Outdoor Music Festivals Research Articles

Let there be Skyglow—light pollution from a large outdoor music festival (Lollapalooza Berlin 2016)

Live music is often linked to elaborate light shows, particularly at large outdoor music festivals. However, artificial light at night is one form of environmental pollution, light pollution, and because outdoor festivals emit a substantial amount of artificial light into the environment, they are a potential source of light pollution. So far, no studies that quantified the impact of such festivals on urban light pollution and skyglow exist. Here, the light pollution produced by a major rock festival (Lollapalooza Berlin 2016 with 70,000 visitors per day in an urban park) was investigated with ground-based radiometry and night-time light data. A small night-sky radiometer installed near the main stages and a calibrated digital camera from a nearby observation spot inside of the park were used to quantify changes in night sky brightness and direct light emissions within the park. The impact of the music festival on the urban skyglow was indeed measurable. Zenith luminance increased locally by up to a factor of 8 and illuminance increased by about 50% at the observation spot within the park. The radiance detected by night-time satellite was also increased during the festival. This is the first time, that light pollution from such a major rock music event was quantified.

Post-pandemic outdoor music festival consumption behaviour intention: an integrative approach

ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors influencing consumption behaviour at outdoor music festivals in the post-pandemic era. Utilising the Stimuli-Organism-Response and Motivation-Opportunity-Ability theories, the study explores the factors affecting consumer behaviour intention in the context of outdoor music festivals. Employing structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis, the research reveals that consumption motivation, opportunity, ability, and perceived scarcity significantly impact consumption behaviour intention in a positive manner. Conversely, perceived risk inhibits this intention. Notably, post-pandemic music festival attendees, particularly young individuals with income, exhibit a strong propensity to consume. Consumption motivation, opportunity, and ability are identified as direct and positive drivers of consumption behaviour intention, representing necessary conditions. Perceived scarcity mediates the relationships between consumption motivation, opportunity, ability, and the intention to participate in outdoor music festival consumption behaviour. The study sheds light on the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, emphasising its contribution to the field of leisure studies.

Participation in an Outdoor Music Festival Effects on Social Integration

The process of social integration enables individuals to adapt to societal norms. It is timely for tourism scholars to evaluate the growing phenomenon of outdoor music festivals, which are associated with participation in processes of social integration. The current study investigates the extent to which participating in an outdoor music festival affected participant levels of social integration. In line with the research purpose, a questionnaire was applied to the participants ( N = 426) of the MillionFest'19 festival in Eskişehir, Turkey. The study results show that participation in the festival has a medium- and high-level effect on dimensions of social integration. It is found that participating in an outdoor music festival provides elements of bilateral relations, physical development, and emotional development.

Influencing Factors of Audience's Willingness to Consume of Outdoor Music Festival Based on Grounded Theory

This paper adopts grounded theory to conduct an exploratory study on the influencing factors of outdoor music festival audience's willingness to consume. First, we used 'music festival' as the search keyword to collect secondary information such as blog posts, online pictures, and news reports related to outdoor music festivals. Then, based on the previous research and the author's experience, this paper conducted ten one-on-one in-depth interviews and a group interview with the Nanjing Forest Music Festival in China as the field research object. On this basis, the article performed word frequency analysis and semantic network analysis on the text data and obtained keywords with high frequency and the core words in focus. Finally, according to the triple coding results of the grounded theory, combined with the cognitive mediation model, a model of influencing factors of the audience's willingness to consume in outdoor music festivals is constructed

Development of a COVID-19 risk assessment model for participants at outdoor music festivals: evaluation of the validity and control measure effectiveness based on two actual events in Japan and Spain.

We developed an environmental exposure model to estimate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk among participants at outdoor music festivals and validated the model using two real events—one in Japan (Event 1) and one in Spain (Event 2). Furthermore, we considered a hypothetical situation in which Event 1 was held but enhanced measures were implemented to evaluate the extent to which the risk could be reduced by additional infection control measures, such as negative antigen tests on the day of the event, wearing of masks, disinfection of environmental surfaces, and vaccination. Among 7,392 participants, the total number of already- and newly-infected individuals who participated in Event 1 according to the new model was 47.0 (95% uncertainty interval: 12.5–185.5), which is in good agreement with the reported value (45). The risk of infection at Event 2 (1.98 × 10−2; 95% uncertainty interval: 0.55 × 10−2–6.39 × 10−2), calculated by the model in this study, was also similar to the estimated value in the previous epidemiological study (1.25 × 10−2). These results for the two events in different countries highlighted the validity of the model. Among the additional control measures in the hypothetical Event 1, vaccination, mask-wearing, and disinfection of surfaces were determined to be effective. Based on the combination of all measures, a 94% risk reduction could be achieved. In addition to setting a benchmark for an acceptable number of newly-infected individuals at the time of an event, the application of this model will enable us to determine whether it is necessary to implement additional measures, limit the number of participants, or refrain from holding an event.

