Gigs & business
Accreditation
Accreditation is the pass system controlling who may go where on a site — laminates, wristbands and colour codes, each granting a defined set of areas. It is issued on arrival against a list submitted in advance.
In practice
Send names to accreditation by the deadline. Nobody at a gate can upgrade a pass, however reasonable the reason.
Collect the site map and the pass colour code with your day sheet, and find out where accreditation actually is — on a large site it is frequently nowhere near the stage you are playing, and the walk is part of your schedule. Check what your pass covers before you need it, especially whether it includes the area your accommodation or transport leaves from. And keep it on you: a laminate in a bag in a dressing room you cannot re-enter is a genuine and very common trap.
In advance
When names close
Colour coded
How access is defined
On you
Where the pass lives
Where these come from: Standard festival accreditation practice, not a catalog figure.
Why it matters
On a festival site, the pass is the difference between walking to your stage and walking around a perimeter fence. Areas are genuinely enforced, guests generally get a different and more limited pass than the artist, and nobody at a gate has the authority to make an exception.
The part that catches people out is that the list closes long before the event. A guest added on the day is a guest standing at accreditation while you are due on stage, and that is a problem created a week earlier by not sending a name.
Frequently asked
What does an AAA pass actually cover?+
Whatever the site says it covers, which on most festivals is production and backstage areas but not necessarily every stage or the artist compound. Check the colour code rather than assuming.
Can I add a guest on the day?+
Usually not. Accreditation lists close in advance and gate staff have no authority to add names, which is why the deadline is worth taking seriously.
Where do I collect my pass?+
At the accreditation point, which on a large site can be a long walk from the stage. Find out where it is when you advance the show, not when you arrive.
Related terms
Artist liaison
An artist liaison looks after performers on the day: meeting you, getting you accredited, showing you where the stage is, handling the rider, and making sure you are in the right place at the right time.
Guest list
A guest list is the names a DJ may add for free entry, agreed with the promoter and usually capped at a small number. It is part of the booking rather than a favour, and it has a deadline.
Advance
Advancing a show is the exchange of practical information between artist and promoter in the days before it — times, equipment, travel, contacts. The document that results is usually called an advance sheet or day sheet.
Load-in
Load-in is the window during which artists and crew may bring equipment into a venue, at a specified door and time. It exists because a building has one goods entrance and a schedule for everyone using it.
Explore: Planning a festival set · Artist liaison · Green room · All DJ terms