For the droves who lay down their tarps at Colorado music festivals each year, the gatherings are about much more than the tunes emanating from the stages. Particularly at events run by Planet Bluegrass—which puts on Telluride Bluegrass Festival in addition to RockyGrass and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, both held on its bucolic Lyons property—tight-knit communities have developed, and its members call themselves festivarians.

“I’m sure [the term festivarian] was used somewhere else, but no one else is taking credit for it,” Craig Ferguson, president of Planet Bluegrass, says. “So, for 30 years, I have.” In a play on C.P. Cavafy’s poem “Ithaka,” Ferguson coined the word in a 1994 Planet Bluegrass brochure. Since then, it has come to embody a shared set of values you won’t always find at mega-fests like Coachella or Lollapalooza.

“It’s a friendly group of people that takes care of others, takes care of themselves, and has fun—but not at another’s expense,” says Lucas Ingmire, a recruiter by day who moonlights as the moderator of Planet Bluegrass’ Festivarian Forum. The site hosts decades’ worth of threads with tips and event updates as well as a ticket exchange that, in the festivarian spirit, does not allow resales above face value.

Although Planet Bluegrass has codified a Festivarian Bill of Rights—which includes 10 entries that range from access to filtered local drinking water and compost and recycling facilities to the freedom to ignore text messages and be welcomed into jam sessions—there’s a lot more that goes into being a festivarian exemplar (and having a great time). We asked Ingmire, aka thewiz on the forum, to break down the Planet Bluegrass regulations and etiquette you need to know.

4 Tips for Being the Best Festivarian

Photo courtesy of Caveman Music Festival

1. Have a tarp strategy.

Many folks choose to get a number in the festivals’ various daily lottery systems and send in a sprinter—each allowed one 10-by-10-foot tarp—as soon as the field is open every morning and their place in the queue is called. The ritual is called Tarp Run, and participants are often trying to score prime spots for shade, acoustics, and/or viewing the stage. It’s also helpful if you want to secure a spot for a large group. However, Ingmire says, “tarp surfing” can be a very effective tactic, especially for small groups: The Festivarian Bill of Rights states that “Festivarians shall assume the right to occupy empty tarp spaces until said owners return, at which time Festivarians have the right to become lifelong friends.”

2. Clean up after yourself.

Since Planet Bluegrass began offering composting services at Telluride in 2003, its commitment to what it calls Sustainable Festivation has grown to include purchasing carbon offsets for Telluride’s impact and providing reusable plates and cups in Lyons.

3. Don’t be a jerk.

Photo by NOCOAST, courtesy of Planet Bluegrass

There are rules for when and where you can stand, dance, and Hula-Hoop and regulations for chair and shade structure heights. But regardless, Ingmire says, festivarians should remain aware of those around them and make sure they’re not impeding anyone’s view.

4. Don’t get intimidated.

From securing tickets and camping passes to navigating Land Rush (kinda like Tarp Run, but for landing a spot for your tent) to knowing what to bring and where to charge your phone, the logistics can feel overwhelming.

But, says Ingmire, “If you have questions, just go to the forum and ask.” In addition to Ingmire, long-timers like Crawdaddy, Todd G., and Hooch chime in frequently and kindly. The forum is also an excellent guide to the unofficial services and happenings—clothing swaps, crawfish boils, lampshade hat decorating parties, beer shares—in Telluride’s Town Park campground. “To me, it’s the heart of these festivals,” says Ingmire, whose Camp Trailer Smash collects and recycles ice bags.