How to use what3words at festivals
Discover how the free what3words app is a festival must-have for everything from saving the location of your tent to sharing a precise location in an emergency, and learn why festivals around the world are recommending it.
✅ Save important locations so you know exactly where to find your car, tent and other key points
🧭 Navigate to meeting points using the what3words Compass – it even works offline
🚨 Giving a what3words address in an emergency can save precious time getting help to the right place
How can I use what3words at festivals?
Save important locations
Use the ‘Save’ function for those locations you need to remember, like where you pitched your tent, parked your car or the entrance to the medical tent. Outdoor clothing and equipment brand Regatta has a range of tents and chairs that have a built-in what3words chip that you can scan to quickly see the location’s what3words address.
Top tip: save all of your saved locations into one ‘Festival Favourites’ list and share it with your friends so everyone knows exactly where to find every spot.
what3words works offline
The what3words app relies on GPS to work so you can still find, save and navigate to what3words addresses without needing a data connection. This is especially important at festivals that are remote or so busy that connection can be unstable.
Top tip: If you want to find your current location, make sure the blue dot on the screen stabilises first, as this gives you a more accurate location. Then tap the ‘Locate me’ button (arrow on iPhone or compass on Android) to see your current what3words address.
Plan and navigate to a meeting point
If you get separated from your friends, use what3words to pick a precise place to meet-up. If you’re unsure how to get there, navigate using what3words Compass mode .
Enter the what3words address into the app, then tap ‘Navigate’ and select ‘what3words Compass’. Just follow the direction of the arrow to your destination. The distance from your destination will also be displayed at the top of the screen. The green arrow will turn into a tick once you’ve arrived.
Use it in an emergency
Festivals are for having fun, but it’s also important to stay safe and be prepared in case of an emergency. Emergency teams, from Glastonbury Police in the UK to Baldwin County in Alabama , are encouraging festival-goers to have the app so they’re prepared to give a precise location. It can help save precious time when locating incidents on busy sites that are difficult to describe.
Always find the right entrance
what3words has been popping up at festivals around the globe to help people find important locations that would otherwise be hard to find.
Spot what3words on festival maps
With sprawling grounds, many festivals provide people with maps to help them navigate the site. Towersey Festival included what3words addresses on its map so attendees could arrive at the entrance they needed, saving time and hassle.
Whatever festival you’re going to this summer, don’t forget to use what3words.
What is what3words?
what3words is used at festivals across the globe, such as Glastonbury, Burning Man and South by Southwest. Making it easy for people to find and communicate precise locations on sprawling sites, where regular street addressing doesn’t exist.