FAQs

Before the festival

What should I bring?

Hard cases for your musical instruments
Dance shoes - smooth soles are best for this style of dancing
A towel. Showers are communal (male/ female), but there's also an accessible shower for those who need more space or want to shower solo.
Sleeping bag, mat, pillow (if you're indoor camping)
Everything you need for camping (if you're outdoor camping). Hot water bottles are a good idea!
Ear plugs, if you need them. We move the dancing from the main hall at around 1am so people can sleep, but music and chatter do travel (and we can't promise no snoring!)
Cake, biscuits, and any other snacks you'd like to share. Vegan and gluten free versions particularly welcome.
Anything you want to drink in the evening - there's no bar on-site
Your Skint cup from last year. Or even better, a cup from another festival. We’re trying to be sustainable, so will only be giving out new cups to those who weren’t at Skint last year.

I’m coming on my own, is there a pre-Skint facebook group I can join to connect with others before I come?

Yes, you can connect with others through the Skint 2025 Facebook event. This is a great place to ask questions, borrow sleeping bags, and share travel plans. Click on the ‘discussion’ tab to see other people’s posts and join the conversation.

Can I come to Skint if I'm a beginner dancer?

Yes, we'd love to have you! We do have lots of very experienced dancers (and musicians) attend, but we very much aim to be accessible for beginners. You might find that the weekend is a bit of a crash course in polska, but we think that full immersion is a great way to learn! Skinters are a very friendly & welcoming bunch and you'll find lots of people who are happy to dance with beginners in the evening bals.

In the daytime workshops schedule we make sure that each slot has at least one 'beginner friendly' dance workshop, for example a polska workshop aimed at complete beginners or an introduction to dances from a different part of the world that will be taught from scratch. This means there's something to take part in throughout the day too.

At the festival

What is the schedule for the weekend?

The full festival programme will be on display when you get to the hall, including dance and music workshops, and evening bals, all taught & played for by Skint participants

In the meantime, here is an outline of timings for the weekend:

Festival opens	5pm on Friday
Friday bal	8.30pm until late
Saturday workshops	10am - 6.15pm
Saturday bal	8.30pm until late
Sunday workshops	10am - 12.45pm
Sunday afternoom bal	3.30 - 5pm
Festival ends	5pm on Sunday

Is Skint a family friendly festival?

We like kids at Skint and over the years more and more have been coming along :-) Whilst Skint is definitely a family friendly festival, we don’t yet have a full children’s programme. There are likely to be some workshops for kids during the festival. However, parents & carers, please bring stuff to entertain your children and remember you are responsible for your children throughout the festival.

We do our best to set aside a dedicated space for parents and kids. There is also a small playground on the field at the back of the hall.

What time should I arrive on the Friday?

The festival officially opens at 5pm on Friday and dinner will be served 6 - 8pm

Anyone arriving before 5pm will be drafted in to help with set up! You’re welcome to arrive from 2.30pm on Friday afternoon if you’d like to volunteer with setting up the hall, loading in and setting up the PA, putting up lighting, and welcoming people as they arrive.

How do I find out what workshops are happening/ who is playing in the evening bals?

The programmes for workshops and evening bals are displayed on whiteboards in the main hall on a day-by-day basis. You can usually find the evening bal programme at the front of the hall next to the stage, and the workshops programme at the back of the hall next to the serving hatch.

How can I sign up to volunteer at Skint?

Skint is a festival where everyone contributes, whether by leading a workshop, playing for dancing, chopping vegetables, washing up or something else. Even the organising committee are volunteers and pay for their own tickets!

There will be a volunteer rota in the small hall (Fabrick Room), and you'll be asked to sign up for one or two shifts over the weekend. If you later find you can’t do your shift, PLEASE find someone to swap with or let a committee member know so we don't end up with important jobs being missed.

How do I sign up to run a workshop/ play for dancing in the evening?

If you’d like to run a workshop, play for a workshop, or play for an evening bal look out for call outs a couple of months before the festival. We organise these volunteer roles in advance, so keep an eye on your emails.

Will there be a quiet room at Skint?

Skint is a wonderfully busy and buzzing festival. We appreciate that many people might need to take a break over the course of the weekend, so we’re trialing a small quiet room this year. Look out for more information when you arrive.

In addition, we’ve put together a list of quiet-ish spaces in and around the festival. If you think you might need a space to rest, get away from the crowds, or have a nap over the weekend, we suggest having a read in advance so you know what to expect.

