able to communicate to the event control and liaise with The Lost Child Zone in order to reunite the child/vulnerable with their parents/carers as quickly and smoothly as possible.
If you are unable to identify a festival official - please accompany the child/ vulnerable adult to the Lost Child Zone as quickly as possible.
Please do not try to search for the parents/carers yourselves - although intentionally helpful, this can create delays in reuniting them.
Most of the festival is cashless including Our Main Bars and Main Catering stands. Some exhibitors might accept cash so it could be a good idea to bring some but please note that we do not have any cash point on site.
It is not permitted to bring alcohol onto the main festival site and bag search will be operated upon entry to the main festival site.
Please note, no glass bottles and no glass in general is allowed. It will be confiscated on entry as it might damage the farmland.
Camping Weekend Ticket holders are permitted to bring alcohol for personal consumption into the campsites, up to the per person allowance.
Per person: 12 cans of beer / lager / cider OR 75cl of spirits (in a plastic container) OR a 2.25 litre box of unopened wine for the weekend (campers only)
CarFest Management Limited as a company is committed to and actively working towards an environmentally sustainable industry. We understand that the event we manage has an environmental, social, and economic impact. Therefore, we’re committed to the development and continual improvement of a sustainable event. We’ve made steps this year to further improve our commitment to sustainability which can be found outlined below.
'We are committed to a more sustainable CarFest, implementing changes each year to better the way we work. We are dedicated to environmental improvements that foster a sustainable future and lead to social and economic improvements in the community we do business.’, Neil Lavene, CarFest Management Limited COO
Statement from the Directors
We aim to achieve these objectives by making changes to the way we operate, through education and training of our staff and the general public and by developing a long-term strategic plan to reduce our environmental impact.
This policy is endorsed by the CarFest Directors.
To ensure every department that is responsible for different aspects of CarFest will be educated on this policy and work with this policy in mind.
Working with festival industry experts and joining festival industry movements
Considering eco-friendly materials for the use of our events
Taking sustainable approaches to energy
Lessen waste where possible
Standard approach to serve-ware and packaging
Incorporate sustainability into all business decisions made and improve data collection on environmental impacts at our events
What we are doing in 2023:
Event Waste - Reduce / Reuse / Recycle
At CarFest, we will continue with our ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy that has been in place since 2017. We are constantly working to improve our waste management system and this year will be implementing this by:
Working with our waste management contractors to separate waste for recycling and identifying suitable facilities and collection methods.
Ensuring organic waste collection will take place from our catering traders. Working with local food banks to ensure any surplus food can be put to good use.
Working with our traders and exhibitors to eliminate single-use plastic.
Working with Event Cycle to repurpose any materials that can no longer be used for our event.
Utilising durable hire materials for construction where appropriate.
Reusing and repurposing items and materials from the event in an imaginative and creative way wherever possible.
Respecting Laverstoke Park Farm biodiversity whilst the event is taking place
We will clearly sign all our waste stations, encouraging our visitors to recycle more efficiently
We will ask our visitors to help us with the amount of waste brought to site by bringing their own reusable water bottle or reusable coffee cup, making full use of the hydration points onsite and refraining from bringing single-use plastic on to site. This will be reinforced through our social media channels in the run up to the event.
None of our waste goes to landfill
As part of our Sustainability Policy 2023, we are banning the use of single use plastics from our events as a step forward to achieving this.
We are operating The Paper Cup Scheme at our main event bars. Any drinks that are served in a paper cup the price will include a 10p deposit. If the customer brings back the paper cup back to the nearest return point they will get the 10p back!
Return points are located at :
- Timothy Taylor BarFest Arms
- Premium Lounge Bar
- Music Field
This scheme is in place to promote sustainability by putting the cups through the correct waste channels, rather than them falling into general waste.
How it works:
To ensure we stick to this scheme we will:
We will impose a ban on our traders and exhibitors bringing single use-plastic serve ware & packaging (e.g. Cups, trays, sachets, straws) to the event site.
Across site, we will provide drinking water points and encourage visitors to bring their own refillable water bottles. CarFest branded refillable bottles will also be for sale.
Crew and contractors will also be encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles and Carfest branded bottles will be available.
We will involve staff in the implementation of this policy, for greater commitment and improved performance
We will provide staff with relevant environmental training
We will use local labour and materials where available to reduce CO2 and help the community
Inspire audience participation in campaigns to create positive action
Working with environmental organisations and charities to increase environmental awareness
