Latest news with #crowdsafety
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Poor management leads to fatal crushes': how Glastonbury and others are dealing with big crowds
In the last two decades the British festival season has ballooned in size to become not just a critical part of our cultural life, but the economy at large – worth billions of pounds, and numbering as many as 850 events last year. But as Glastonbury kicks off this weekend and the season enters its peak, there are a growing number of controversies around crowd safety and management. In April, London Assembly member and Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall echoed Metropolitan police concerns about the potential for a 'mass casualty event' at Notting Hill Carnival this year, and in May, the Mail on Sunday published an anonymous Glastonbury whistleblower's allegation that the festival is a 'disaster waiting to happen … Worst-case scenario, people are going to die.' Glastonbury 2024 had prompted widespread concerns about overcrowding and bottlenecks – particularly when big acts such as the Sugababes, Charli xcx and Bicep played relatively small stages. At the time, festival organisers underlined their commitment to crowd safety but said that such performances are 'part of the magic of Glastonbury'. Now, festival organiser Emily Eavis has announced that Glastonbury has sold 'a few thousand less tickets' this year in the hope of easing overcrowding. 'Crowd management has become pretty much our biggest priority and the thing we spend most time on,' she tells me, with teams constantly 'planning, tweaking and updating our crowd management operation' before and during the festival, 'to make sure everyone is safe'. But with recent fatal crowd disasters at Travis Scott's Astroworld festival in 2021, the 2022 Asake concert at Brixton Academy where two people died, and Seoul's Halloween celebrations the same year, where 159 people died, music fans are understandably concerned about their safety at mass events. This has led to well-meaning but misguided explainers like that offered in a BBC video before 2023's Notting Hill Carnival, titled 'how to stay safe in a crowd'. The common suggestions of what to do if you are caught in an uncomfortable level of crowd density – have an exit plan, hold your arms out, breathe deeply – 'mostly aren't going to help', says social psychology professor John Drury, who does training in crowd psychology and behaviour for the events industry (the BBC did not offer comment when these criticisms were put to them). 'Focusing on individual behaviour and responsibility is misplaced,' he says. 'By the time the crowd is so dense that a crush is likely or is happening, it's too late.' Really, this kind of advice only serves to deflect attention from event organisers, venue owners, site designers, security, local authorities, health and safety inspectors and the emergency services – all organisations with the professional expertise, not to mention legal responsibility, that an individual crowd member is lacking. 'The individuals within a crowd can't possibly know what's going on at the other end,' Drury continues. 'It is poor management that leads to fatal crushes. It's still too common to blame the crowd for decisions that should have been made weeks beforehand.' In the aftermath of the Astroworld tragedy in Houston, Texas, where 10 festivalgoers died of compressive asphyxia, it didn't take long for attention – and the finger of blame – to turn to the crowd of enthusiastic young fans, headliner Travis Scott and rap culture in general. Lurid headlines and social media rumours spoke of crowd stampedes, criminal behaviour, toxic drugs, even Satanic rituals. Not one of these theories bears the slightest bit of scrutiny. 'It was not an accident,' said Scott Davidson, a crowd safety expert in the new documentary Trainwreck. 'It was an inevitability due to a lack of foresight and the abandonment of basic safety protocols.' (In a written statement, Astroworld's promoter Live Nation told the documentary makers that the number of tickets sold was under the venue's approved capacity, and that stakeholders such as Houston police 'were aware of the event plans, which were developed in line with safety codes'.) Away from the doom-mongering and poor public awareness, crowd safety experts have a great deal of knowledge to draw on; they're putting to bed pseudo-scientific ideas such as 'mob mentality' or human 'stampedes', which are tired myths dating back to the 19th century, and long since debunked. When crowd scientist Keith Still is called in to investigate a crowd disaster, as happened after Astroworld, the first two documents he asks to see are the risk assessment and the crowd management plan. 'The characteristics, the DNA of these accidents, are always the same,' Still says. 