Where can I find information about what is available around the village?

We have collected useful information about transport, food and drinks, and local walks in Ashover on our Your Visit page.

Tickets

What does it cost to come to Skint?

An adult weekend ticket with all meals and indoor/ outdoor camping costs £53. A child weekend ticket with all meals and indoor/ outdoor camping costs £30.

However, we’ve broken this down so you can choose just the parts you want. You’ll need to select admission, meals, and camping options separately when you book.

We want Skint to be accessible to everyone. If you're struggling with the cost of attending, please use the discount code REALLYSKINT for an automatic £11 off the ticket price. On the other hand, if you can afford a bit more we're offering the option to 'sponsor a Skinter' by adding a donation when you book.

How can I find out when tickets are going on sale?

We announce important ticket dates via our mailing list and on our Facebook page. Sign up to our mailing list and follow us on Facebook here:

Help, the ticket site won’t let me add as many festival tickets as I need! How can I add an extra adult/ child ticket to my booking?

We limit bookings to 2 adults and 2 kids per customer. This is to prevent block booking of tickets, and also to make sure that there are enough adults to supervise kids throughout the festival. If you have more than 2 adults (aged 16 or over) in your family or group, you’ll need to make two separate bookings. Likewise if you want to bring 3 children you’ll need to make two bookings, each one with an adult attached to it.

If it all goes wrong, don’t worry! Send us an email with what you think has happened and we’ll get it sorted

Is there a waiting list for tickets and can I be put on it?

We don’t have a waiting list. We’ve decided the fairest way to reallocate tickets is to release them all on the same day, so you don’t need to keep checking the website. Any available festival and meal tickets from returns and cancellations will be released on the website on these dates:

Second ticket release - 7pm UK time on Thursday 9th October 2025
Third ticket release - 7pm UK time on Thursday 30th October 2025

After this date, any tickets that become available due to last-minute cancellations will immediately become available on the website, so please check back there.

Where is the best place to find resales from cancellations?

Skint tickets are non-transferrable. Please don’t buy a ticket from anyone else as it won’t be valid for entry to the festival. This also applies to meal and camping tickets.

Is it possible to buy a day/ evening ticket on the day?

Yes, subject to availability. All tickets are being sold online, so we strongly recommend buying your ticket before you come. We do not have an extra allocation of tickets on the door, so if we’re sold out online then we’re sold out.

Your website says you’re sold out of tickets. I’m a musician/ dancer/ generally helpful person, can I get a ticket?

No, sorry! Everyone at Skint is a volunteer and helps to make the festival happen, so we don’t have a separate allocation of tickets for volunteers. If the website says we’re sold out that means we’ve reached the maximum number of people we can comfortably fit in the venue, so sadly means we won’t be able to squeeze you in.

Please do look out for tickets becoming available on the second and third release dates. You can also sign up to our mailing list to make sure you’re one of the first to hear when tickets go on sale for next year’s festival

I’m struggling with costs, can you help?

Yes we can. Please use the discount code REALLYSKINT for an automatic £11 off the ticket price, with no questions asked. We also have a small fund to support people to come who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it, even with the discount. If that's you, please get in touch

I can’t make it anymore, can you transfer my tickets to my friend?

Skint tickets are non-transferrable for a few reasons. Firstly, we think it gives fairer access to tickets for everyone, and secondly we oversell slightly to allow for cancellations so not all canceled tickets will be resold. Please don’t give or sell a ticket to anyone else as it won’t be valid for entry to the festival. This also applies to meal and camping tickets.

Instead, please email us to let us know you can’t make it. Then tell your friend to mark their diary for the second and third ticket release dates. After these dates, any tickets that become available due to last-minute cancellations will immediately become available on the website, so they should check there instead.

I can’t make it anymore, can you refund my ticket?

If you get in touch on or before 8th October, yes we can. Please email us . You’ll receive a refund of 75% of your ticket costs, as stated in the booking terms and conditions

If it’s after 8th October, I’m afraid you’re too late for a ticket refund but if you let us know, it might let someone else come to Skint as we will release the ticket as quickly as we can. Please email us .

I can’t make it anymore but I don’t need a refund. Please can you donate my ticket to someone else?

That’s a very lovely thought, thank you! Unfortunately our system isn’t set up to make this happen. The most helpful thing you can do is email us to request a refund, so that we can release the space for someone else to book.

