Set time

The set time drives the whole day sheet: the flight has to land well before it, the hotel has to fit around it, and every ride is planned from it. Promoters often fix it last, one or two weeks before the show, once the whole line-up is confirmed.

Example

Doors on Saturday at 23:00, warm-up 23:00–01:00, [Artist A] 01:00–03:00, closing set 03:00–05:00. On the day sheet, [Artist A]’s set reads “Sun 01:00–03:00”. If the timetable isn’t final yet, the advance names a window instead: “between 00:00 and 03:00, at least 90 minutes, final two weeks before the show”.

What to watch for

• After midnight is the next day. “Saturday 01:00” is a night earlier than the promoter meant.
• Ask for the full timetable, not only the slot: who plays before and after, the changeover and the curfew.
• Live acts need setup time before their set. Agree where they set up while the previous act plays.
• If the flight lands less than 90 minutes before the set, change it when you see it: an earlier flight or a later slot.
• On the nights the clocks change, a set across the change is an hour longer (October) or shorter (March) than it looks.