'Insufficient preparation, lack of staff training, lack of wayfinding, poor signage, and allowing the volume of people-flow to exceed capacity, or throughput. They inevitably tend to point the finger at the crowd being at fault, rather than asking: what were the underlying fundamentals?' Density is traditionally monitored in terms of people per square metre – five is the upper limit for standing spaces. Above that, things get dangerous: people lose control of their movement, the crowd is susceptible to waves of motion and crushing and collapse become serious risks. At a large-scale festival with multiple stages you have more variables, and more potential for unsafe changes in density and pinch-points. Drury says that understanding each crowd's desires and behavioural norms is key. For example, he says, if you're putting on a large punk festival, then of course you should account for a fairly lively moshpit: 'People actually enjoy the density they get at the front of a gig, and they enjoy it at levels that the orthodoxy would say is unsafe.' He says that people in the live events sector have adapted well to shifting orthodoxies: 'People understand now that crowd behaviour is dynamic and diverse, that they are capable of great cooperation, and to work with the crowd, not against them.' But, he says, 'it's hard [for festival organisers] to learn lessons if you don't have an open environment for reflection on what went wrong … because these are businesses. But at the same time, there are many people in the industry who are trying to change that, and share what they've learned.' Anne Marie Chebib, chair of the UK Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), has been working in the industry for more than three decades. 'The days of running a festival with a couple of radios and a clipboard are long gone,' she says, and 'the types of risks we face now are more complex and more layered. Back in the 90s, things were a bit more organic and chaotic. Today's risk landscape includes everything from weather to health scares to targeted violence' – she says one of the most worrying concerns to emerge in recent years is 'the deliberate use of vehicles as weapons in crowded spaces'. There are many things festival organisers can do to mitigate excessive density – clear wayfinding, robust communication channels and real-time crowd monitoring are essential, and festival apps with site maps and real-time updates are not just helping fans navigate (when phone reception isn't overloaded), but allow organisers to track interest in particular acts and forecast which will become busy: earlier this month, organisers at Manchester's Parklife festival shut an entire stage down due to overcrowding concerns. Eavis says Glastonbury uses push notifications on their app as a way of communicating any updates to the masses, and she acknowledges some walkways 'essentially have their own 'rush hour' where we sometimes need to restrict access or put in one-way systems'. Scheduling is also a critical component: placing two major artists with overlapping fanbases deliberately so that they clash might annoy some punters – as is the case with Charli xcx and Doechii at Glastonbury this year – but helps split up crowds across a festival site. Emergency protocols are also evolving rapidly. Astroworld has 'become a touchpoint in training and planning conversations worldwide,' Chebib says. Travis Scott was criticised by some for continuing his headline show while fans screamed for him to stop; he has since said that he was unaware of any problems in the dark crowd below. In other cases, the message has got through and several major artists have stopped shows to ask fans to step back, and take a breather to reduce density. 'The language around stopping shows has become more prominent but also more debated,' Chebib said. 'The industry has always had the ability to stop shows but the culture around when and how to use that power is shifting, for the better.' Congestion doesn't have to reach emergency levels to really ruin the day for audience members. To be sure, a festival is a complex organism with many variables which might influence the behaviour of its attendees: from their age to the day's weather, from the exact running order of performers, to site location and design, to subcultural norms (rock and rap fans like moshing; trance fans might dabble in class A drugs). But these are hardly unpredictable in the way that say, an earthquake or a terror attack is. Charli xcx's recent headline show at the new Lido festival series in London's Victoria Park left some fans disgruntled – with a sold-out crowd of 35,000 squeezed into a space ill-equipped to handle the number of attendees they had sold tickets to. 'It was a mess,' one friend told me, with waits of 30-45 minutes for the ladies' toilets, and excessive density across the day undermining the fun and making mobile phone connection impossible. 'To pay £68 for that is madness. It felt unsafe and it felt profiteering.' A spokesperson for Lido called the festival series 'a great success' but acknowledged: 'Unfortunately the new layout caused some toilets to be harder to find resulting in longer queues at other toilet blocks … we've taken steps to address it for next year's event.' So what can ordinary festivalgoers do? Not much, except enjoy themselves, look after each other, and if it seems like event organisers are cutting corners to maximise profits, then they can vote with their feet and not come back. But as long as everybody is kept safe, then it's worth remembering that the gathering of tens of thousands of strangers in a field appeals as much as the artists topping the bill. Eavis says that it used to be the case 'that I couldn't give Glastonbury tickets away' but today, in 'a world that can feel quite bleak, having festivals that stand for positivity, unity, peace, joy, sustainability, new ways of thinking and just treating people decently is so, so important right now'. 'Behind every risk assessment, every protocol, every camera feed, there is still a simple purpose – helping people come together to enjoy themselves safely,' Chebib says. 'Helping people feel joy, bringing communities together, creating space for culture, that's what festivals are really about. Let's not lose sight of what we're there for.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Met Police concerned over Notting Hill Carnival steward funds
