Southside questions

[Operator]

any further infos anybody needs for the weekend?

the weather predictions are changing by the day.

this is all i can add:

we are going to have a heat wave in germany until about wednesday/thursday with temperatures up to about 36 degrees (yep I'm sticking to my desk as we speak/write) and there will be heavy thunderstorms probably on tuesday, after that there's apparently not going to be any more storms over the festival days, temepratures will drop to around 16-22 degrees with a bit of rain, nothing torrential but rather constant. so don't forget them wellies. you'll need them.

the weather also changes quite extremely up on the airfield as it's high up on a hill and rather "open", so do prepare for all types of weather. it can be bloody hot and extreme sun in the morning and then stormy in the afternoon (just as an exemple - we've been through it)

oh and BRING SUNCREAM! seriously, if the sun does come out it's like in the mediterranean, you burn fast (very fast). believe me.

[fireztorm]

Hi, I noticed a train route which uses HZL train - is it included in the festival ticket? I guess it is because I ticked the "only local transport" box, but just to make sure.

Thanks

[fireztorm]

Also, what is the preferred footwear for this festival, taking in consideration weather etc.? (and what people usually wear? boots? hiking shoes?)

Thanks!

Edited June 17, 2013 by fireztorm

[Operator]

You can also take HZL trains, there is an extra info on the southside mentioning these trains, so no worry, just hop on.

converse all stars, vans and wellies...or whatever you want really

[Slix_Trix]

Hey! Operator you have been a god send regarding nuggets of information. Much appreciated. I thought I'd ask you a few questions before I get going. I am flying out from Dublin Ireland to Frankfurt Hahn tomorrow night. Just wanna make sure I've things covered before I head off. Our plane is to fly in to Frankfurt Hahn tomorrow night, stay in hostel for the night, get the bus to Frankfurt city centre train station to begin our 6 hour train journey to Tuttlingen (few switch overs) Any idea if that sounds about right?

Also:

- Any idea whats the story with lockers? If there are some, will they be there till Monday morning? Experienced lockers being taken away the night before!

- I noticed a lot of German talk floating around about recycling cans there. Do you get money for handing in you rubbish or something??

- Any idea what the price of a slab/crate of cans in Tuttlingen?? Want to stock up there.

Any reply would be much appreciated, I couldn't find any previous information that answered them and again THANK YOU! Been reading your posts for awhile now and your too helpful!

[Operator]

hiya...glad to help ...hope you read this in time.

your trip sounds great and frankfurt is a good city to arrive. I live close by. if you're looking for something to do go to "sachsenhausen" and drink apple wine.

hahn airport though will mean taking a coach into frankfurt - takes about an hour. but there are standard rates for the coaches sort of around 15 euros (but that's only a guess, sorry)

1. lockers stay on site until monday. I've never seen them being taken away while leaving monday morning. they are located at the main gate (if i remember correctly)

2. yes, right. if you buy a can/bottle of beer in a supermarket or wherever, you can return it and claim 25 cents per can and a bit less for a bottle. same goes for any other drink in a can or most bottles. every (yep really every) supermarket has one or two little deposit machines at the entrance to return cans and bottles. so if you want, if you have time...return'em.

there's another answer I thought I'd post: apart from this general deposit scheme in supermarkets, southside festival gives you 10 euros if you fill a large bin bag and throw it away into these massive containers they provide. the 10 euros are included in the ticket price, so you've actually already paid a kind of rubbish fee

just look out for the rubbish containers (mostly located at the entrances) with a little stall/booth next to them where you can claim your 10 euros back. you'll see them and won't have to look for them long, don't worry. it helps keep the festival a bit tidier and ensures you have a 10er for mcdonalds on the journey back home. they're only "open" until monday morning 10 am or so be sure to get your 10 euros back eiter on sunday or early monday morning...the queues for the deposit get quite long on monday morning, just a tip.

3.if you stick to the beer in plain black cans with a bit of white writing on them named "5,0 original" you'll be in heaven. it costs 40 cents per can (plus a 25 cents deposit per can) and you can buy them by boxes of 24. you will see a lot of people drinking it at the festival - tastes great. my box is already packed up.

if possible I'd go shopping in frankfurt. tuttlingen does have supermarkets and I know you'll be taking all your stuff on the train but the supermarkets in tuttlingen will be full of festival goers...and everybody will be looking for the same stuff.

5,0 original is not sold in every supermarket though so if you don't find it, don't worry, all german beer tastes great really.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Operator

[Operator]

here's a weather update:

it's going to rain the whole weekend. BUT only "light rain" so shouldn't get muddy too quickly and shouldn't be too bad.

the only thing that's a bit worrying is the "light thundestorm" scheduled for thursday afternoon/evening . that will be a bit of fun setting up tents, BUT (yep another but) the forecast can change and it is a bit unpredictable up on the hill so could also be sunny. we've had the worst forecasts a day beofre going in the past and then had a weekend of sun.

if anyone wants it more detailed: www.wetter.com, enter "tuttlingen" into the search field and then click onto "7 Tage", you'll get the forecast for the whole weekend.

