New England’s largest music festival is making its way back to Boston this year, and the iconic Boston Calling Music Festival is kicking off its eleventh year this Memorial Day weekend.
Although cash may have been preferable a decade ago when the festival debuted, in 2024, Boston Calling is an entirely cashless venue — so attendees must bring a card or register one to their wristbands.
According to its official website, using a wristband for payments is “the easiest way to pay for food‚ drinks and merch throughout the festival.”
To register, guests must activate their wristbands and register an account with a debit or credit card, then create a PIN for security.
A map of the grounds at Boston Calling Music Festival.Boston Calling Music Festival
When using a wristband to pay for items during the festival, Boston Calling advises guests to let vendors know they are using a wristband to pay.
The exchange is simple — attendees tap their wristbands, and enter the PIN they chose when registering their band.
Guests connecting a card to their wristband may also receive a one-time $10, cashless spend credit applied to their festival wristband when registering with a Chase credit or debit card. The offer is limited to the first 2,000 registrants that link a Chase card.
According to its official website, guests are advised to wait to put on their wristbands until they are ready to attend the festival as they cannot be loosened or removed. In the event a wristband would need to be removed, guests would then be charged a $20 wristband replacement fee.