Concerns about the Notting Hill Carnival have been raised by both a police officers' group and Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, with questions over safety funding for extra Hill of the Metropolitan Police Federation said none of the front-line officers he spoke to looked forward to working at the event, and were concerned there could be a deadly crush due to crowd chairman Ian Comfort has requested more funding from the government to steward the event and address safety concerns.A report by Sir Mark for the London Policing Board said force bosses were "significantly concerned" that funding for extra stewards for the event would not be in place in time. 'Handful of criminals' Referring to phase one of a review commissioned by organisers that looked at crowd safety and stewarding, the report said: "We are however significantly concerned that with just a matter of weeks to go until this year's event that the essential funding has not been secured and, with each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the Phase One recommendations becomes more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice without a sufficient lead-in time."About 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers are deployed to each day of the August Bank Holiday event. The cost of policing Carnival in 2023 was £11.7m, according to figures released under Freedom of Information Hill said officers were "as worried this year as they were last year and the year before" about working at the event."Nobody that I speak to actually looks forward to working Notting Hill Carnival, which is a real shame, because it's a vibrant event, it's an important event," he said."We should enjoy interacting with the public and serving the community in it, but you have a handful of criminals who turn up to the event and just cause carnage."We had two murders [last year], 60-odd of my colleagues on average are getting assaulted every carnival, it's been going on for years and it's not acceptable." He said the size of the area for the event should expand or the number of people attending should be reduced."Everyone accepts it's an unsafe event. Why is it still going on?" he Mark told LBC the event organisers were asking for "a couple of million pounds" to keep festivalgoers about the average 60 officers who are injured he said: "The criminals who turn up to this event are really violent and very difficult, and, frankly, fighting crime in a confined area where the crowds are so crushed is doubly difficult," he said."If the organisers were given the resources to run it better, we'd be able to do a better job fighting crime, and our officers would be at less risk." Two people were murdered at the carnival last year - Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter, and chef Mussie Imnetu.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Crowd safety fears could prompt Leicester Diwali event relocation
Leicester's world-famous Diwali celebrations could be moved to another part of the city because of crowd safety Road, known as the Golden Mile, has traditionally hosted annual festivities attended by tens of thousands of people to mark the Hindu festival of Leicester City Council said it was considering other potential locations as it planned this year's event in October."Our Diwali celebrations have become so popular and well attended we now have to consider moving them to a safer location," said city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. "The advice we have had is that the crowds it now attracts are too large for the area - which is quite constrained."What we do not want is for anyone to be hurt should there be a surge in the crowd." 'More suitable location' Soulsby said discussions had been held with businesses and community groups in Belgrave about other possible said these included Abbey Park, the city centre or Belgrave Circle."In many ways, the Diwali celebrations have become a victim of their own success because of how many people attend," he added."There are pinch points where so many people gather; it is a concern that people could be hurt." A city council spokesperson said: "There have been several meetings over recent months with members of the Diwali safety advisory group and community representatives to discuss concerns about public safety at the popular event due to increasing crowd numbers."A further follow-up meeting attended by the city mayor, executive lead for culture and representatives from the emergency services and the community will take place to review options being considered including moving the event to a more suitable location, although no decisions have yet been taken."A police spokesperson said: "The Diwali celebrations in Leicester are part of our city's culture and history, and an occasion that Leicestershire Police has always been extremely proud to support."Following concerns raised by the Safety Advisory Group – which consists of all emergency services, Leicester City Council as the event organisers and Showsec – about public safety at the event, we continue to liaise with our partners in relation to the event." In 2024, the council made a cost-cutting decision to scale back the city's Diwali celebrations by holding a single event, in Belgrave Road, to mark Diwali Day decided not to hold a separate event to mark the turning on of Diwali street illuminations along the Golden Mile. Soulsby added: "Whatever decision is made about the future location [of the celebration] we are determined to keep the Diwali lights on Belgrave Road."
