FAQs

Will tickets stay at the currently advertised prices for the duration of the festival?

Our ticket prices are on sale and priced for advanced purchase - this allows people to take advantage of lower prices that otherwise would be charged 'on the gate' - i.e. if you were to leave it until the day itself and simply turn up to pay.

Prices on the gate will be significantly higher. See the 'Ticketing Details' tab for more information...

So SAVE MONEY - buy in advance!

How do I know my booking has been successful?

Once you have selected your tickets and entered your card details, you will be taken to the final stage of your booking which confirms if your booking has been successful or not.

Once a booking is completed you will receive an ‘e-ticket’ immediately to your email address – SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS CORRECT.

The e-ticket contains a unique reference – made up of numbers and letters; please keep this safe.

Simply print off your e-ticket and bring it with you on the day. Do not make extra copies as our security systems will not let anyone through once the ticket has been fully scanned.

In the case of any queries – or if you don’t receive your e-ticket, please email tickets@stocktonweekender.co.uk with your name, and address and Failed Booking in the email’s subject matter. Please include your booking reference.

Why do I need a booking reference?

Your booking reference is the final stage in confirming that your booking has completed and uniquely identifies your booking should you have a query on it. By quoting this number in any correspondence that you have with The Stockton Weekender Tickets, we can swiftly trace your booking and answer any questions that you may have.

You will receive a unique booking reference for every booking that you make with The Stockton Weekender, which you will need to retain should a query arise.

Booking Fees

There are a number of fees and charges that may occur – depending on how you buy your tickets…

Online sales incur a transaction fee scaled depending on the value of your total transaction – these fees are stated in our ‘terms and conditions’ section.

Telephone sales don’t incur a transaction fee - but will incur a card booking fee of 50p to cover commission charges made to us by our card services provider.

In person sales at our box office in Green Dragon Studios won’t incur any charges for cash sales but will if you are paying by card.

PLEASE NOTE: this information relates to direct purchases from Tees Music Alliance through our Stockton Weekender site. Tickets purchased from external re-sellers may incur charges calculated differently to the above.

Why do you charge a booking fee?

The modest booking fee is collected by the company which provides our box office facilities; this is their only income and it enables them to provide our customers with a safe and secure service.

Do you mail my tickets to me?

Not usually, we will email tickets to you wherever possible.

If you are buying tickets over the telephone - and you don’t have e-mail access - we can print and post your tickets to you; however, this will incur an additional £1.50 handling and P&P charge.

If you buy your tickets in person – and you don’t have e-mail access - we can print your tickets at the box office for you to take away.

Where tickets need to be collected, they must be collected by the cardholder that made the booking who will need to present the card used and sign for the tickets on collection.

Which payment methods do you accept?

We accept Visa, Delta, Electron, Mastercard and Maestro cards for online and telephone sales.

We accept all of the above – plus cash – at our box office in Green Dragon Studios.

How quickly is money charged to my credit/debit card?

Your card is charged by us as soon as your tickets are purchased, however it can take up to 7 days for the money to be debited from your account.

What does my ticket cover?

A single ticket will admit you into the main music arena and also into the festival cabaret tent and events at The Georgian Theatre - at no additional cost, but subject to capacity.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of the smaller venues may fill up and there may be queueing at peak times - especially in the cabaret tent.

Disabled Access & Facilities

Please find out more HERE

How do I get my wristband?

Tickets for the Stockton Weekender must be exchanged for a festival wristband. There will be no admittance to the festival site without a valid wristband. Tickets are to be exchanged for wristbands at the entrance to the main Stockton Weekender site. The wristband exchange will open at 11.30am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The ticket holder must be present at the wristband exchange point. Under no circumstances can you collect wristbands on behalf of other ticket holders.

Please arrive at the opening of the wristband exchange to allow enough time to collect a wristband before performances begin. No duplicate tickets will be issued for lost tickets.

In order to facilitate the security, safety and comfort of all guests, all venues reserve the right to refuse admission and / or conduct appropriate searches. Admission is at the ticket holder's risk. The promoter and the individual venues shall not be held liable for any loss, injury or damage sustained within their premises.

The event age restriction is 14+ years for full ticket holders. Management reserve the right to check ID, so if you look younger than 14 years old, please make sure you bring valid photo ID (also see below...).

I'm over 14 but look younger so I'll need to bring ID - but I'm worried about losing it during the festival!

Aha! Not a problem, we'll be opening an advanced wristband exchange between 10.00am and 9.00pm in our box office at Green Dragon Studios the day before the festival opens (2nd August) just for you...

