Love Saves The Day 2026 bans food, drink and more at Ashton Court
love saves the day 2026 opens at Ashton Court Estate in Bristol on May 23 and 24, 2024, and organisers have put a prohibited-items list in place before the two-day event begins. For anyone heading to one of Bristol's biggest music festivals, the packing rules now matter as much as the lineup.
Ashton Court Estate rules
Eight stages will host artists from across the globe over two days, but the entry checks are just as important to plan around. Bags will be searched on arrival, and some items will be confiscated if found; others may stop festivalgoers from entering at all. Confiscated items will not be returned, so anything questionable is better left at home.
People who need an exception can email [email protected]. The festival is outdoors, with some sheltered and seating areas, but most stages and viewing platforms will be uncovered, which makes the site more of a carry-light event than a bring-everything-you-own one.
What stays out
Attendees are not allowed to bring their own food and drink, though an empty reusable water bottle is allowed. Water refilling stations will be set up around the site, and bars and food traders will be available inside the festival. That means the day is not built around outside supplies; it is built around what is sold and provided on site.
Regular medication must stay in its original packaging with the prescription label on it. ID also has to meet a specific standard: it must show the holder's name, face and the holographic PASS logo, and photos of ID will not be accepted. Those are the kinds of details that decide whether the gate staff wave someone through or send them back to sort it out.
Cashless at Bristol
The festival is cashless, so attendees will need a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for food, drink and other purchases. That shifts the practical burden to the phone or wallet before anyone reaches the bars, food stalls or merch points.
A cloakroom will run in the Info Tent at £4 for a small item and £7 for a larger one, which gives festivalgoers one fallback if they arrive carrying more than the site rules allow. Portable phone chargers will also be available to rent from JOOS near the medical and welfare tents for £15 plus a £25 deposit, with the deposit refunded when the powerbank is returned. For this kind of outdoor, two-day festival, the safest move is simple: travel light, bring a proper ID, and assume the gate search is the first test of the day.
