Almost every festival in the Netherlands and Belgium now uses a deposit system for cups. You pay a couple of extra euros with your first drink, and you get that back when you return the cup. For a lot of visitors the system still feels a bit unclear: how much do you actually pay, where do you return it, and what happens if you lose your cup. This article explains the whole system.
What exactly is a deposit cup?
A deposit cup is a reusable hard plastic drinking cup. Instead of getting a new disposable cup with every drink that ends up in the bin, or worse, on the ground, after one use, you buy one cup with your first order. You use that cup for the rest of the day, whether it's beer, soda, or a cocktail.
The idea comes from a simple observation: at a festival with tens of thousands of visitors, disposable plastic creates mountains of waste. A reusable deposit cup makes sure people actually bring it back instead of leaving it somewhere.
How much deposit do you pay?
This varies per festival, but in the Netherlands and Belgium the amount is usually between 1 and 3 euros per cup. This is separate from the price of your drink. You only pay the deposit once, with your first purchase. After that you use the same cup all day for every next drink.
Some festivals use a separate token instead of cash deposit, but the principle stays the same: money back on return.
How do you return your cup?
Most festival grounds have dedicated return points for cups, often at the bars themselves or spread across the site at separate deposit points. You hand in the cup and get your money back immediately, usually in coins or via your festival wristband if the event runs on a cashless system.
Watch the closing times. Some festivals close the return points earlier than the site itself, so don't wait until the very last moment if you still want your deposit back.
Why do festivals use this system?
For organisers the system delivers two things. First, much less waste on the grounds, which saves on cleaning costs and environmental impact. Second, a cleaner and safer terrain, since fewer cups lying around means fewer shards and less slippery ground when it rains.
For you as a visitor, it mainly means you handle your cup more carefully, since there's literally money at stake.
The problem: you have to carry the cup all day
This is where it gets tricky for a lot of festival-goers. A deposit cup is great for the environment, but not exactly great to hold while you're dancing, taking photos, or just walking through a crowd. Many visitors set their cup down somewhere, forget where, and end up buying a new one at the bar. The deposit on the first one is simply gone.
Others hold on to the cup all day, which limits how freely they can move around a festival.
Handy solution: collect your cup hands-free
A simple fix is a cup holder you attach to your waistband, belt or bag. Your cup clicks into it and hangs safely at your side, without you having to hold it. That way you don't lose your cup, you don't need to buy a new one, and at the end of the day you simply get your deposit back.
Festiclip is such a holder: 3D printed in the Netherlands, available in any colour, and made for the standard deposit cups you get at almost every Dutch or Belgian festival. Read more about how a clip like this works in our article what is a festival cup holder.
What can you do yourself to not lose your deposit?
A few practical tips:
- Attach your cup to yourself instead of setting it down loosely somewhere
- Remember where the return points are, this is usually shown on the festival map
- Return it before the evening ends, not every return point stays open until closing time
- Keep your cup as a souvenir if you don't want the deposit back, some people actually collect them
Want your whole festival bag sorted before you head in? Check our full packing list in festival checklist 2026: what to bring.
In short
Deposit cups at festivals are now the standard, and the system is simple: pay, use, return, get your money back. The only tricky part is carrying the cup all day without it getting in the way. A cup holder on your belt solves that in one go. Check out Festiclip's colours and head into your next festival worry-free.