[Operator]

First confirmed acts for the 2014 edition:

http://www.southside.de/de/line-up/

Arcade Fire, Belle & Sebastian, Interpol, couple of others, The 1975 e.g. + a few good German bands and a few awful German bands

Edited November 12, 2013 by Operator

[Operator]

New announcement couple of days ago...

Headliners are Arcade Fire, Volbeat and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

I just do not know what to say. at least Pixies, Elbow, Interpol, Belle and Sebastian and 1-2 others are there.

Yep Volbeat and Macklemore.

I...I...

It's...

You know cause....

But...

Facepalm.

[Kuki]

Yeah, Volbeat has just made tour, where they sold out 5 areas in Germany... so yep... Volbeat

[Operator]

is that pro volbeat ?

[Kuki]

Yep . Volbeat is really great live, also they are one of the biggest bands nowadays - so it's not strange that they headline(yeeeeaaaa, they headlined Rock Am Ring 2013 ) - if you didn't listen to them yet, just give them a try they make hell of a show

[Operator]

new bands coming today including franz ferdinand, midlake, the kooks, balthazar and the black keys (finally)

Edited January 30, 2014 by Operator

[PamVanDam]

Hey guys!

Just wanted to post a few questions as a fellow Scottish chick and myself are looking to head to the festival this year.

We're thinking of either flying from Glasgow or Edinburgh , not sure about our route. Can anyone tell us if they think these routes are doable?

- Edinburgh > basil - from Basil get the train (to Freiburg?? Not sure if there is a better or more direct train to somewhere nearer?) From Freiburg to Tuttlingen . ( I take it once we hit Germany we can use our Festival ticket on trains?

- if we fly from glasgow to London we can get flights to Stuttgart and Freiburg. Would Stuttgart be a better place to arrive? Proposed journey for that would be : Stuttgart > Tuttlingen ( I guess maybe some changes )

Freiburg seems nearer but we really aren't too sure- any advice would be much appreciated.

Also : is there somewhere with the shuttle bus timetable? We were thinking of not camping so would need to know the times of the first and last shuttle etc.....

We don't know much about the south. Mainly been going to hurricane and rock am ring so this is our first southside trip

Edited March 5, 2014 by PamVanDam

[Operator]

Hi!

Great idea going to Southside

Train tickets

Yes, as soon as you are in Germany, you can use your festival ticket on local/regional trains, not ICE oder IC trains (equivalent to English Intercity's). If you`re now asking yourself how to check if you're on the right train, don't worry, I'll help you with that one and be happy to look up and send you some connections, no problem at all. Did the same last year with 2 groups that were coming from the UK.

Where to fly to?

I'd see which flights are cheapest and book them as soon as possible. as you can use your festival ticket as a train ticket you won't be paying more say from Freiburg than you would from Stuttgart. Stuttgart is 126km, Freiburg 90km and Basel, Switzerland 128km away from Tuttlingen. So we're also not talking about journeys that take hours longer than each other. Note: Basel actually has a train station that belongs to Germany (not quite sure how that works but I've been there before ) so you probably wouldn't need a ticket from Basel to the first station in Germany.

In my opinion: fly to freiburg and stay there an extra day or two, lovely little city.

BUT: freiburg is a lot smaller airport, could be that you won't have a lot of selection on flying times, stuttgart will be better for that as it's a more international and larger airport - as said, I'd just take the cheapest flights (Lufthansa or British Airways, not Ryanair with all their baggage costs and what not)

Shuttle buses

These run according to the band schedule. So the last one leaves about an hour after the last band has played I think. Exact times haven't been announced yet, you'll probably have to wait until about 1-2 weeks before the festival starts for these infos.

They run quite often as well, so don't worry if you miss one.

If you know when you land I can send you a few train connections and include any details that you'll need...

Edited March 6, 2014 by Operator

[Operator]

If anyone's wanting to go by campervan or caravan or rent one, be quick. the campervan/caravan tickets will sell out pretty soon.

And it seems that 25 new bands will be announced on monday.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Operator

[Operator]

And here's the update: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1622695_10152248935904817_29147236_n.jpg

[bratsampson]

Hi, I'm thinking of arranging a trip to either Southside or Hurricane this year, I was wondering if you had infor (that should really be on the website) regarding the 'club' or 'resort' tickets. They seem to cost extra and come in different types, so I wanted to know what you got for your money and to confirm that a regular 'kombiticket (€149 at Hurricane, €156 at Southside) would cover full entry and camping etc.

Other than that would you reccommend either over the other? Is the weather appreciably different further south etc?

[Operator]

Kombiticket includes the festival, camping and your train journey on regional trains - that's what I bought.

You have to add an extra 2 € fees per ticket + shipping which is 7 € per order.

Club and Resort tickets are two types of VIP tix with VIP parking, extra toilets and showers, more concrete paths - only available at Hurricane

The club ticket also includes admission to some kind of better view stand/stall whatever.

