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# Event Locker Placement: Ingress, Egress and Bottlenecks
- URL: https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/event-locker-placement-ingress-egress-bottlenecks/
- Published: 2026-09-21T20:16:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-21T20:16:54.000Z
- Description: Where to put Event Lockers on a festival site: before the security check, inside and in camp, planned around entry, the long day and the last-night exit.
- Author: The Volt Team
- Tags: article, Event Lockers, For Organisers

Put the first Event Locker bank outside the main gate, before the security check and to one side of the entry lane, so a festival goer carrying the wrong bag reaches it before they reach a steward. Add a second bank inside the festival area and, at a camping festival, a third where people sleep. Then plan each one around three moments: arrival, the long day in between, and the last night, when everyone wants their things back at once.

Placement is a crowd decision before it is a logistics one. The UK Health and Safety Executive lists "stalls and concessions obstructing crowd movement and leading to congestion at entrances and exits during busy periods" among the hazards organisers have to assess in its [crowd safety risk guidance](https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/crowd-management-assess.htm?ref=resources.getvolt.dk). A locker bank at the gate is exactly that kind of structure if nobody drew its queue on the site plan.

## The three moments every locker bank has to survive

HSE splits an event into three phases where design, information and crowd management keep people safe: "arrival and entry to the venue or site", "onsite/venue circulation of crowds" and "leaving the venue/site and dispersal". That is from its page on [putting crowd controls in place](https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/crowd-management-controls.htm?ref=resources.getvolt.dk), and it is a useful frame for lockers because each placement zone peaks in a different phase.

| Zone                     | Who uses it                                                                             | When it peaks                             | What to plan for                                               |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Outside the main gate    | Festival goers whose bag fails the bag rule, day-ticket holders arriving from transport | Gate opening and the first hours          | A locker queue that never merges with the entry queue          |
| Inside the festival area | Festival goers swapping layers, storing purchases, topping up                           | All day, and the moment the weather turns | Standing room off the main walkways and away from stage fronts |
| Camping area             | Multi-day festival goers                                                                | Mornings, evenings and departure day      | Opening hours that follow camp life, not stage times           |
| Every bank, last day     | Everyone who stored something                                                           | The final hours                           | Collection flow and staff at the exit route                    |

## Ingress: the bank outside the main gate

A bag rule creates locker demand at one precise spot: the point where a festival goer learns their bag is too big. Copenhell writes the rule and the destination into the same sentence on its [practical information page](https://copenhell.dk/praktisk-information/?ref=resources.getvolt.dk): a small backpack "der ikke er større end din ryg" (no bigger than your back) is allowed in, and "Alle større tasker skal lægges i et af Volts garderobeskabe", meaning all larger bags go in one of Volt's lockers. We looked at why that wording works in [a bag policy is only as good as where the bags go](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/a-bag-policy-is-only-as-good-as-where-the-bags-go/). For placement, the consequence is simple. If the bank sits after the search, the rule sends people back out against the incoming crowd.

Provinssi is a clean example of the full pattern. Its [2026 festival info](https://www.provinssi.fi/en/provinssi-info-2/?ref=resources.getvolt.dk) says "There will be a security check at the gates of the festival area" and that lockers "are available outside the festival area (Main Gate), at Camp Provinssi, and also inside the festival area". It also runs a cloakroom at the main entrance for items that do not fit a locker, and tells festival goers that "During peak times, there may be queues for the cloakroom, so you can avoid waiting by leaving your belongings in a locker instead!" Two services at one gate, splitting one queue by what people are carrying.

Three rules keep a gate bank from becoming the new bottleneck:

1. **Offset it from the entry lane.** HSE's wording on queues applies to a locker queue as much as a ticket queue. People need a way "out of a queue without having to move against those queuing behind them or into the path of moving vehicles", and "Queuing should not block emergency access routes."
2. **Keep it out of the search area.** The same guidance says to "Ensure any security search procedures do not compromise the safety of people by creating an overcrowding risk." A locker queue backing into the search lanes is how that happens.
3. **Take the transaction out of the queue.** A locker booked online arrives as a locker number and a personal access code by email and SMS shortly before the slot, which we explained in [why Event Locker codes arrive right before the slot](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/why-event-locker-codes-arrive-right-before-the-slot/). The moment at the bank is opening a door, not paying for one. QR code lockers can also be rented on the spot from a phone, cashless and with minimal staff, but every rental that happens at the gate in the first hour adds to the busiest hour you have.

## Circulation: the bank inside the festival area

An Event Locker can be opened and re-locked as often as you like during opening hours. That feature only helps if the locker is reachable. At a festival that allows re-entry, a locker outside the gate means another pass through the search for every jacket swap. At one that does not, the locker is out of reach until the festival goer leaves for the day. An inside bank removes both problems.

Where it goes inside matters as much as whether it exists. HSE's page on [crowd controls inside the venue](https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/crowd-management-control-inside.htm?ref=resources.getvolt.dk) asks organisers to make sure pedestrian routes "are not blocked by attractions, stalls and concessions or filter directly into front-of-stage areas", because that congestion "could lead to 'pinch-points' and overcrowding". Two things follow for lockers:

- **Keep it off the walkway between stages.** The changeover between two headline sets is the worst moment for a queue to spill onto the main route.
- **Keep it away from the main covered area.** HSE names "reaction to bad weather and a crowd's movement towards covered areas" as a surge trigger. When rain starts, a lot of people head for their stored jackets at the same time, and a bank next to the big tent stacks both movements into one spot.

