Tents

With a festival tent, the water column matters less than the question of what gets past the gate. Three rules from our festival database catch almost everyone:

Rock im Park bans marquees and party tents on the camping areas outright. Nova Rock allows a gazebo only if it covers at least half of your sleeping tent — a gazebo pitched beside it as pure party space has to come down. And Open'er does not allow tents designed for more than four people. Pick your festival above and the rule appears here with its source.

On size: the manufacturer's person rating means sleeping spots side by side, without luggage. A tent "for 4 people" fits four mats and nothing else — three sleep in it well. And pitching time counts for more than you would think: tents go up in the dark, after the journey, and rarely sober.