Two people sitting on a grassy hill at Roskilde Festival overlooking a crowded camping area with tents at sunset.

Codes of Conduct: Example Roskilde Festival

A code of conduct is first and foremost a way of communicating expectations of behaviour with your guests, employees and volunteers. It is a way of conveying values, but even more it is a way of intentionally establishing a culture and way of being at your festival or organisation.

Secondarily it can be used to establish when rules are broken, when behaviour is done in good faith and what types of consequences are used when the code of conduct is broken.
Having clearly established expectations of behaviour also makes it easier to have a conversation if the expectations are not met. 

A code of conduct also conveys what type of festival or event the guests can expect to participate in before they choose to buy a ticket. That means a strong code of conduct can establish a feeling of inclusion and safety, but this of course only works if it is upheld. It also means that some people will hopefully self-select and not attend, as they do not want to participate in the type of event or festival being hosted. This should again mean a safer experience for those who do attend.

The code of conduct of Roskilde Festival (see below) is meant as an example, as a lot of events and festivals use codes of conduct today. What is special about this one is that it has a positive approach to behaviour, meaning that it lists behaviours that are wanted and not those that are not. The wanted behaviours automatically exclude a lot of the behaviours generally listed on more negatively-angled codes of conduct. For example, it asks to meet others with respect and curiosity, but adds that we all have different ways of attending a festival. Displaying homophobia is not meeting someone with respect and so would not be within the code of conduct, even though it does not explicitly say “No homophobia.”

This positive approach to behaviours that the organiser wishes to encourage has several benefits. Listing wanted behaviours means it is easier for guests to identify what to do, whereas a negative behaviour approach just leaves them with a lot of things not to do. That means a positive behaviour approach lets an organiser be more specific in the culture they want to create, not just ones they want to avoid. 

A positive approach also means that whoever reads it – and that should ideally be all the guests (and partners employees, volunteers etc) – is left with a feeling of being uplifted. With wanting to attend and being a part of this awesome culture and experience, instead of being left with a feeling of being told off.

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Roskilde Festival’s Code of Conduct


We’re creating Roskilde Festival together.

We have a responsibility towards each other to ensure that everyone has the best experience at Roskilde Festival.

That’s why we have five guidelines for creating the true Roskilde vibe. 

Need Help?
We do not tolerate discrimination, abusive or violent behaviour. If you encounter or experience any of these behaviours, we are here to help you. You are not alone.

Get help*

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*[Link is only live before and during the festival]