Plan for one more behaviour. HSE's risk guidance notes that people "wait for friends/family at or near entrances/exits and obstruct the flow of people". A locker bank is a landmark, so it becomes a meeting point. Give it standing room that is not also the walkway.

## Camping: the bank where people sleep

At a multi-day camping festival, the day starts at the tent, not at the gate. Provinssi puts a bank in Camp Provinssi for that reason, and Smukfest runs all-week lockers, which we cover in [Smukfest Event Lockers 2026](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/smukfest-lockers/).

Distance is the argument at scale. Roskilde Festival describes itself on its [own site](https://www.roskilde-festival.dk/en/this-is-roskilde?ref=resources.getvolt.dk) as having "more than 130,000 participants" on a site that "covers around 350 football pitches". On a site that size, a single bank at a single gate is a service for the people who camp next to it, not for the festival. Camp banks also want different opening hours from stage-side banks: mornings and evenings are when camp life happens.

## Egress: the last night

The last day is when a well-placed bank can still go wrong. HSE's third phase is "leaving the venue/site and dispersal (eg exit routes and exit gate widths)". A gate bank that worked at 14:00 on day one sits in the exit route at midnight on the final day, with everyone who used it arriving in the same few hours. Check every bank's position against the exit plan, not just the entry plan.

The access mode decides how heavy that last shift is. Key lockers are the cheapest option and a deliberate choice for the right event, but a deposit is taken and returned against each one, so every collection is a staffed handback. PIN code lockers need less staff effort at exit because there is no deposit to hand back, and QR code lockers are opened from a phone, so there is nothing to hand back there either. All four access modes are compared in [our access mode guide](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/key-lockers-vs-pin-lockers-vs-qr-lockers/), and the festival goer's side of the final day is in [how to return your festival locker and powerbank at the end](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/return-volt-charger-event-locker-last-day/).

## The footprint that decides where a bank can go

A placement plan also has to fit the hardware. The three Volt formats behave differently on a site plan:

- **Volt Locker Container:** 296 lockers on one 230V outlet. One large bank that needs firm ground and delivery access, covered in [Volt Locker Container sizes, placement and requirements](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/volt-locker-container-sizes-placement-and-requirements/).
- **Flightcase modules:** around 40 lockers each. The format that lets you split capacity between the gate, the inside and the camp instead of stacking it all in one place.
- **Cubic Locker:** 74 lockers across both faces, 210 x 160 x 210 cm, 700 kg, placed by forklift. Both faces open, so both sides need clear standing room. It carries built-in 4G, so its position is not tied to a venue network, and Volt runs Starlink on site as standard. The weather and power side is in [outdoor Event Lockers: weather, power and connectivity](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/outdoor-event-lockers-weather-power-connectivity/).

How many lockers each zone needs is a separate calculation, worked through in [how many Event Lockers does your festival need](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/how-many-event-lockers-does-your-festival-need/).

## A placement checklist for your site plan

1. Mark where the bag rule is enforced, and put the gate bank before that point, offset from the entry lane.
2. Draw the locker queue on the plan, with a way out of it that does not cut back through the entry queue or block an emergency route.
3. Add an inside bank if the festival allows re-entry or runs long days.
4. Add a camp bank at any multi-day camping festival.
5. Split capacity between zones rather than stacking it at one gate.
6. Walk the last-night exit route past every bank before you sign off the plan.
7. Pick the access mode with the exit shift in mind as well as the entry.
8. Tell festival goers where the banks are before they arrive. HSE's guidance is to communicate "before, during and after the event, for example by providing information on tickets, websites and via social media about the venue layout".

## FAQ

**Where should Event Lockers go at a festival?**  
Outside the main gate, before the security check and offset from the entry lane, with further banks inside the festival area and in the camping area at multi-day festivals.

**Should lockers be inside or outside the security check?**  
Both if you can. Outside catches bags that fail the bag rule before the search. Inside lets festival goers reach their things during the day without passing the search again. Provinssi 2026 runs banks at the Main Gate, in Camp Provinssi and inside the festival area.

**How do you stop a locker bank creating a queue at the entrance?**  
Give it its own queue space away from the entry lane and the search area, and move the transaction out of the queue: lockers booked online arrive as a locker number and access code by email and SMS before the slot, so the bank is for opening doors, not selling.

**What happens at a locker bank on the last day?**  
Everyone who stored something collects in the same few hours, often along the exit route. Plan collection hours and staff for it, and remember that any locker with a deposit needs a staffed handback, while PIN and QR code lockers have nothing to hand back.

**How much space and power does a locker bank need?**  
The Volt Locker Container holds 296 lockers and runs on one 230V outlet. A Cubic Locker is 210 x 160 x 210 cm, weighs 700 kg and opens on both faces. Flightcase modules hold around 40 lockers each, which makes it easy to split capacity between zones.

**Does a locker bank need the venue's network?**  
No. The Cubic Locker has built-in 4G, and Volt runs Starlink on site as standard.

## Where to take it next

Volt runs Event Lockers and charging at over 120 festivals and events across six countries, from single-day city events to week-long camping festivals. If you are placing locker banks on a site plan right now, start with the [Event Lockers service page](https://resources.getvolt.dk/services/lockers/) or the [organiser overview](https://resources.getvolt.dk/for-organisers/), or send your site plan and expected numbers to [hello@getvolt.dk](mailto:hello@getvolt.dk) to talk it through with the Volt team.