Why would you even want this? Many of us love keeping their wristband as a memory or to connect with fellow festival-goers, but there are situations where they have to be removed, such as job interviews, working in a lab, hospital, food industry, etc.
* Before going: get a **beater watch** (always useful to keep track of time, because your phone will eventually die). * Before entering the festival: wear the watch on your left hand and have your wristband placed further up your forearm (behind your watch). This way, when you want to remove it, you’ll have more room to wriggle your hand out of it. Insist they place it there and don’t let them cut off the fringes. * When you get back home, you can now easily slip it off using soapy water and this [technique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-sImlDQ7I). * You can now remove the metal buckle carefully using a flat screwdriver. If it’s one of those plastic buckles simply [twist](https://i.imgur.com/tlO5Op3.jpg) to remove it. * Use a bit of instant adhesive to attach the ends of the wristband to each other. Or alternatively, you could also sow one end to the buckle. * Replace the metal buckle with a removable [buckle](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2400249) (these can also be ordered online alongside metal variants), if you want to keep wearing it. * Figure out a way of securing it to your wrist that suits you. There are a couple of variations of wrapping the band around the buckle, depending on how secure you want it to stay in place.
Pros:
* Now you can wear your wristband whenever you want and also remove it when you have to (job interviews, working in the lab or other sensitive environment). * Your buckle won’t get stuck to your clothes (or rip them), because it doesn’t have any edges. * You can actually wear your watch **over** your wristbands, because with this minimal buckle, they’re really low-profile. However, it’s probably a style faux pas.
Cons:
* Depending on how you attach the wristband to your buckle, it can be a bit of work getting it on (getting it off is usually easy).
Other options:
* **Push buttons**: These have to be sown in and don’t seem like they would last very long (easily pop off). Also no way to re-adjust for size. * **Velcro**: also a sewing job and I can also see these coming off easily. * **Snap-fit buckles** (e.g. festiclips): practical, but also way too bulky.
Alternatively you could use a product I created called Festival Clips which are spiked clips that attach to your wristbands. You just put each end of your wrist band in the spiked area of each clip then attach the two ends together. There’s no sewing or gluing required. Setup takes about 10 seconds if you don’t cut your wristbands shorter.
3 Responses
Inspired by this [recent thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/festivals/comments/92xgy4/wristbands_with_watch/), I thought I’d quickly throw together a mini-guide for making your festival wristband removable. Here’s what it [looks like](https://i.imgur.com/MWUuTW1.jpg).
Why would you even want this? Many of us love keeping their wristband as a memory or to connect with fellow festival-goers, but there are situations where they have to be removed, such as job interviews, working in a lab, hospital, food industry, etc.
* Before going: get a **beater watch** (always useful to keep track of time, because your phone will eventually die).
* Before entering the festival: wear the watch on your left hand and have your wristband placed further up your forearm (behind your watch). This way, when you want to remove it, you’ll have more room to wriggle your hand out of it. Insist they place it there and don’t let them cut off the fringes.
* When you get back home, you can now easily slip it off using soapy water and this [technique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-sImlDQ7I).
* You can now remove the metal buckle carefully using a flat screwdriver. If it’s one of those plastic buckles simply [twist](https://i.imgur.com/tlO5Op3.jpg) to remove it.
* Use a bit of instant adhesive to attach the ends of the wristband to each other. Or alternatively, you could also sow one end to the buckle.
* Replace the metal buckle with a removable [buckle](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2400249) (these can also be ordered online alongside metal variants), if you want to keep wearing it.
* Figure out a way of securing it to your wrist that suits you. There are a couple of variations of wrapping the band around the buckle, depending on how secure you want it to stay in place.
Pros:
* Now you can wear your wristband whenever you want and also remove it when you have to (job interviews, working in the lab or other sensitive environment).
* Your buckle won’t get stuck to your clothes (or rip them), because it doesn’t have any edges.
* You can actually wear your watch **over** your wristbands, because with this minimal buckle, they’re really low-profile. However, it’s probably a style faux pas.
Cons:
* Depending on how you attach the wristband to your buckle, it can be a bit of work getting it on (getting it off is usually easy).
Other options:
* **Push buttons**: These have to be sown in and don’t seem like they would last very long (easily pop off). Also no way to re-adjust for size.
* **Velcro**: also a sewing job and I can also see these coming off easily.
* **Snap-fit buckles** (e.g. festiclips): practical, but also way too bulky.
Alternatively you could use a product I created called Festival Clips which are spiked clips that attach to your wristbands. You just put each end of your wrist band in the spiked area of each clip then attach the two ends together. There’s no sewing or gluing required. Setup takes about 10 seconds if you don’t cut your wristbands shorter.
[Amazon Page](https://www.amazon.com/Festival-Clips-Wrist-Bands-Rainbow/dp/B074YMKKLK)
My gf and I break off the plastic with pliers, then tie our bands in a knot! And it isn’t too hard to untangle at the end of our shows 🙂