Why are there no ticket refunds after 8th October?

To be fair to everyone that wants to come, we try to strike a balance between the needs of people that were lucky enough to get tickets the first time round and the needs of people that might still want to buy a ticket. We think that a month before the festival you will most likely know whether you’ll be able to make it or whether you’ve had a better offer for that weekend, so 8th October is not an unreasonable cut off. On the other hand, if someone is going to cancel we want to encourage that to happen before 8th October so that anyone wanting tickets has time to plan their travel, etc, for the weekend.

We do understand that illness can happen at the last minute and prevent you from coming to the festival. If that’s the case please do get in touch and we’ll see what we can do on a case by case basis.

Meals and self-catering

What are the meals like at Skint? Can I choose my meals in advance?

All food at Skint is delicious, vegetarian, and prepared by Skint-goers themselves. There is one hot dish available for each meal and typical examples would be curry, stew, or jacket potatoes. To cater for different needs and tastes, we generally have plenty of optional extras so that you can choose for yourself whether to add cheese, yogurt or coriander.

I have an allergy/ dietary restriction. Can you cater for me?

All meals are vegetarian and we can provide vegan options too. We do our best to cater for those with intolerances and allergies. However the kitchen is very small, making it hard to guarantee that there won’t be cross-contamination, so if you’re very sensitive you may wish to bring your own food instead. We will be in touch by email around a month before the festival to collect information about dietary requirements, so please keep an eye on your inbox and feel free to get in touch if you haven’t heard from us or if you have any further questions.

Is breakfast provided?

Breakfast is provided for everyone with camping tickets, both indoor and outdoor camping. Breakfast is self-service and is available 9:00am - 9:50am in the main hall. Please arrive early for the full selection of breakfast options.

I can’t remember if I bought meal tickets, how can I check?

You will have received a booking confirmation from TicketSource when you first booked that has details of your meals and camping as well as festival tickets. Try searching your inbox for emails from: customer.services@ticketsource.co.uk or with the subject "Booking confirmation for Skint 2025"

I forgot to add meal tickets when I booked, is it possible to buy them now?

Yes, subject to availability. If meal tickets are still available you can fill in the booking form again, selecting the items that you missed and including your name and email address so we know that it’s you. A quirk of the booking site is that it won’t let you book extras without also selecting a festival ticket, so please choose the free ‘placeholder ticket’ option. Please note the placeholder ticket is not valid for entry to the festival and does not make any extra options magically appear - if meals are sold out then you will not be able to purchase them.

I missed out on meal tickets, is there a waiting list for cancellations?

We don’t have a waiting list for meal tickets. We’ve decided the fairest way to reallocate tickets is to release them all on the same day, so you don’t need to keep checking the website. Any available meal tickets from returns and cancellations will be released on the website as part of a second and third ticket releases

After these dates, any tickets that become available due to last-minute cancellations will immediately become available on the website, so please check back there.

In both cases, please use the free ‘placeholder ticket’ option when you book, as the booking website won’t let you select meal tickets without a festival ticket as well.

I’ve decided to self-cater, can you transfer my meal tickets to my friend?

All Skint tickets are non-transferrable, including meal tickets. This is because we think it gives fairer access to tickets for everyone. Please don’t give or sell meal tickets to anyone else as it won’t be valid.

Instead, please email us to let us know you no longer want the tickets. Then tell your friend to mark their diary for the second and third ticket release dates. After these dates, any meal tickets that become available due to last-minute cancellations will immediately become available on the website, so they should check there instead.

How come there are less meal tickets than festival tickets?

A small downside of our wonderful venue is that the kitchen is rather tiny, which makes mass catering a challenge. We used to limit the number of festival tickets to the number of people we could cook for, which meant that everyone could eat together but we also had to turn lots of people away. In the last few years, we’ve offered more festival tickets than meal tickets so that more people can join in the weekend but it does mean that some festival-goers have to find their own food for the weekend. We’re working on increasing the number of meals that we cook so that as many people as possible can share in the communal meal, if they want to.

I haven’t got meal tickets, what other food options are available at the festival?

There are plenty of options for eating lunch & dinner off-site, with three pubs and a cafe within easy walking distance. You can find more details on our Your Visit page. Please check their websites for up-to-date opening times.

You are also welcome to bring your own food to eat on site. Please note that there is only one shop in the village, with limited opening hours, so you may want to do your food shopping before you get to Ashover.

The meal tickets are not affordable for me right now, can you help?