I'd go south...it's called Hurricane for a reason

A friend used to go when I was at Southside and she always sent me weather updates -> you wouldn't have wanted to be there.

It's always sunny at southside despite the weather forecast. I think once or twice in the past 11 years it absolutely poured it down...somebody didn't agree with the lineup I guess.

Hope this all helps, write any other questions in here or via pm, happy to assist.

[sassigirl]

I am quite keen on going to Southside festival this year as I will be in Europe.

After reading this forum I get the impression that you can bring your own alcohol into the festival. Can anyone please confirm that you can definitely bring your own alcohol into the camping ground part of the festival. This will be a major factor in deciding which festival I choose as I don't want to pay large amounts on alcohol each day as I'm traveling on a budget.

Can anyone else confirm also if patrons can bring in their own food and any other relevant information of that nature.

Thanks!

[branvan]

as you can see in my signature, i've been to Southside Festival many times

yes, you can bring your own food&drinks to the campingside. but there are as well some kind of supermarket tents, where you can buy (cold) food&drinks for reasonable prices, last year like this:

[sassigirl]

Thanks for that. are there any restrictions as to how much you bring in? is it regulated or enforced? I looked on the website and it said there is a limit to the amount of liquid you bring in. I was hoping to bring in a fair few cases of beer/cider and/or spirits. We are Aussies and we are pretty big drinkers...

[Operator]

you think so eh wait and see what some of these crazy germans carry/push/wheel/throw to the camping site with them...

Just to clarify though : you have to differ between the camping site and the actual festival grounds where the stages are.

You can take as much alcohol as you like to your tent on the camping site. you could put a whole brewery there if you wanted to.

Only thing you have to be aware about on the camping site is that glass bottles aren't allowed - beer bottles, wine bottles, whiskey bottles -> NOPE.

BUT, best thing about Germany: they have a huge amount of beers in cans as well. I recommend the black (or German flag: black-red-yellow) "5,0 Original" cans -> you'll be seeing a lot of those at the festival. Tastes great, is cheap.

The only restrictions there are, are when you enter the festival grounds where the stages are. you are only allowed to take a certain amount in a plastic carton with you, no glass bottles, no beer cans no camel baks/camel bags and the security guys normally screw off the top of your carton while entering...

just take an extra cap in in your shoe or whatever. problem solved.

The festival grounds and the camping site are right next to each other and there are gates you have to go through when going to the stages.

anything left unclear?

P.S. the poster the person posted with the drinks prices is for the shop on the camping site. Of those drinks displyed on it, I think you are only allowed to take the wine carton (1 litre) onto the festival grounds (stages, bands), the rest can of course be enjoyed in the camping area.

INFO ON WORLD CUP

in the past years, southside has always set up a massive screen (really bloody massive) and shown the german games on the camping site - I recommend getting involved in that. great fun, and beer, and well...you know...festival, sun, beer, girls etc.

other games were not shown in the past, not even england!

Edited April 10, 2014 by Operator

[PamVanDam]

Hi!

Great idea going to Southside

Train tickets

Yes, as soon as you are in Germany, you can use your festival ticket on local/regional trains, not ICE oder IC trains (equivalent to English Intercity's). If you`re now asking yourself how to check if you're on the right train, don't worry, I'll help you with that one and be happy to look up and send you some connections, no problem at all. Did the same last year with 2 groups that were coming from the UK.

Where to fly to?

I'd see which flights are cheapest and book them as soon as possible. as you can use your festival ticket as a train ticket you won't be paying more say from Freiburg than you would from Stuttgart. Stuttgart is 126km, Freiburg 90km and Basel, Switzerland 128km away from Tuttlingen. So we're also not talking about journeys that take hours longer than each other. Note: Basel actually has a train station that belongs to Germany (not quite sure how that works but I've been there before ) so you probably wouldn't need a ticket from Basel to the first station in Germany.

In my opinion: fly to freiburg and stay there an extra day or two, lovely little city.

BUT: freiburg is a lot smaller airport, could be that you won't have a lot of selection on flying times, stuttgart will be better for that as it's a more international and larger airport - as said, I'd just take the cheapest flights (Lufthansa or British Airways, not Ryanair with all their baggage costs and what not)

Shuttle buses

These run according to the band schedule. So the last one leaves about an hour after the last band has played I think. Exact times haven't been announced yet, you'll probably have to wait until about 1-2 weeks before the festival starts for these infos.

They run quite often as well, so don't worry if you miss one.

If you know when you land I can send you a few train connections and include any details that you'll need...

Edited April 14, 2014 by PamVanDam

[Latoya-Nicole]

I'm contemplating going to the festival on my own because none of my friends can really afford it last minute. Is this a good idea? Will I be safe? Will I be able to find groups to kind of attach myself to or will people look at me weird and not want to talk to me and I will have a miserable time by myself? lol because I'm American and also black. I know Germany is no more worse than anywhere else with race but I want to know if I will have a rough time at all just being foreign.

Also is there anyone else going alone or in a group that will adopt me! :-D I am lots of fun