Tickets are sold and bookings made on the understanding that you help maintain the conditions for a safe and harmonious event.
Our Events are legendarily harmonious and we would like to keep them that way, so we ask that you read the following which aim to make it clear what we think is, and is not, harmonious behaviour.
What we think are "harmonious conditions" will depend upon circumstances.
We have separate pages for the terms and conditions of our different types of event: see the overview page here.
Tickets are sold and bookings made on the understanding that you help maintain the conditions for a safe and harmonious event.
Our Events are legendarily harmonious and we’d like to keep them that way, so we thought we’d make it clear what we think is harmonious behaviour and what we think isn’t.
What we think are “harmonious conditions” will depend upon circumstances.
This page includes our terms and conditions both for Retreats and Festival.
Retreat Terms And Conditions
Some polite requests
Please attend the whole retreat. In this way we build up a tangible sense of ourselves as a community.
We also ask that no one goes off site during the retreat for the same reason (apart from for walks in the beautiful countryside, of course)
There will be plenty of delicious food on site. We ask you to please respect the site as a vegetarian zone and not bring any meat or fish on site. We can help you with any medical dietary needs.
We ask that on the retreat you don’t use electronic devices (mobiles, iPods, computer games, iPads, computers), leaving them at home where possible. This is a rare opportunity for us to unplug for a short while and just be with each other, be with the land, be on retreat. If you need to use your mobile for an essential call, please do so away from others.
We ask you to refrain from alcohol, sexual activity and using non-prescription drugs whilst on retreat, to contain energy and maintain awareness of both yourself and others
Work Period
There will be a work period for everyone of about an hour each day. This brings us together in purposeful activity and helps the smooth running of the retreat for all. Depending on what team you are on, it may happen at a different time. If you won’t be able to take part in work periods, please let us know on the retreat so we can plan accordingly.
Donations
For the majority of our retreats you pay a deposit when you book. We offer our retreats on a dana (generosity) basis, and we have suggested donations listed on our website for each event. At the end of the retreat, we will collect any donations either by card, cash or cheque. Please consider giving to support our work and to enable others to enjoy Buddhafield retreats in the future.
Festival Terms And Conditions
The law and our licensing authority set a whole range of conditions that we must follow. Whether or not you agree with fire safety and health & safety requirements, they are not negotiable. You must follow directions and instructions given to you by Stewards, the Health & Safety Team or Event Area Co-ordinators. If you think you may find this difficult you may wish to reconsider booking tickets.
If you’re unhappy about someone’s behaviour, then you should ask to speak to the Duty Steward Manager. They will consult with the Head Steward and decide what to do. Given the short duration of the event, we will be looking for a pretty prompt shift in poor behaviour, but as far as possible we think it reasonable to give people being challenged the opportunity to accommodate themselves better.
Note that just because someone makes you uncomfortable doesn’t mean we will ask them to leave! We think that insisting that someone leave the event is a serious matter. We will have to feel confident that the party causing offence is wilfully careless about causing distress. However, we do reserve the right to refuse admission to anyone we consider poses a risk of harm to others, or to ask a person to leave the event should we consider they pose a risk of harm.
Since the event is organized by Buddhists, our criteria for gauging harmony are the five Buddhist precepts for lay people.
Don’t cause harm or distress to others
We ask you to treat everyone with courtesy, patience and respect under all circumstances. It isn’t only on the London Underground that staff are disrespected and insulted: yes it even happens at Buddhafield! Most of our crew are volunteers: they don’t deserve to be shouted or sworn at for any reason, but especially just because they’re asking you to do something you feel is inconvenient.
- We expect that parents / caregivers bringing children to the Festival are responsible for them at all times they are on site, even if you choose to delegate the care of your child(ren) to another person or group at the Festival.
- Only open fires, braziers, and BBQs approved by Buddhafield are allowed. In tented areas, we prefer battery or solar charged lighting is used and any cooking by camping gas is outside the tent, away from any flammable materials. Parents are responsible for their children around all fires.
- No paper sky chinese lanterns, please. As well as a fire hazard when lit (e.g. if they’re blown astray onto nylon tents), when they expire, the metal remains are known to fall onto grass and be ingested by animals / livestock badly hurting them.
- Make sure cigarette butts are properly extinguished, disposed of safely and not left in the ground.
- Abide by No Smoking signs.
- For hygiene reasons, only authorised catering outlets are allowed to sell food or drink at the festival. This includes offering food items in exchange for goods or a donation. We strongly recommend that you avoid eating or drinking food stuffs from “fly pitches”. When asked by a crew member, you must dispose of food stuffs, and in the proper place.
- The Festival is vegetarian. (Much of our food is vegan.) We ask you not to bring meat onto the site and if you have to, please do not give it or sell it to others for hygiene reasons.
- The water provided is labelled for drinking or washing for hygiene purposes. Only use the taps for the purpose they are labelled for.
- Camp in the correct zone – no live in vehicles are allowed in tented areas. Pay attention to any no-go camping area signs.
- Solar / Wind power generation only - we do not allow petrol or diesel generators on site.
- Do not bring dogs, cats or other animals. We will simply ask you to leave with them.