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
RCB's IPL win: When joy turned to horror for Bengaluru fans
When Shamili left her home in India's Bengaluru city on Wednesday, it wasn't to see her favourite cricket team - she isn't even a fan of the the buzz around the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB's) Indian Premier League victory parade - the home team won the tournament for the first time - had swept through the city like an RCB jersey with "18 Virat" on the back - a nod to Virat Kohli, the city's favourite cricket icon - Shamili joined her sister and friends near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, looking forward to she didn't expect was to get caught in a terrifying victory parade turned deadly when surging crowds - far beyond what authorities expected - led to a horrific crush that killed 11 people and injured dozens like Shamili are now grappling with trauma, pain and a sense of disbelief after the celebration spiralled into catastrophe."I kept saying, 'let's go, let's go' - the crowd was getting out of control," Shamili recalled, sitting on a bed at the government-run Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital. "The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. People were walking over me. I thought I was going to die."She is not alone. Many who had come just to soak in the atmosphere - fans, families, curious onlookers - found themselves caught in a tide of bodies as crowds swelled beyond control. Police had expected no more than 100,000 people. In reality, Karnataka's chief minister Siddaramaiah said, the crowd surged to 200,000-300,000. The stadium, with a capacity of 32,000, was overwhelmed long before the team from before the crush showed people climbing trees and trying to scale the stadium walls. Haneef Mohammed, an engineering student, told BBC Hindi that he had no intention of going inside because he didn't have a pass or ticket."I was just standing and watching the crowds near the main gate. Suddenly, people started running all around and the police started hitting people with their lathis," he in India often wield lathis - long bamboo sticks - to try and control Mohammed got hit on the head with a lathi and started bleeding. He says the police immediately arranged for a vehicle to take him to the ages of the 11 victims range from 13 to 43 youngest, Divyanshi, was a Class 9 student who had come to the stadium with her mother and other family members. Other victims include college students and a young tech worker who had come to the stadium with her colleagues.A doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said that most of them were "brought dead to hospital" due to suffocation or broken ribs. The massive crowds had delayed ambulances getting to the site of the crush. Even as chaos and panic ensued on the roads around the Chinnaswamy stadium, the RCB team went inside the stadium after being felicitated on the footsteps of the Vidhana Soudha - the seat of power in Karnataka - by the governor, chief minister and other ministers."They went on a victory lap around the stadium. Inside the stadium, there was no sign that anything had happened outside,'' said a young man who spoke on condition of chairman Arun Dhumal said he did not know who had planned the event in Bengaluru and that RCB officials inside the stadium were not aware of the crush until they got phone a statement on X, RCB said it was "deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents"."Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our programme and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration," it said."At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted," star player Kohli wrote on questions still remain over how and why the event was organised."Normally, the felicitation of a team should be done in a controlled environment. But here, there appeared to be no preparation," a relative of an injured person at the Bowring Hospital Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a magisterial enquiry into the incident."A moment of joy has turned into sorrow," he said on BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
The Liverpool parade crash has brought out the best in our police
As a police officer of more than 25 years – and a Liverpool FC supporter my entire life – the events of Water Street on Monday evening were impossible to watch with anything other than a sense of abject horror. An occasion of joyous celebration turned, in just a handful of moments, into one of unspeakable trauma. Whenever I see footage of police officers running in the opposite direction to a fleeing crowd, I remember my years in blue. The painful privilege of policing is to venture repeatedly into the hurting places: at the scenes of crimes, and of every kind of catastrophe. And, in those places, to see things that you can never unsee. In my two and a half decades spent policing in London, I worked with endless vast crowds: at Premier League and Champions League football matches; at the Notting Hill Carnival; on New Year's Eve in Trafalgar Square; at central London demonstrations. It is a challenge at the best of times, keeping tens of thousands of innocent people safe as they sing and protest and dance and march. I remember watching on helplessly as good-natured crowds at Carnival surged expectedly into streets too narrow to accommodate them. It was only the swift and skilful intervention of my colleagues from the Mounted Branch that prevented a tragedy. And that was on a day when nobody meant any harm. I have been there on the other days, too: with Chelsea and Manchester United supporters intent on fighting one another outside Stamford Bridge; when violent protesters tried to storm the Houses of Parliament; when criminals tried to use the cover of crowds to commit unspeakable acts; when packed pubs emptied out onto night-time streets in a flail of fists and feet. And, on each occasion, it was police officers who stood in the places in between, and who picked up the pieces when the dust had finally settled and everyone else had left the scene. The morning after the horrors of Liverpool's victory parade, they were there again, on the other side of the blue and white cordon tape, attempting to make sense of it all; seeking answers and explanations for victims and their families; trying to shut out the speculation and the noise, to get to the truth of it all; and keeping an eye out for their colleagues in the process. Because it would be impossible to do the job of a police officer for any length of time and to remain untouched – unaffected – by the things that you see and the things that you do. I was reminded once again of that famous old Fred Rogers quote: 'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'' On Monday night in Liverpool, that is what police officers were doing. And not just them of course, but their colleagues from the other emergency services, alongside countless ordinary Liverpudlians. The Merseyside Police response has been criticised in some quarters, not least its decision to release details of the suspect's ethnicity and nationality, in an attempt to quash online disinformation. This was in direct contrast – a 'complete step change', as some have described it – to the response to the Southport knife attack last summer. It was the right call to make, and a sign of the times we live in. Once again, in Liverpool, we have seen the very best of humanity – and of the police service in particular – in the very worst of times.