Association between two mass-gathering outdoor events and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in north-east Spain: A population-based control-matched analysis.

SummaryBackgroundMany countries have resumed mass-gathering events like music festivals, despite the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreading. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of two mass-gathering outdoor events, held during a peak of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, on COVID-19 incidence.MethodsThis was a retrospective, population-based control-matched analysis. The study population included attendees to two outdoor music festivals held in Catalonia (North-East Spain). The primary objective was to compare the incidence of COVID-19 within the 3-to-10 days following the event between attendees and a population-based control group.FindingsThe analysis included 18,275 and 27,347 attendees to the first and second festivals, respectively, and their corresponding controls. The post-festival 7-day cumulative COVID-19 incidence among attendees and controls was 4.14% (95% CI 3.86-4.44) vs. 1.69% (1.51-1.88) for the first festival (RR 2.46; 2.16-2.80), and 2.42% (2.35-2.61) and 1.10% (0.99-1.2) for the second festival (RR 2.19; 1.92-2.51). COVID-19 incidence among immunized individuals was also two-fold higher in attendees than in controls. Previous COVID-19 infection, vaccination, and adequate mask-wearing were significantly associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection after the events.InterpretationDespite the proven effectiveness of preventive measures such as Ag-RDT screening, mask-wearing and vaccination, caution should be taken when holding these events during a period of high community SARS-CoV-2 transmission.FundingCrowdfunding campaign YoMeCorono (https://www.yomecorono.com/) and the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Coming together after standing apart: What predicts felt safety in the post-coronavirus crowd?

RationaleOver a year after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, and the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic with its lockdowns and social distancing requirements, being together with others again seems possible. Against this backdrop, important questions arise about how to safely manage gatherings of large numbers of unrelated people – like festivals, concerts and sporting matches – and how individuals contemplating involvement in such events feel about the risks presented. MethodsTo begin answering these questions, the current research surveyed would-be attendees at one of Europe's largest outdoor music festivals (n = 18353). Drawing on social psychological theories of crowd behavior and risk perception, we explored the identity processes that contributed to individual feelings of safety within the planned event. ResultsThe results show that shared identity with other festival goers and the perception of collectivistic (versus individualistic) values as defining of that festival, contributed to more trust in relevant others, stronger expectations that others would behave with safety rather than risk, and through these increased comfort with, and acceptance of the risks presented by, the planned festival. ConclusionThese results highlight identity forces that might be leveraged for crowd management in the context of disease risk.

Optimal Design and Operation of Temporary Power Installations: Case Study on CO 2 and Cost Savings for Outdoor Festivals in the Netherlands

Abstract Outdoor music festivals and construction sites are relying on temporary power installations for electricity supply. Diesel generators are still the dominant source for these applications. ...

Modeling Optimal Location Distribution for Deployment of Flying Base Stations as On-Demand Connectivity Enablers in Real-World Scenarios.

The amount of internet traffic generated during mass public events is significantly growing in a way that requires methods to increase the overall performance of the wireless network service. Recently, legacy methods in form of mobile cell sites, frequently called cells on wheels, were used. However, modern technologies are allowing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as a platform for network service extension instead of ground-based techniques. This results in the development of flying base stations (FBS) where the number of deployed FBSs depends on the demanded network capacity and specific user requirements. Large-scale events, such as outdoor music festivals or sporting competitions, requiring deployment of more than one FBS need a method to optimally distribute these aerial vehicles to achieve high capacity and minimize the cost. In this paper, we present a mathematical model for FBS deployment in large-scale scenarios. The model is based on a location set covering problem and the goal is to minimize the number of FBSs by finding their optimal locations. It is restricted by users’ throughput requirements and FBSs’ available throughput, also, all users that require connectivity must be served. Two meta-heuristic algorithms (cuckoo search and differential evolution) were implemented and verified on a real example of a music festival scenario. The results show that both algorithms are capable of finding a solution. The major difference is in the performance where differential evolution solves the problem six to eight times faster, thus it is more suitable for repetitive calculation. The obtained results can be used in commercial scenarios similar to the one used in this paper where providing sufficient connectivity is crucial for good user experience. The designed algorithms will serve for the network infrastructure design and for assessing the costs and feasibility of the use-case.

