B-and-BEE festival accommodation can sleep, well, as many as you can fiy on a king-size bed (Picture: Rex)

Why bumble along to summer music festivals with the same musty old tent, or get stung with expensive B&B accommodation, when you can relax on-site in a honeycomb of sleep pods?

Yes, there’s a lot of references to bees in that sentence – and for good reason.

A group of Belgian companies have taken a cue from nature and designed stackable capsule accommodation specifically for outdoor music festivals.

Cutely named B-and-BEE, the shelter idea comprises hexagonal weatherproof wood-and-metal compartments that can fit together – up to four ‘floors’ high.


Metal stairs provide access to pods higher off the ground, and each compartment has a locker, light and power supply, a zip-up canvas door, and a king-size bed that doubles as a seating area.



The construction and deconstruction of the honeycomb structure also intends to provide local employment opportunities wherever it goes.

Metal stairs provide access to pods that are higher off the ground (Picture: Rex)

Made from wood, metal and canvas, the B-and-Bee offers budget all-weather accommodation (Picture: Rex)

Far from being a pipe dream the B-and-BEE is being road tested right now at the Gentse Feesten festival in northern Belgium.

The companies involved in the idea include Achilles Design, business consultants One Small Step, and entrepreneurs Compaan and Labeur.

Co-inventor Barbara Vanthorre said the capsules were a ‘cozy alternative for the overbooked and overpriced hotels during festival times’.

She added: ‘Our main goal is creating social employment and job opportunities in Belgium, while turning an idea we had at a festival a few years ago into a sustainable business reality.”

Rather optimistically, co-inventor Ron Hermans said: ‘The B-and-BEE is a space of relaxation, interaction, debate, discussion, where one can voice one’s opinion, a creative meeting ground for ideas and exchange.’

Health warning for anyone attending British music festivals: Voicing one’s opinion or debating any issue in an area where people are trying to sleep will attract immediate and violent ‘interaction’.

Still, it’s a great idea.

Each pod comes with a king-size bed, zip-up canvas door, a locker, light and power supply, and storage (Picture: Rex)

The B-and-Bee idea is already being tested at the Gentse Feesten festival in northern Belgium (Picture: Rex)