Frequently asked questions

WHY COME TO Rebellion ? 

Put simply, Rebellion is the biggest independently run Punk Festival in the UK. Set in the historic Blackpool Winter Gardens, the festival offers over 300 live acts spread across 6 stages, including an 'introducing' stage for new acts, alongside a literary festival, a marketplace where you can buy clothing, band merch, records/CDs, handmade goods/artwork and much, much more. It is a great opportunity to meet friends old and new from across the world, have a drink in the numerous bars and enjoy the delights that one of Britain's top tourist destinations has to offer.

How can I contact Rebellion? 

The best way is to email us at team@rebellionfestivals.com
A full list of contact options plus an address to write to us is available on our CONTACT page

IS THE SHOW ALL AGES? 

Yes the show is all ages!
Under 5's are free with any adult ticket
Ages 5-12 are free with weekend and day tickets (maximum 3 with weekend ticket and 1 with day tickets PER ADULT)
They must be accompanied by their parent/guardian at all times.
If your child is under 12 but looks older, you may be asked to provide proof of age for free entry.

IS REBELLION OUTSIDE? 

NO!!! Rebellion is an indoor event!
Rebellion is an indoor festival held in the wonderful WINTER GARDENS in the seaside town of Blackpool.
Lots of venues, cafes, bars under one roof - no need to worry about umbrellas or the great British weather affecting the festival!!

Who's playing? 

Our line-up is booked over the course of the entire year.
As we get nearer to the festival bands are put into days, then a few weeks before, we announce the stages / times.
Check out the LINE UP  page to see the current confirmed bands.

What do I do upon arrival? 

Take your eTicket(s), either on your phone or printed-out, to the wristband exchange located at the Winter Gardens Conference and Exhibition Centre entrance in Leopold Grove, where it will be scanned and exchanged for a weekend or day wristband which will be put on for you. A weekend wristband will gain you entrance each day, so don't take it off at all over the weekend. Damaged wristbands may be exchanged but do not lose them because they cannot be replaced.

To help reduce queues please have your tickets ready (printed out or screenshots) and make sure your phone is charged! This will make scanning quicker. Your ticket will be scanned by security and upon validation you will be allowed to join the queue to collect a wristband from our wristband exchange team. Keep your ticket out ready to show them and they will put the appropriate wristband around your wrist, i.e. weekend or specific day.

Please also note that you can only exchange your own ticket for a wristband and cannot collect wristbands on behalf of others.

WHEN IS WRISTBAND EXCHANGE OPEN?

Please note that Wristband Exchange is open for 6 hours on Wednesday. Getting your wristband early means that you'll be able to go straight into the venue on Thursday
• Wednesday 1pm to 7pm
• Thursday 11am to 9pm
• Friday midday 12pm to 9pm
• Saturday midday 12pm to 9pm
• Sunday midday 12pm to 4pm

Note: For Late Arrivals, should you arrive after Wristband Exchange has closed, the Box Office has later opening hours (see below) and is manned for late arrivals and information when ticket sales have finished.

WHERE IS THE BOX OFFICE AND WHEN IS IT OPEN?

The Rebellion Box office is located at the Victoria St entrance on Coronation Street (opposite Bella Italia).
Do not confuse this with the Winter Gardens sign over the door saying BOX OFFICE in Church St (opposite the Church), as this is not used for any General Admission or ticket sales over the weekend. Opening hours are listed below:

• Wednesday 1pm to 7pm
• Thursday 11am to 10.30pm
• Friday midday to 10.30pm
• Saturday midday to 10.30pm
• Sunday midday to 10pm

WILL THERE BE TICKETS AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR?

This depends on whether or not tickets are sold out, which will be advertised via our Social Media sites. If there are tickets available, these can be purchased from the Box Office (details above), where you will be given a wristband when you buy your ticket and allowed straight into the venue.

CAN I BUY AN EARLY BIRD TICKET FOR NEXT YEAR?

Yes! These can be purchased at the Box Office (details above), Cash and Card Accepted.

HOW CAN I GET IN AND OUT OF THE VENUE?

• ENTRY - Via the Conference Centre on LEOPOLD GROVE
• EXIT - Via the doors on to CHURCH STREET

• ENTRY & EXIT - Via the doors opposite VICTORIA STREET*
*NOTE - The exit opposite Victoria Street (Bella Italia) can also be used to enter but ONLY ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN WRISTBANDED. No wristband, no entry to the festival! You can only enter here without a wristband to go to the BOX OFFICE to buy tickets for this year, if available (where you will have your wristband put around your wrist), or Early Bird tickets for next year.

CAN I RE-SELL MY TICKET

We have partnered with Tixel [tixel.com/uk/festival-tickets/rebellion-festival-tickets  ] who provide a safe and easy place for you to sell your ticket to another fan.

DOORS - OPENING TIMES 

Doors open at 11am on THURSDAY and 12pm on Friday / Saturday / Sunday

Re-Entry?  

Once you have exchanged your ticket for a wristband you are free to come and go as you please. Towards the end of the evening security may restrict entry - ie at a 2am finish the last entrance may be 1.15am. This will be signposted at exit points.
Please also refer to the question below

Can I Bring a Bag into the Venue? 

