The Law and Your Rights

At music festivals, we have rights which protect us and allow us to access the services we need. We also have a range of responsibilities – to ourselves, other people, and the festival environment. This resource covers what we can expect at festivals, and what we need to do to make festivals safer for everyone and to keep our favourite events on the calendar.

Security guards and the NSW Police are a fact of life at music festivals It’s important to know your rights when dealing with police and security at music festivals in NSW — this resource covers all of that, as well as what to do if you think your rights have been violated.

It is important to know your rights in relation to the police. These are some places you can get legal help or advice…

Using an illegal or illicit drug is a criminal offence and is known as self-administration…

The police have the right to demand your name and address under certain circumstances….

Use of drug detection “sniffer dogs” by NSW police has been on the rise in recent years…

The police in NSW have the power to stop and search you under certain circumstances….

If you feel you have been unfairly treated or had your rights violated by the NSW police officer, you have the right to complain.