Practical info

The festival take place on the EPFL campus in Ecublens. It is accessible by public transport via the métro M1 and by car via the A1 highway (EPFL-UNIL exit).


Balélec highly recommends the use of public transports !

Use the M1 line of the metro and stop EPFL, then follow the signs.For those who arrive by train, stop at Renens VD and take the M1 line. You can also stop at Lausanne, take the M2 and change for the M1 at Lausanne Flon.

To anticipate the large amount of visitors on campus, try to arrive at least 15min before the first concert you wish to see and take the M1 line from Renens!
If you still wish to come by car, the long-term Boulodrome car park is available, then you can take the M1 metro to the campus.

The M1 line will be available at no cost the night of the festival (from 1 am to 5:30 am) thanks to the Agepoly. The metro will leave every 24min during the entire night of the festival from the end of the Friday service ( 1am) to the beginning of the Saturday service (5:30am). Participants will have access to shuttles which will leave from the campus and trains from the Renens station.

You can ask the driver of your shuttle if you wish to add a stop to the itinerary.

Shuttles

Participants can use inter-city shuttles 4 lines are available and departures from campus will all be at 3:15. Tickets are available online AND at the information stand during the festival. You can also buy your ticket at the entrance of the shuttles.

Bus 1 stops at Yverdon, Colombier and Neuchâtel

Bus 2 stops at Châtel-St-Denis, Bulle and Fribourg

Bus 3 stops at Moudon, Payerne and Fribourg

Bus 4 stops at Montreux, Aigle, Bee, St-Maurice, Martigny and Sion

MBC shuttles to St-Sulpice, Denges, Prééverenges, Morges, Lonay and Echandens will leave every 45min from the Parking Rivier from 1am to 3:15am.

Taxis

Taxis will be available at the Parking Rivier during the entire festival.

Balélec has joined the FestiPlus charter(Vaud prevention charter for eventsCharte) and undertakes to respect the charter conditions to improve the well-being of the festivalgoers. The measures resulting from this comitment are for exemple the sensibilation of the bar crew about alcohol consumption, the respect of the law or securing the return of festivalgoers at the end of the evening, by offering varied transport offers at attractive prices. For more informations you can look www.festiplus.ch.

NightLife Vaud is a project that aims to deploy and coordinate actions of prevention and risk reduction in the festive environment for the canton of Vaud.

The themes addressed in the context of these actions are risky alcohol and illegal substances consumption, as well as sexual health.

The NightLife Vaud project brings together the following two programs, as well as a speaker professional from the Levant CAP.


Be my angel tonight

How to party with your friends and drink a few drinks without and take high risks on the way back ? The answer is simple : finding a sober driver, who didn't take any alcohol or drugs. This stuation is posible if the group talk at the begining of the night and decide who won't drink.

To encourage this practice, the prevention team Be my angel will be present during the festival and will invite festivalgoers to make the good choice. Soft drink vouchers will be distributed to drivers who comit to drive their friends back safely. You will be able to find a information stand controlling blood alcohol level with a computer simulation system.

Download the alcohol simulation free Be my angel, on Apple store and Googlen play.


Georgette in Love

The Georgette in Love are prevention speakers for young people by young people of the Profa fondation.

These students from 20 to 25 years old are dedicated to spread awareness about VIH and sexualy transmissible infections. Thanks to animation and talks they allow discussion about sexuality, risks, information needed and prevention material. Their goal is to have a positive outlook about sexuality and give the right informations to make the good choices and manage the risks in our sexlives.

More infos : www.profa.ch

The NightLife stand is a prevention stand at the entrance, focus on sexual health and drugs and alcohol consumption.The evening of Balélec, it will support the sober driver. It will dispense soft drink vouchers to drivers who comit to drive their friends back safely. This stand will also give prevention material (flyers, condoms...)Ce stand disposera aussi de matériel de prévention (flyers, préservatifs, alcotabs…) and drug checking.

The Croix-Bleue romande eis an association that helps alcohol addicts and their entourage. It's prevention part is RaidBlue. This pole creates project to spread awarness about excessive alcohol consumption.

En 2012 ils ont démarré un projet pilote « Le bar à cocktails sans alcool » ! Soutenus par la Fondation BCV en 2013, ils proposent ce bar dans différentes manifestations de Suisse romande.

During the festival, RaidBlue and its team offer sweat and colorful drinks to make a pause in your evening.

The Raidblue stand is a Stand located in front of the Epicure, focused on prevention against alcoholism.This association comes to meet the public to inform and discuss the risks associated with alcohol consumption. A non-alcoholic cocktail bar and a flou pong (beer pong with glasses that simulate the vision that an intoxicated person could have) will be present on the evening of the festival. This stand will also have prevention material (flyers, condoms, alcotabs, etc...).
More infos : www.raidblue.ch

Auditive protections are distributed at the entrances, at the bars and at the stand information, as well as close to the stages so that the public can fully and safely benefit concerts. Indeed, in some areas the decibels can reach 100dB(A).A prolonged exposure to this power can cause damage to the eardrums. It is therefore strongly advised to use hearing protection.

Strict controls of sound levels are carried out by our managers in order to respect the legislation in force and the authorizations granted by SEVEN for the event.

An auditory rest area is also set up for festival-goers.