Thanks to you and the SIFD we have a fund to support people to come who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. If you're struggling with to afford food tickets please get in touch, as we have a small number that we can make available for free.

Accommodation

Is it possible to borrow a sleeping bag/ sleeping mat/ tent?

The Skint community is full of friendly, helpful people. We suggest asking on the Skint 2025 Facebook event and most likely someone will be able to help you out. Click on the ‘discussion’ tab to see other people’s posts and add your own post.

Can I bring my campervan to sleep in?

Yes. You’ll need to buy an ‘outdoor camping’ ticket for everyone that is planning to sleep in your campervan. When you arrive at the festival we’ll give you directions to the camping field, where there is a small amount of hardstanding for use by campervans. Please note that campervans are not permitted overnight in the main car park, by order of the council, and this is externally enforced.

I booked a ticket for indoor camping, can I switch to outdoor camping instead?

Yes, we have limited space for indoor camping but lots of outdoor space so it’s not a problem to change to outdoor camping. Please email us to let us know so that we can make the indoor space available to someone else

I booked a ticket for outdoor camping, can I switch to indoor camping instead?

Maybe, we have lots of space for outdoor camping but only limited space for indoor camping. If indoor camping is showing as sold out on our ticket page, then we’re afraid it will not be possible to change. If our ticket page shows that indoor camping spaces are available, please drop us an email and we can make the change for you: skint.dance@gmail.com

I’ve booked accommodation nearby and I’m looking for other people to share with me. What’s a good way to advertise?

Wow, that’s so organised! We’d suggest posting on the Skint 2025 Facebook event. Click on the ‘discussion’ tab to see other people’s posts and add your own post.

I need access to my bed during the day. Is there somewhere I can set a bed up for the whole weekend?

Yes, there are a couple of options. Some people choose to outdoor camp for this reason. We’d recommend warm bedding and hot water bottles as it’s likely to be cold in November!

Most people who are indoor camping will need to pack away their beds during the day, as we use these spaces for workshops and for the evening dances. However, there are a few sleeping spaces on the stage that can be left in place all weekend. If having your own bed set up is important to help you access the festival, please email us and we can reserve you a space.

Even if you don’t have a stage space, we run a ‘borrow a bed’ scheme. Look out for markers placed on beds to know who is happy for you to take a nap on their bed while they’re not using it during the day.

Travel

I’m looking for a lift. Is anyone driving to Skint from [my city]?

To help organise car sharing we will be sending out a link to a specific website where drivers can advertise any spare car spaces, so look out for this in your emails.

If you can’t find a lift, don’t worry as it’s very possible to get to Skint by public transport. You can find more details on our Your Visit page.

I’m looking for a lift from Chesterfield train station. Can anyone pick me up?

To help organise car sharing we will be sending out a link to a specific website just for Skint attendees where drivers can advertise any spare car spaces, so look out for this in your emails. As part of this we’ll be asking drivers if they are able to offer lifts from the nearest train station at Chesterfield, so you can see who might be able to pick you up.

If you can’t find a lift, it’s also possible to get to Ashover from Chesterfield by bus (depending on the time of day) and by taxi. You can find more details on our Your Visit page.

I’m traveling to Skint from outside the UK. Will I need a visa?

Maybe. It depends on your nationality, where you’re coming from, and what else you might be doing while you’re in the UK. You can check UK government advice here: www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

I’m struggling with travel costs, can you help?

Thanks to you and the SIFD , we have a fund to support people to come who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. If you're struggling with transport costs please get in touch: skint.dance@gmail.com

Others

Please can you add me to the Skint mailing list?

Yes of course! You can find our mailing list here

Our band would like to play at your festival. Please can you book us?

Skint is kind of an unusual festival in that all of the music and workshops are led by participants, so we don't ever book anyone especially to come and play or teach. If you want to play at Skint, all of your band members will need to buy a ticket, then keep an eye on your emails for more information about how to sign up to play for a workshop or for one of the evening bals.

I lost an item at the festival. How can I get it back?

If you lost anything, please contact us Please also keep an eye on your emails as we’ll send out details of found property after the festival. We can arrange to get your items back to you either by regular post or folk post!

Can I donate to Skint to help support the festival?

Yes you can. When you book your Skint tickets you’ll be able to add an optional donation. This goes towards the running of the festival, and more specifically allows us to offer discounted tickets to those that need them, so it’s much appreciated. Thank you!