Safety and Other Policies

You are responsible for your own actions, safety and well-being. You’re encouraged to help keep others and your neighborhood safe. Intervene if you see a potential safety hazard. Beltania and Living Earth accept no responsibility for your safety or the security of personal property.

A full Emergency Management and Evacuation plan is available at the Gate and at the Information Booth. .

Beltania staff will carry two-way radios in case of emergency. Please follow all staff instructions in case of emergency. Roving safety crews will be available to assist you throughout the festival. If you use your own radios, please stay off of channels 4,5, & 9.

Have questions about safety? We have a Safety and Security Coordinator who will be available to answer your questions at the festival. 

Fire Pits, Fire Safety Rules, and Fire Ban Info 

Default: Assume a Level 1 Fire Ban is in place.

Information on Fire Ban status may be found at (TBA). Our staff is regularly in communication about fire ban information. Although a fire ban may not be in place at all, we will always operate under Level 1 Fire Restrictions or higher.

A variety of community fire pits are available for all Beltania guests. Living Earth is providing firewood and supplies, as well as extinguishers, sand, shovels, and water at all woodburning campfires. All Beltania full-festival guests are asked to perform a 2-hour workshift, and one option available is firetending. So, at peak times you can expect a fire tender to be present to light and maintain the fire. 

If you would like to use a fire pit but there isn't a firetender there, feel free to start the fire on your own. For woodburning fire pits, you will be expected to remain there until the fire is out or another firetender is willing to take over. For a propane fire pit, just turn it off and be sure it is out before you leave.

NO PRIVATE WOODBURNING FIRE PITS at this new location. Bringing or Digging your own fire pit or having a campfire without one of these permits is grounds for immediate removal from the festival without refund. If you'd like a private fire, get a cabin which has a private fireplace and wood will be provided.  Or, bring a propane fire pit that does not use wood.

Smoking Rules

Due to the fire danger and the fact that a fire ban may be instituted at any time, we are operating under the protocols of a Level 1 fire ban, even if none is in effect at the beginning of the festival. In other words, please assume one is in effect. We don’t need orders from the Fire Chief to act responsibly.

Smoking is not permitted in open outdoor areas under this county regulation. Smoking is only allowed in ENCLOSED STRUCTURES like closed vehicles or the smoking lounge at the center of the universe. It is a comfortable screened and covered canopy lounge provided near the stage area for the exclusive enjoyment of our smoking guests. It has a fireproof tarp floor and other safety precautions. No smoking in merchant booths please. Wild Woods: smoking is allowed at (TBA).

  
Please do not throw any butts on the ground. Be sure they are completely extinguished before disposing in your own sand bucket or the one available at the Smoker's Lounge. We recommend you bring your own film canister or altoids container for your butts. Do not put butts in any fire pit.

SMOKING OUTSIDE OF AN ENCLOSED APPROVED STRUCTURE OR VEHICLE, OR STARTING AN UNAPPROVED CAMPFIRE, IS GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL FROM BELTANIA WITHOUT REFUND. We are sorry to have to enforce this, but we’d prefer to be able to use this facility and not burn down the forest. Thanks for understanding.

Charcoal Grills: Not allowed

Charcoal Grills: Not allowed under any circumstances. This is a new rule for the new venue. 

Alcohol and Drugs

1. Alcohol is permitted; drunken behavior is not. Illicit drugs are not permitted or tolerated. Historically this has not been a problem at Beltania – people tend to be real neighborly and respectful. This is a family-oriented spiritual gathering, not a fraternity kegger.
2. We ask that alcohol be kept to your private campsite and that community spaces remain alcohol-free for the enjoyment of everyone. This includes the Wild Woods campfire. You can expect the drumming facilitators to ask you leave the drum circle for inappropriate behavior or safety issues.
3. Please, do not come to any workshop or ritual in an altered state.
4. Underage drinking will not be tolerated and is grounds for removal from the event.
5. Bring your photo ID. Your ID will be checked at the gate and is required for admission.
Attendees will be given a wrist-band indicating age category (18+ or under 18). Because there is no separate wristband for 21+, if our staff sees someone who appears underage drinking alcohol they may ask to see ID. Please do not be offended; we just want to keep our festival and the young people in it safe.
6. No alcohol will be sold on-site, nor will Living Earth provide festival-goers with alcohol. The only exception to this is the ceremonially-made Beltania Mead, which will be shared in ceremony. 
7. Please try to use plastic cups or cans whenever possible.  Glass containers not allowed.
8. No matter what, please do not drink and drive. Safety First!

