What is a 'Sidequest' at a Festival? (And How to Create One)

The word “sidequest” comes from gaming. In an RPG a sidequest is an optional mission alongside the main storyline. Short, fun, self-contained. At a festival it carries the same idea — and it’s becoming a normal term in the NL/BE scene.

Definition in one paragraph

A sidequest at a festival is a small open meetup that you or someone else creates for a specific moment. Title, spot, time, max size (2 to 20). Others join. You all get a group chat. You do the thing together. No long-term commitment, no friends-forever pressure, just an appointment for one event at a festival.

Where the idea comes from

Gaming jargon (“sidequest” as optional mission) got adopted on TikTok in 2023-2024 as slang for “a random, optional activity that isn’t your main plan”. People started posting sidequests of everything from “walk to the grocery store” to “spontaneous tattoo”. At festivals it carried over naturally: all micro-meetups on site are literally sidequests.

FestiQuest made the format explicit: app feature where you can create a sidequest, pair with other attendees of the same festival, and get a group chat per quest.

Real sidequest examples

• “Front row at Charlotte de Witte, 22:30, Main Stage” (cap 5)
• “Pizza run for evening set, gate B, 19:00” (cap 8)
• “Anyone for the obscure dub tent at 02:00?” (cap 4)
• “Ride share back to Amsterdam Sunday afternoon, leaving 14:00 from P3” (cap 4)
• “Pitching tent, helping hands welcome, beer after” (cap 10)
• “Hardstyle buddy needed for all of Saturday, no friends into it” (cap 3)
• “Lost my crew, anyone for the Boiler Room?” (cap 6)
• “Women-only meetup at info tent 18:00, just a chill” (cap 12)

Pattern: specific time, specific spot, clear cap, clear activity. “Hang somewhere around 10” doesn’t work — too vague.

What a sidequest isn’t

• Not dating. No 1-on-1 matches, no DMs. Group with activity, not match with person.
• Not a forever friend network. Chats disappear after 7 days. Want to stay in touch? Swap Insta on site.
• Not an open-ended chatroom. Specific time + spot + activity. Ends when activity ends.
• Not ticket trading. No selling tickets via sidequests (anti-scam rule).

Why this works differently than a group chat or DM

WhatsApp groups for festivals have existed for years. Differences:

• WhatsApp group = you have to be invited, so you need to know someone who adds you. Barrier: high.
• DM on Instagram = 1-on-1, feels forward or dating-ish, you don’t know if they’re open.
• Sidequest = open meetup visible to everyone at the same festival, no prior connection needed. Barrier: as low as tapping join.

The group chat mechanic is the same. The difference is in the joining barrier.

How to create one yourself

On FestiQuest that’s 4 fields:

1. Title — be specific. “Front row Charlotte de Witte 22:30” works, “doing something tonight” doesn’t.
2. Spot — a landmark, not GPS. “By info tent”, “gate B”, “in front of the bar at Stage 4”.
3. Time — a 15-30 min window (“21:00-21:30”).
4. Cap — 2 to 20. For solos 4-6 works best: big enough not to flop if one cancels, small enough to coordinate.

Once you post it’s visible to everyone registered at the same festival. People who join get a group chat with you.

The culture behind it

Festivals have always been social, but the last 5 years “going solo” has been radically normalised. A whole generation of 18-30 year olds now goes to Lowlands, ADE, Tomorrowland alone — without it feeling “sad”. Sidequests are the logical next step: a light, low-commitment way to share that solo energy.

This could well become the default for how the next generation experiences festivals socially.

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