Bring either...

1) Your passport or

2) Your birth certificate PLUS another form of ID with your name and photo on it or

3) A parent / guardian - who will be asked to sign a simple form declaring your age

We'll issue your wristband there and then, so that you can take your ID home and store it safely...

Can I bring my own Food & Drink?

There will be a range of quality food outlets on site - including vegetarian options and tea / coffee; in addition we run our own bar serving cold draught and a range of other drinks; soft and alcoholic. Stockton town centre is within walking distance, offering a wide range of additional options.

For licensing reasons we cannot permit any alcohol to be brought into or taken out of the site; it is illegal for us to do so. To support this position, we are required to conduct searches at the gate - we will only permit entry with unopened soft drinks in plastic bottles; we will need to check to ensure the seal is unbroken before allowing in.

Whilst we don't object to you bringing your own food, please bear in mind that your picnic will be subject to a search; causing delays for you and the people behind you in the queue!

I'm thinking of popping down on my bike and bringing my dog along for the day; is that OK?

You'll need to park your bicycle off site securely; please remember to bring a lock.

Sadly we have a strict no dogs allowed policy (except of course guide dogs). We've had some bad experiences with dogs in recent years - otherwise placid animals have become spooked by the loud noises and other festival goings on - causing distress to the animal and, on occasion, to other people trying to enjoy the festival. Sorry.

Camping

By popular demand our campsite is returning...

The Stockton Weekender campsite is a short walk (10 mins) from the main festival arena.

The site will be fully fenced with 24 hour security and toilets / washing facilities.

Camper Vans and caravans are welcome - but please note, we don't have 'hook up' to power and water. If you bring a Camper Van, then you don't need a separate parking pass; however you will need one if you bring a caravan - as you'll need to unhitch and move your car to the adjacent car-park.

Stockton Weekender cannot be held responsible for any loss / damage to tents or their contents - so please take steps to ensure the security of your belongings.

A separate information sheet detailing the site rules will be sent out with all camping bookings.

Other Accommodation

If we can't tempt you with our riverside campsite; then take a look HERE to see what's on offer within a short travelling distance of Stockton Weekender

Getting Here

If you're travelling from outside of the Stockton-on-Tees area - or need assistance finding reliable transport once you've arrived for your visit; please click HERE

Performing at the Stockton Weekender

Once we get to April / May, we have a pretty good idea who will be playing the Stockton Weekender... we will have been keeping an eye on people most of the previous year.

If you are an unsigned band looking for a slot at our Stockton Weekender please note - we get hundreds of requests for places, mostly from bands and artists we've never heard of. We end up disappointing more people than we make happy...

Please don't email or phone us - we haven't got time to reply to every single enquiry (we get hundreds) - but read the following advice instead...

Stockton Weekender is an independently run event, produced by us - TEES MUSIC ALLIANCE. We select a large proportion of artists from those people who we work with on a regular basis throughout the year - that includes artists using our rehearsal rooms, recording studio, taking part in one of our projects or those who contribute to a successful gig at our venue, The Georgian Theatre.

There is a DIRECT LINK between playing the festival and working with us during the rest of the year.

Here are some of our other top tips for getting a slot...

Get gigging! Play plenty of good gigs - but don't saturate the circuit with loads of appearances where no-one turns up (they aren't very good gigs really are they?).

Build up a following - a good solid fan base at your gigs; both locally and wider afield, will get you noticed - by fans, the media... and us.

As well as Stockton Weekender, we also run rehearsal and recording studios - here at Green Dragon Studios - which are very handy for us spotting suitable artists; a good proportion of artists that play Stockton Weekender get recommended by members of our staff who like what they hear - worth bearing in mind?

Don't give up - if you don't get a slot this year, try and make it impossible for us not to notice you next year. We run a number of shows and events throughout the year - try and get onto them as a way of feeding through into the festival slots.

And if we give you a gig at our own venue, The Georgian Theatre, make sure you get a decent sized crowd along - if you play in front of three people and a dog, we're hardly going to put you into the festival are we? The bands and solo acts which we tend to offer festival slots to are the ones who take their work seriously, who plan and promote their gigs well and who consistently play well attended gigs for us - that's the fairest way to do things; for us, for bands and for audiences.

Remember, Stockton Weekender is a HUGE capacity gig - everyone wants to play it; we tend to use local artists that have come to our attention, that have been working hard throughout the year [or years!] and that can put on a good, solid performance for everyone - not just their mates.

Above all, remember - if you put all of this into practice... we'll find you!