Children Under 18

Those under 18 are the responsibility of their legal guardian or an appointed adult. It is expected that parents should be in control of themselves and their children at all times.

Beltania is an all-ages event. The presence of children creates a wonderful atmosphere at the event, and you are more than welcome to bring them along. If you bring your children, you agree to be responsible for their behavior and care at all times. Ultimately, the health and safety of your child is your responsibility. As long as you are prepared to keep your children under constant supervision, the event can be a great experience for them. However, please be aware that there may be activities that may not be suitable for children, or things you may not which your children to see. 

There are also wild animals and many safety hazards normally present in any undeveloped wild and natural setting. Mountain lions, bears, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, black widow and brown recluse spiders, and other species are known to exist in the area. Please consider carefully if this is a proper event for your child.

Know that certain events and areas are off-limits to under-18. The Wild Woods are off-limits to anyone under the age of 18 so that grown-ups may enjoy some kid-free space. 

There will be many child-friendly activities throughout the festival. However, Beltania is NOT PROVIDING ANY CHILD CARE SERVICES. Parents are expected to supervise their children at all times. Do not expect the community to watch your kids or to censor their own behavior because there are children present. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN ALONE and expect Beltania staff to watch them. A message board will be available at the Info Booth for parents who wish to advertise privately for babysitting services.

Generator Usage

Due to music concerts and the desire to maintain a serene retreat setting, we ask that you limit your use of generators as follows. Silent generators (Honda EU series, etc.) at 30 dB noise level or less can be used any time. Regular Generators may only be used during the following hours (NOTE: UPDATED FOR 2016): 2pm-5pm

Due to the Fire Ban Level 1, All generators MUST have a spark arrestor.
PLEASE USE A FIREPROOF TARP UNDER AND 4’ AROUND YOUR GENERATOR. It is a good idea to RAISE YOUR GENERATOR OFF THE GROUND and WATCH IT AT ALL TIMES and KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY. Sparks can light the grass on fire.

Pet and Service Animal Policy

No pets. NO PETS. NO PETS!!! We cannot allow pets of any kind, including dogs on leashes. We cannot accept the risk of injury to our guests, the poop issue, or the possibility of barking during our concerts. Also our insurance policy does not allow us to have pets. Most important – pets can attract mountain lions, and we are in prime mountain lion territory. If you are found bringing a pet you will be asked to leave the festival immediately and will not be allowed to reenter.

Service animals are allowed at Beltania. “Service animal” means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items. Beltania does require service animal to be vested and on duty at all times, as well as proof of official certification of the service animal, to be provided to the Festival Director who must observe your animal in person by April 30. Contact beltania@beltania.org to arrange this. Beltania holds the owner responsible for any injuries or damages caused by the animal. Beltania is also a music festival; as such, barking will not be tolerated. (Note: Service dogs are trained not to bark at inappropriate times. If your dog is barking inappropriately it is not a suitably trained Service Dog). All service dogs must WEAR THE APPROPRIATE VEST, be leashed, trained to heel and behave appropriately “on duty” at all times. Your dog is on the job and is expected to behave as such. Please refrain from letting attendees, especially children, socialize with your service dog. Directors or Beltania Staff may assess damages, as necessary, and may remove the animal and its owner from retreat if the animal's behavior poses a threat to anyone’s health, safety, or enjoyment of Beltania, or does not behave in a manner consistent with generally accepted service dog expectations.

Photography Policy 

Ask first to be sure your subject(s) are okay with being immortalized in your photo album. Beltania is a private event. Redistribution or public display of images, including on the internet, requires the explicit consent of all subject parties. An individual may revoke her or his consent at any time. Images may only be taken for personal use and may not be used professionally or for any commercial purpose without the prior approval of Living Earth. Anyone encountering a problem with a photographer or videographer should report it to a staff member at the Information Booth.

Refund and Ticket Transfer Policy

Trash, Recycling, and Toilets

Leave No Trace
If your car leaks oil (even a little bit) please put something under it to catch the drips.
Clean your entire campsite and surrounding areas before you leave.
Do not leave stuff in or around the bath house, port-a-johns, at the Info Booth, or at another camp.
You’re responsible for everything you bring and carry!