Does the Presence of On-Site Medical Services at Outdoor Music Festivals Affect Attendees' Planned Alcohol and Recreational Drug Use?

Dedicated on-site medical services have long been recommended to improve health outcomes at mass-gathering events (MGEs). In many countries, they are being reviewed as a mandatory requirement. While it is known that perceptions of risk shape substance use plans amongst outdoor music festival (OMF) attendees, it is unclear if attendees perceive the presence of on-site medical services as a part of the safety net. The aim of this paper is to better understand whether attendees' perceptions of on-site medical services influence high-risk behaviors like alcohol and recreational drug use at OMFs. A questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of attendees entering and attending two separate 20,000-person OMFs; one in Canada (Festival A) and one in New Zealand (Festival B). Responses focused on demographics, planned alcohol and recreational drug use, perceptions of medical services, and whether the absence of medical services would impact attendees' planned substance use. A total of 851 (587 and 264 attendees for Festival A and Festival B, respectively) attendees consented and participated. Gender distribution was equal and average ages were 23 to 25. At Festival A, 48% and 89% planned to use alcohol and recreational drugs, respectively, whereas at Festival B, it was 92% and 44%. A great majority were aware and supportive of the presence of medical services at both festivals, and a moderate number considered them a factor in attendance and something they would not attend without. There was significant (>10%) agreement (range 11%-46%; or 2,200-9,200 attendees for a 20,000-person festival) at both festivals that the absence of medical services would affect attendees' planned use of alcohol and recreational drugs. This study found that attendees surveyed at two geographically and musically distinct OMFs had high but differing rates of planned alcohol and recreational drug use, and that the presence of on-site medical services may impact attendees' perceptions of substance use risk. Future research will aim to address the limitations of this study to clarify these findings and their implications.

Biometric technologies at music festivals: An extended technology acceptance model

The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of user acceptance of Biometric Technologies (BT) at outdoor music festivals in the United Kingdom. While research on such technologies, such as facial recognition is limited in the events context, they have already been deployed at music festivals to deal with issues of security, safety and crowd management. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), a self-administered questionnaire was completed by young adults in the United Kingdom who had previously been to a music festival. The study found factors such as privacy, reliability and accuracy did not have a significant impact on user acceptance. Other factors, such as trust, compatibility and convenience were found to have a significant positive impact on perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude to use. As the findings indicate that accuracy and privacy do not impact BT acceptance, the paper explores how organizers can be transparent and accountable as to their intentions to use BT, so as to justify the usefulness of BT to attendees, artists, regulators and authorities.

Use of Medication at the Roskilde (Denmark) Music Festival 2015 - A Prospective Observational Study of 15,133 Treated Attendees.

Outdoor music festivals (OMFs) attract large numbers of guests and benefit from the help of large numbers of volunteers. Studies have previously described the injury patterns at OMFs, but no studies have described the use of medication and sales from on-site pharmacies at a large OMF. The usage of medication and prescriptions in the Medical Health Care Organization (MHCO), including sales from the on-site pharmacy, at the Roskilde (Denmark) Festival 2015 were prospectively recorded. In excess of 130,000 attendees (guests and volunteers) participated in the Roskilde Festival 2015. The number of attendees contacting the MHCO was 15,133, of which 3,723 (25%) had a consultation with a doctor. Of all attendees evaluated by a doctor, 669 attendees received some form of medication in relation to the consultation. The MHCO administered and/or handed out a total of 6,494 units of prescription and over-the-counter medication, of which analgesics represented nearly 51%. Asthma was the condition with the highest proportion of attendees requiring pharmaceutical treatment, as 28 out of 48 (58%) received medication during the consultation. Sixty-five attendees received both medicine and a prescription. The MHCO handed out 562 prescriptions. In total, 609 prescriptions were redeemed at the on-site pharmacy. Antibiotics represented more than 78% of all redeemed prescriptions at the on-site pharmacy. The most utilized medications were analgesics and antibiotics. The data indicate a need for on-site prophylaxis using tetanus toxoid in combination with diphtheria toxoid vaccine and an on-site pharmacy. The content of the formulary at a mass-gathering event should be based on: evacuation time by ambulance/helicopter to hospitals with the level of competence needed; types of conditions to be treated on-site; level of competencies of festival medical staff; expected incidence and type of illness and injuries; and treatment of acute, life-threatening illnesses and or injuries.

