AAA is the top level of accreditation. Whoever holds one can walk from the car park to the stage to the production office without being stopped.
Who carries one
Not the whole party. The usual holders are the tour manager, the production manager, the front of house and monitor engineers, and often the artist. Festivals hand out fewer AAA passes than people ask for, because the pass is the only thing between a stage and everyone who would like to be on it.
What it looks like
A laminate on a lanyard, printed with the event, the date and a name or photo, often with a hologram or a colour that changes daily. Some sites use a coloured wristband instead, or both: the laminate for the person, the band for the scanners at each gate.
Rules that come with it
- The pass is personal and does not get handed over a fence.
- Lost passes are replaced at the production office, not at the gate.
- Stage access can still need a separate stage pass on big shows.
- Laminates go back at the end of a multi-day event when the festival asks.