Cashless Bars & Top-Up
We are operating a cashless system at Explorations. It’s safer and easier than using your bank card or cash. It also means less queuing and more dancing.
Your festival wristband will have an RFID chip that can be topped up and used like a prepaid bank card across all festival bars, the market area, the merch stand and selected restaurants. All prices will be in Euros.
You can top up your wristband by creating a cashless account either online before the festival, or at one of our top up stations across the festival site. These stations accept card payments only. When collecting your wristband any pre-loaded credit will be added at this point.
The top up stations will be busiest during the first few days. We advise topping up in advance online as much as you would like, as any leftover is refundable online after the festival.
Please take a photo of the 6 digit code on the back of the RFID chip as this will be required to claim your refund - it is a good idea to have a record of it.
Refunds will open at midday on Thursday, June 19 and the refund system will close on Thursday, July 3 at midnight.
Please note there are some small fees to cover part of the costs of running the cashless system and the commissions charged by the credit card providers:
Activation fee: 1€
Refund fee: 1€
Need more help?
Please email [email protected] where a member of our cashless team can help you answer any queries. Thanks!
Set up your cashless account
If the below form is not working, you can access the form directly here: LINK
Opening hours
Top up stations will be located across the festival site and will operate from 11:00 - 05:00. The top up locations and opening hours are:
- Empire: Thursday - Monday from 20:00 - 05:00
- Splendor: Friday - Tuesday from 21:00 - 04:30
- Yacht Club: Friday - Tuesday from 11:30 - 15:30
- The Sundeck at Sanur: Friday - Monday from 13:00 - 20:30
- Dining Experience Bus Stop: Friday – Monday from 17:00 – 18:30
- Cashless cabin, The Terrace: Wednesday - Tuesday from 11:00 - 04:00
What happens if I lose my wristband?
Your wristband should remain securely fastened to your wrist. There shouldn’t be any reason for you to remove it, until the event has ended. You should treat your wristband as you would cash or your bank card.
From our experience, it’s very very rare for one of the wristbands to break. If you lose it, we won’t be able to recover any balance but if you have taken a photo of your 6 digit number on the back of the RFID chip you will be able to claim a refund after the festival.
Reusable cups
To help reduce plastic waste, certain drinks—like spirits—require you to purchase a reusable cup the first time you order at the bar.
Your first cup costs €3. Once you have it, you can reuse it throughout the night. If you don’t want to carry it around, you can exchange it for a cup token at any bar.
Next time you order a drink, simply hand over your token to receive a fresh cup. This simple system helps us cut down on single-use plastic—so please either hold on to your cup or swap it for a token instead of throwing it away.
Please note: cups are not refundable.
Food & Drink
Dhërmi and Drymades are home to some fantastic restaurants and bars. Albanian cuisine sits at the crossroads of Italian, Turkish, and Greek influences – with a strong emphasis on fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Expect mouthwatering Mediterranean dishes, crisp salads, fresh seafood, handmade pasta, and delicious stone-baked pizzas.
Restaurant hours are relaxed, and it’s not uncommon for some to stay open until midnight.
Empire, Splendor, Gjipe, Noah’s, Chilli Peppers and the onsite festival traders will accept payment via RFID – all other venues accept both cash and cards. ATMs are marked on the map if you need them.
A little futher out, we also recommend Azul by Havana (Dhërmi), Yamato (Drymades), Ulliri & Nazar (Palasë).