Blackpool Winter Gardens enforces a bag size policy similar to other major UK Venues:
No bags or rucksacks larger than A4 will be permitted into the venue.
Large handbags are permitted, but they must be no larger than A4 in size, 30cm by 21cm.

Please bear this in mind when you are buying merch and decide to nip out from the venue - if what you have purchased doesn't pass the bag size policy, you will not be able to re-enter, so we recommend you take back to your digs before returning to the venue.
If you have bags of purchased merch and just want to go out for a smoke, then you can use the designated Smoking Area and will be let back in again. But once you leave the Winter Gardens property you won't be able to re-enter unless the bag is A4 or smaller.

An A4 size guide (representing the maximum bag size allowed) will be placed at each entrance. If there's any doubt about a bag's size, staff will check against the guide, if the bag fits within the A4 outline, it's permitted. If it doesn't, it will be refused entry.
So please keep personal belongings to a minimum.

Thank you for your understanding and helping keep Rebellion safe.

Smoking? 

In accordance with UK law the whole of the inside of the venue is a no smoking area and the Winter Gardens also has a strict no vaping policy (the Fire Alarm system is very sensitive). A dedicated smoking area will be available outside and signposted accordingly. 

Accessibility? 

The Winter Gardens is a listed building with multiple venues on different levels and as such there are physical restrictions in what can and can't be done to accommodate accessibility. However, both Rebellion Festivals and the Winter Gardens are committed to ensuring that everybody has access to all areas and can provide advice and assistance. Please read our ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT  for further information.

Health & Safety 

Your safety and well being whilst at Rebellion is our primary concern. Please read our statement here. 

There is a FIRST AID centre in the building which is obviously staffed by First Aiders and paramedics that are not employed by Rebellion.
Check out the map in the event programme for it's location.

Bars / Food? 

Drinks and food are available from the venue, although Rebellion festivals have no say in pricing or menus. Bars are located in each venue, apart from the Opera House, which has refreshments on sale in the foyer area and circle bar (if either or both or open, depending on the festival's set-up in any given year, however you can bring drinks in from the on-site bars).

There are also several bars separate from the venues which provide their own unique atmosphere - the newly refurbished Mazzai Bar, the old school pub feel of the Old Vic and the Galleon Bar, designed to make you feel like you're on board a 17th century ship.

For purchasing food, the Empress Coffee Bar and Bistro provides somewhere to sit down for food and drinks, although there are several places selling takeaway food, such as hotdogs. The venue is placed in the middle of a busy UK town centre, so shops, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants are all in walking distance.
https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/whats-on/food-and-drink/ 

Are cameras allowed inside the venue? 

Cameras for personal use are permitted. These are defined as small compact digital cameras or phone cameras etc. Professional or Semi Professional cameras including Digital SLRs are not permitted. The public are not allowed to take photos from the pit and no professional photographers or photography will be allowed, other than our Official Rebellion Photographers.

Who is playing and what day do they play on? 

As bands are confirmed, we'll post them on the LINE-UP  page. We cannot confirm which day a band is playing until all bands are booked and the days / stages have been sorted out. So whilst a band maybe advertised as confirmed, please don't ask us when / where / what time they will be playing. We will update the LINE UP  page to show this information as soon as it is ready. Until this is up on the site it is not possible to tell you what bands play on a particular day. Whilst we endeavour to stick to the advertised line-up, please bear in mind this may be subject to change at short notice as sometimes things happen which are outside of our control.

Accommodation - Where Can I stay? 

Please check out - www.visitblackpool.com
Blackpool is a busy UK seaside resort and has many Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and Guest Houses. There are lots of hotels and inexpensive Bed and Breakfasts in Blackpool many of which are adjacent to the venue (check out Albert Road and Adelaide Street).

Travel Info? 

Blackpool is on the North West Coast of England - the nearest major cities are Manchester and Liverpool, both of which have international airports and offer regular train services. Trains from London depart from Euston station, also providing a regular service, most trains requiring a change at Preston, with some direct services. The train station closest to the Winter Gardens is Blackpool North, which is approx. 11 min walk, although there is a taxi rank directly outside the station (there is a train station at Blackpool South, however it is a much further journey). Blackpool also has a coach station, but if driving, then take the M6 and follow signs.

For further information:Trains - www.nationalrail.co.uk  or www.thetrainline.com 
Coaches - www.nationalexpress.com 
Flights to/from Liverpool Airport - www.liverpoolairport.com 
Flights to/from Manchester Airport - www.manchesterairport.co.uk 
Route planner - www.theaa.com 
Parking in Blackpool -  www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Parking-roads-and-transport/Parking/Parking-in-Blackpool.aspx  

Can I join / help the Street Team - Can I have a job? 

We are not an outdoor festival, so we don't really have many jobs going. If we have anything available, we will advertise on the site. However, we always need people to help flyer gigs and spread the word online. So if you would like to join our street team, please check out the STREET TEAM  page.

Frequently Asked Questions? 

Something not covered here? Drop us a line at team@rebellionfestivals.com