Beltania provides very limited trash removal service. When the dumpster is full, you will need to pack it out, so please use care in deciding what to bring to the gathering. Limit packaging whenever possible. Dumpsters for trash and recycling will be located at the Center of the Universe. Please separate all recyclable items first, compact your trash, and neatly place in the dumpsters. If the dumpster is full, please take your trash to your vehicle. Do not stow trash at your tent due to bears and other wildlife it might attract. Do not leave trash around the dumpsters.

Recycling: We will post information at the dumpsters about what and how to recycle. We may be able to have single-stream recycling and trash. We will attempt to recycle as much as possible, including but not limited to: Plastic, glass, Aluminum cans, and Propane (1 lb) tanks.

Toilets If it isn’t from your body, don’t put it in the potty! Trash in the toilets will prevent them from functioning, and will threaten the viability of the event. Women, please bring your own bags for carrying used sanitary products to the dumpster if using a portapotty, or use the trash receptacles at the Bath House.

We take pride in having a festival where we respect each other and the Earth through cleanliness and consideration.
ADA-compliant handicapped restrooms are located at the Bath House.  PLEASE, handicapped persons must have first priority, then parents assisting small children (actually in the stall with the child) have priority over the general public.
Please do not dig “cat holes” or otherwise use nature for your toileting needs. The park is a high-use area and cannot accommodate such use. We appreciate your using the port-a-johns, toilets, and bath house provided.

Vending and Advertising

The sale of products and services is only allowed in the Merchants’ Row area by pre-approved vendors only. There is NO participant vending or advertising of any kind. Workshop leaders may share their business cards or mention their business if it relates to their free workshop, and charge a materials fee for take-home items. Vending or advertising that is unauthorized is grounds for removal from the festival.

Walkie Talkies: 2 Way Radio Usage

Please stay off of channels 4, 5, and 9. These are for staff use only. 

Wildlife

There could be bear, deer, elk, snakes, poisonous spiders, and many other species on the 400+ acres of the festival grounds. If you are hiking away from the crowds, be sure to make lots of noise to scare off whatever is nearby so that you don’t stumble upon and startle a wild animal, and keep your children close. We also recommend carrying a 2-way radio; check at the Info Booth for the recommended channel to use. Take plenty of water and sufficient clothing and food for any conditions if you do any hiking.


What to do if you encounter a Bear
If a black bear is visible, but not close, alter your route so that you will move away from its area.

If a black bear approaches, do not run. Remain calm, continue facing the bear and slowly back away. If the bear continues to approach, try to group together and pick up small children. Try to scare the bear away by shouting and acting aggressively.

If a black bear attacks, it is suggested to fight back using everything in your power fists, sticks, rocks, and E.P.A. registered bear pepper spray.


What to do if you encounter a Mountain Lion

Do Not Approach a Lion — Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.

Do Not Run from a Lion — Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Do not turn your back. Make eye contact. If there are small children nearby, pick them up if possible so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.

Do Not Crouch Down or Bend Over — A person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. When in mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.

Appear Larger — Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Again, pick up small children. Throw stones, branches, or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.

Be vocal — Talk calmly and regularly.

Teach others how to behave. — One who starts running could initiate an attack.

If a lion attacks: You can use bear pepper spray to deter the lion. Many potential victims have also fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.

Defend other people — If you need to defend other people, be aggressive.

Workshift Required! Sign Up early Online!

A Workshift or Other Community Contribution Required of All Attendees Registered for the Full Festival. Saturday-only guests and teens who have parent permission may consider this optional, but are welcome to volunteer! If you have not selected a preferred shift by May 1, please sign up when you arrive at check-in.

All full-festival guests age 18+ are asked to contribute to the Beltania community in some way. You can choose to:
Complete a 2 Hour Volunteer Workshift (what most people choose); 2 hours helping out with things like entrance gate, courtesy patrol, information booth, parking lots, fire tending, kitchen tent, and other jobs during the festival.

ONLINE ADVANCE SIGN-UP IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Visit www.beltania.org and click on “Register --- Workshift Required” to see what’s available and to register for your choice of community contribution or workshift. Please let other adults in your party know about the advance signup for workshifts, so they can do it too!