You arrive at Primavera Sound at four in the afternoon. The sun is blazing, there are fifty people in the bathroom queue, and you've just bought your first beer. They charge you €2 for the cup . "It's reusable," they tell you. "Sustainability," they insist. Great. You drink the beer, the cup is wet, sticky, with bits of foam and melted ice. You need to pee. Where do you put that piece of plastic that's dripping beer? In your backpack? Your phone, wallet, and spare t-shirt end up stinking. In your fanny pack? Too big, it won't fit. Do you leave it on a table? Someone will steal it or it will disappear in five minutes. Do you carry it in your hand for eight hours while you dance, eat, go to the bathroom, and hug strangers?
Welcome to the festival reusable cup paradox. They sell you sustainability, but leave you with a logistical problem the size of a stadium.
What the law says and what actually happens
Since January 2023, Royal Decree 1055/2022 has required festivals and large events in Spain to use reusable cups. So far, so good. But the law also says other things:
- Festivals must implement a deposit return system. If they charge €2 for the cup, they must refund that money when you return it .
- They must provide free drinking water (click for more info) at accessible points on the premises. Free, not for sale.
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There should be cleaning stations where you can rinse the glass before storing it.
This is what the regulations say. Now let's look at reality.
Primavera Sound Barcelona , one of Spain's biggest festivals, charges for the cup but doesn't refund the money. Rezero, a waste management organization, clearly documents this:
" Collecting cups for recycling is not reusing. That's what some festivals do, like Primavera Sound. It's an environmentally worse option than reusing: energy is lost, material quality is compromised, and ecological efficiency is reduced. "
Other festivals do honor their commitments. Sonorama Ribera refunds €1 per glass. Cruïlla refunds €2.
The Jardin de las Delicias festival, for example, had its "sustainable bar" in 2023 where they gave away a free beer or water for every 20 used cups you handed in:
Come on... raise your hand if you've ever imagined someone at 3 am desperately searching for glasses on the floor to get a free beer... 🫠
As my grandmother would say, "neither Juan nor Juanillo"... but at least some festivals are doing something. Many do nothing about this issue and nobody holds them accountable.
We have to say that the Crüilla festival in Barcelona deserves our respect in this regard. They say, and I quote:
" Since the public must pay a deposit when purchasing the cup, and with the aim of facilitating its return for reuse, we have set up 3 fixed and 10 mobile container return points where attendees can return the containers they have purchased and receive a refund. "
And what about free water at festivals? Technically, it exists. Sonorama has refill stations. Sónar Barcelona mentions free water points on its website. Arenal Sound says it has "one" free drinking water point. One point.
A
Spot.
For thousands of people. In Valencia. In August.
I won't say any more.
On the Sonorama website we read:
They also say " For sustainability reasons, the purchase of a glass costs €1. They don't say anything about refunding the €.
If you've ever been to a big festival, you know how this works. There's free water, yes. In a corner of the grounds, far from the main stages, with a single tap for fifty thousand people. The queues last half an hour in the sun. People end up buying bottles for €3. Or more.
At Coachella 2022, some attendees documented the disaster: " Most of the water stations weren't working ," " A friend went to refill his water bottle and was told it was out ," " Why is it so hard to get water in 2022? " We're talking about a festival in the California desert, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), where people were literally passing out from dehydration. And the water infrastructure was inadequate.
@ytusinfiltro Refilling the water bottle, mission impossible (you can tell it's the only thing that's free) ♬ Mission Impossible (Main Theme) - Favorite Movie Songs
Rosa García, director of Rezero, sums up the problem: festivals have turned an opportunity to move towards zero waste into something manipulative. It's not sustainability if there's no return on investment. It's merchandising disguised as environmental awareness.
The hacks people use when the system fails
While regulations are widely ignored, festival-goers have become survival engineers. Here are the three most common tricks for carrying your drink without it ruining your life.
The carabiner with elastic clip
You buy a polypropylene clip that holds the cup securely without needing to drill holes. It has a metal carabiner that you attach to your fanny pack, pants, or backpack. The clip weighs about ten grams, fits any reusable cup, and costs around €3 if you buy it before the festival. The problem: the cup is still a dirty piece of plastic dangling from you all day. If it has beer residue, it leaks. If it bumps into someone while dancing, it splashes.
The neck cup holder with silicone strap
It's an adjustable strap that hangs around your neck and holds the cup against your chest. Some models include a side pocket where you can put your phone or money. They're lightweight, take up hardly any space when not in use, and are sold at festival merch booths or online for €2 to €5. Advantage: completely hands-free. Disadvantage: you'll have sticky beer against your clothes for eight hours. If you dance hard, the cup bounces. If it's hot, it gets sweaty.
The viral hair tie trick
A savvy festival-goer on Instagram shared the most ingenious hack we've seen. She uses a hair tie from her fanny pack to attach her cup. Then she wraps the cup in a small bag or plastic wrap so it doesn't touch anything else. The cup is invisible, doesn't make a mess, and doesn't take up any space. Check it out here:
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