Tokens

Stop! There will be no more tokens in 2025!

A quick disclaimer before you read on: in 2025, there will be no more tokens. They'll be replaced by a bracelet with an NFC chip, based on the same principle as the cashless bracelet at Dystopia. As a result, you'll always have your virtual wallet on your wrist, and the balance will be managed via the Defqon.1 app.

Don't forget to download it before you come, to save a little time on site.

I'll update this article after the 2025 edition, as I'm not sure myself how things are going to work out, whether there'll be real euro prices on food and drink from now on, or whether they'll stick to a local currency.

Previous years

Inside the festival grounds you could put your cash away. They weren't very useful for eating out. On site, the local currency was the token.

What were tokens used for?

Tokens were mainly used for drinking and eating.

To give you an idea of the cost of drinks:

• for 1 token you could buy a small beer, a flügel, a soda or water
• for 1.5 tokens you could have a desperado or an energy drink
• for 2 tokens you could have large beers
• from 2.5 tokens you had cocktails

And on the food side, it generally started from 2 tokens for croque-monsieur and went up to a maximum of 4 tokens for pizzas.

Note that tokens could also be used to take hot showers. I invite you to read the relevant article if you haven't already done so.

The biggest fans (or airheads) left with at least 1 token in their wallet as a souvenir. You had to manage them if you didn't want to keep any, as they weren't taken back from one year to the next. If you left with them, you'd certainly be starting a magnificent plastic collection.

How did you get tokens?

There were plenty of token exchange points, and tokens were available just about everywhere (in the campsite, in the village or directly inside the festival).

As for prices, the token has increased by 20 centimes/year. 3.6€ in 2022, 3.8€ in 2023, and 4€ in 2024.

Two means of payment were possible to get tokens: credit card or banknotes. Personally, I'm not in favor of hopping on the bass with my pockets full of banknotes or having to turn my tent into a safe, but you were free to bring your preferred means of payment.

Tip: you had to look down from time to time, or when you were walking. If you were lucky, you'd find some on the ground. After all, one man's misfortune is another man's gain, right? On a more serious note, you shouldn't have been that unfortunate, and you had to be careful when handling them so as not to lose them.