All drug use carries risks.If you decide to consume, here are some tips to follow:

• Never consume alone and pay attention to your friends. In the event of a problem, never leave your buddy alone and seek help.
• Avoid mixing substances, including with alcohol.
• Less is better : the risky dosages depend on the body weight, the functioning of the organism, as well as the purity of the substance. So be careful with the dosage !
• Try small amounts first and wait at least 2 hours before you can assess the effects. Psychoactive substances have different onset times: wait for the onset of effects before consuming again.
• Prepare well for the evening and consume only if you are physically and mentally fit.
• During the party, drink enough water: around 3 dl/hour, or even more if it’s hot.
• Do not touch the wheel under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

• Remember to take one or more condoms with you. An internal (female) condom also works.
• Before living discuss a safe word with your friends that you can use in case of uncomfortable situation. Never leave someone alone, especially if they have been drinking or using drugs.
• In the event of unprotected/poorly protected sex: take emergency contraception as quickly as possible within 120 hours, available in pharmacies without a prescription and even under the age of 16. If there is a risk of exposure to HIV, go to the emergency room as quickly as possible, at the latest within 48 hours.
• The dialogue with your partner.s is important, whether on the effective consent as well as the means of protection.
• In the event of unwanted/consensual sexual intercourse, or sexual assault, the festival infirmary is present for rapid treatment.

• Consume with trusted friends and watch out for each other.
• Designate a trusted driver. Even if you are not motorized, you can always designate someone who consumes in moderation and who is better able to take care of the group, or even better supervise between you !
• Drink water to limit your alcohol consumption, not to feel bad the next day, to be able to take care of your friends, not to overwork your body.
• Space out the drinks, take your time and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks
• How to find the water fountains on the site?
  Four water fountains will be made available to dehydrated festival-goers. They will be made visible by an illuminated balloon hung nearby.

Why gender-neutral toilets ?

The evening of Balélec, two gender-neutral restroom areas will be present on the site. These toilets are more inclusive and prevent gender minorities from discriminatory situations. In addition, having the same toilets for everyone reduces the waiting time for the toilets.

Why vaginas ?

This year, urinals for people with vaginas will be installed in the gendered toilet area to ensure some privacy. This is a cleaner and more effective option for people who pee while squatting. Again, no more endless queues at the toilets !
These urinals are designed to hide the people who will use them. The height of the urinal provides privacy but also gives a sense of security. Indeed, during use, the person can see what is happening around him at the same level as a standing person.

Where can I find earplugs the evening of Balélec ?

Earplugs will be available at the bars and the Stand Info.

Where can I find glass protector the night of the festival ?

It will be possible to obtain free glass protectors from the stands and at the Stand Info.
It is a prevention and deterrence tool designed to reduce the risk of illicit substances entering a glass as well as drink spills. It is reusable (to be washed by hand between each reuse), 100% silicone from natural resources and zero plastic. These protections do not in any way replace the vigilance of users when consuming drinks during events or festive evenings.
It is important to specify that these glass protectors are in no way a way of placing the responsibility on vulnerable people, but of giving these people the possibility of being able to prevent and deter ill-intentioned people. The goal is really to try to give as many prevention tools as possible to people who want them.
It is possible to keep your glass protector, or return it to the Stand Info.

Where can I find condoms ?

It will be possible to obtain condoms from the NightLife stand and at the Stand Info.

Who to contact if you need help or support after Balélec?

The psychological distress hotline (Telephone center for doctors on duty in the Canton of Vaud) will answer you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by telephone on 0848 133 133.
The contact person will be able to help you, give you advice and, if necessary, initiate the necessary means to help you in the face of psychological distress.

La main tendue is available 24 hours a day by telephone on 143 to listen to people who need help and support, for people in crisis but also for everyday concerns. This Swiss help service seeks to, if the callers so wish, give impetus to finding ways to deal with the difficulties. If necessary, Tel 143 also sends addresses of appropriate support services. La Main Tendue is also available, anonymously, by email or chat.

The psychological distress hotline (Telephone center for doctors on duty in the Canton of Vaud) will answer you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by telephone on 0848 133 133.
The contact person will be able to help you, give you advice and, if necessary, initiate the necessary means to help you in the face of psychological distress.
La main tendue s available 24 hours a day by telephone on 143 to listen to people who need help and support, for people in crisis but also for everyday concerns. This Swiss help service seeks to, if the callers so wish, give impetus to finding ways to deal with the difficulties. If necessary, Tel 143 also sends addresses of appropriate support services. La Main Tendue is also available, anonymously, by email or chat.

Traffic will be modified as of Friday, May 5.
For everyone's safety, we recommend that you pay particular attention to signage throughout the week and follow the instructions given by the Balélec staff.

From May 10th, the traffic on avenue Piccard will be completely blocked at the footbridge between the CM and CE. The MBC “Piccard” bus stop will be replaced by the “EPFL” stop, on the Sorge road.

On Friday May 12, we advise you to come BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, as traffic will be severely disrupted and many car parks will be closed

From noon, no more vehicles will be able to park in the Rivier car park and on avenue Perronet.

From 5 p.m., the RLC car park and the Mercier car park will be closed.

From 6 p.m., the Sorge road will be closed and access to the eastern part of EPFL by vehicle will only be authorized for holders of EPFL parking permits on presentation of their CAMIPRO card.

The bicycle parking lots under the Rolex and those on avenue Piccard will be closed from Tuesday May 9 to Sunday May 14. Replacement bicycle parking will be provided north of the CM/CE footbridge.