- This area is prone to Ticks which may carry bacteria that can cause serous health problems if not treated quickly. Bring a suitable repellent, check your body frequently, and avoid sitting directly on the ground.
- Keep driving on site in the vehicle lanes and to the minimum, observe the 5mph speed limit, and avoid reversing.
Don’t take the “not given”
The language here might seem strange, but it means that stealing is stealing no matter how much you dress it up or fudge the issue! Blagging your way in (or helping someone else to) is stealing (and probably trespassing).
- Entry for paying participants is from Wednesday morning at 10am. Those arriving earlier will be turned away.
- Have the appropriate tickets to hand when you arrive at the Main Gate. We will not accept excuses for not having them on your person.
- If you go off site it’s up to you to prove that you’re a legitimate, paying participant on the way back in. If we think that you (or someone else) in your vehicle haven’t got a reason to be on site, you’ll be turned away.
- Don’t invite friends in the local area to stop by at random points in the event. We have a limit on numbers as a part of our Licence and, since we can sell out well in advance, the Gate is effectively closed until sufficient people leave. We do allow Day Visitors on Sunday because people are simultaneously leaving — however we cannot guarantee entry since we will only accept new visitors proportional to numbers that have left. There will be an entry fee (tbc).
- We also book our crew well in advance, so bringing someone along in the hope that they’ll “sort something out” when they arrive at the site will probably mean they get turned away.
- There is no policy of “free entry for local residents”.
- Respect the width of vehicle parking bays. Another event-goer has already paid for that neighbouring space, so taking more than one space is stealing from them.
- Do not trespass onto out-of-bounds fields. They do not belong to us and trespassing would upset the owners and may be unsafe. (We already have a big enough and beautiful enough site for all of us to enjoy.)
- Don’t help yourself to food or drink intended for crew. Only crew with a wristband and / or a meal ticket are allowed into the crew dining area. People found abusing this will be asked to pay for their food.
Avoid inappropriate sexual behaviour
Our events are legendarily loved-up experiences, so we’d especially request sensitivity towards people who are more open than usual.
- There may be more nudity than you are accustomed to. Many people enjoy the freedom to be naked in a safe, mixed environment.
- If you, or your children, may find this difficult you may wish to reconsider booking tickets.
- Don't subject others (naked or otherwise) to lewd or judgmental comments, to repeated unwanted attention or sexual advances.
- You may be comfortable being fully naked, but please offer consideration to those people that, given our culture, find nudity distracting, challenging or even threatening.
- Remember that there is precisely no sound insulation between your tent and the next one! It can be very uncomfortable listening to others in the throes of passion, so try to be considerate.
Speech and noise
The event is neither a silent retreat nor an all-night party, so we’d ask you to consider our position on both extremes.
- No unauthorized sound systems or amplifiers. All amplified music must be kept within our license restrictions (please ask the Head Steward if you are unsure of these) and any venue breaking these may be shut down.
- Be considerate of fellow campers in the camping areas between 23:00 and 07:00
- There are late-night cafes and music venues that operate within our license — if you’d like to stay up all night and chat around a fire please do — but only around one of our public fire pits.
- Whilst we are asking participants to be considerate about making noise outside of certain time-frames, within those time-frames there will be amplified music that may not suit your tastes, either in style, volume or times of day.
- We expect our amplified music venues to play music up to the higher noise limit (of our Licence restrictions) at any points between:
- 9am–11pm, Wednesday–Friday & Sunday,
- 9am–12pm, Saturday
If you feel that these times do not suit your preferences, you may wish to reconsider booking tickets or bring ear plugs.
Drugs, alcohol and “legal highs”
A sober, recreational drug and alcohol free environment is what makes Buddhafield the event it is.
- Recreational drugs, alcohol or "legal highs" are not tolerated at our event; failing to respect this will result in persons being asked to leave or detained by security teams and the police called.
- We reserve the right to search persons, luggage or vehicles as a condition of entry at any point during the event.
And in general...
Ticket holders consent to inclusion in official photographic, visual and audio promotion of the event. We regret that, in most cases, it would be impossible to ask personal permission to reproduce your image.
Any unmanned aircraft/drone, or radio controls of any size or type, are not allowed into the venue If such a device, or controls for such a device, are found the organisers reserve the right to refuse entry or confiscate the item.
Refunds are at our discretion. If you need one, we will reimburse 80% of the cost of your ticket(s) if you email us your proof of purchase at least two weeks before the start of the event.
The Ticket/Pass/Wristband remains the property of Buddhafield Events at all times.
The organisers reserve the right to alter, curtail or cancel the event.
In the event of cancellation any refunds will be at the discretion of the organisers.
The organisers will not be held liable for any loss, injury or damage to persons or property sustained while attending the event except in respect of death, injury and damage to property resulting from the organisers' negligence. In the case of damage to the ticket holder’s property caused by the organisers' negligence, the organisers' liability shall be limited to the reasonable cost of either repairing or replacing such property subject to fair wear and tear.
These terms and conditions are subject to change without notice and may be updated at any time.
Note that the above is not intended to be exhaustive and the Head Steward will make decisions about appropriate action on a case-by-case basis. Their decision is final.