Putting the Boom, Boom, Boom into Physical Activity and Health: Music Festivals as a Positive Health Alternative to Couch Fandom.

Background: Despite the popularity of outdoor music festivals in the UK, no evidence exists of the volume or intensity of movement that occurs through attendance at these festivals and the potential health benefits this may provide. The aim of this study was to accurately record the amount of physical activity and movement at the Glastonbury Festival and to compare it against recommended levels. Methods: 22 attendees wore an Actigraph activity monitor and GPS data-logger to the Glastonbury Festival. Distances travelled, speeds and durations were recorded. Activity levels were identified based on step count thresholds and the total duration spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was calculated. Results: Mean total distance of 66.1 km was recorded with daily distance (11.01 km), movement duration (11 h 28 min) and steps/day (15,661). Total MVPA of 927 min occurred over the festival period. Conclusions: This study objectively recorded the volume of physical activity that occurred at an outdoor UK festival. Large movement distances and MVPA six times greater than the recommended guidelines for health benefits were found. It can be suggested that attendance at large-scale festivals can be used as a modality for attaining physical activity guidelines alongside commonly suggested fitness activities.

Event Design in Outdoor Music Festival Audience Behavior (A Critical Transformative Research Note)

This work, a conceptual forward-looking article, examines the management of audiences at music festivals now and indicates a critical maneuver of focus for the future. The theoretical objectives and conclusions of a body of work by Robertson—discussing and then proposing future models of festival leadership to support place and event sustainability—are applied to bodies of work by Hutton and colleagues, ranging from 2011 to 2017, and Brown and colleagues in 2012, 2013, and 2016. It is argued that a more holistic construct of civic responsibility will emerge in what will necessarily be a postcocreative, coproductive future for many critical mass meeting experiences. Hutton and Brown provide vital insight as to how consideration of the social psychological domain of the outdoor music festival (OMF) audience is critical to a design of the experience that is both experientially satisfying/fulfilling and, importantly, safe. This work uses literature related to festival management and critical transformation to propose a theoretical position arising from a construct of: transformative civic responsibility; social trust (as a component of social capital); and positive psychology. The work considers the dynamics and importance of outdoor music festivals in turbulent socioeconomic times, and the potential limitations of a behaviorist approach to future music festival crowd management. A case study research project was undertaken at a series of OMFs staged in South Australia and the results are used as examples of new forms of dynamic research for critical and turbulent times.

Drug detection dogs at Australian outdoor music festivals: Deterrent, detection and iatrogenic effects

BackgroundRecent drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals have led to increasing concern about the risk of future harm, but contention about how to effectively respond. One hotly debated strategy has been the use of drug detection dogs which currently operate at festivals across Australia, despite claims they are ineffective and contribute to risky drug use practices. This paper aims to investigate responses to the expected presence, and sightings, of drug dogs at the last festival attended. MethodsAn anonymous online survey was completed by almost 2000 Australian festival-goers. The largest subsample used in the analyses for this paper (n = 647) was 59% male and had a median age of 20 (IQR = 18–22). ResultsOf those who expected dogs to be present at their last festival (n = 647), only 4% reported that this threat led them to decide not to take drugs. Other responses included: concealing their drugs well (48%), getting someone else to carry their drugs (15%), buying their drugs inside (11%), taking less easily detected drugs (10%) and taking drugs before entering (7%). Of those who carried drugs in (n = 418), 10% concealed them internally and 1% swallowed them to retrieve inside. Of those who had drugs on their person when seeing a dog (n = 189), 10% reported consuming drugs in response. No respondents reported being detected with drugs due to a positive identification. ConclusionAlmost all festival-goers surveyed did not report being deterred from drug usage by the expected presence of drug dogs. Instead, a variety of alternative responses to avoid detection were reported, many of which could place festival-goers at greater risk of experiencing drug-related harms. In the face of mounting evidence of both ineffectiveness and iatrogenic effects, the use of drug detection dogs at Australian music festivals should be urgently reconsidered.

Developing Public Health Initiatives through Understanding Motivations of the Audience at Mass-Gathering Events

This report identifies what is known about audience motivations at three different mass-gathering events: outdoor music festivals, religious events, and sporting events. In light of these motivations, the paper discusses how these can be harnessed by the event organizer and Emergency Medical Services. Lastly, motivations tell what kinds of interventions can be used to achieve an understanding of audience characteristics and the opportunity to develop tailor-made programs to maximize safety and make long-lasting public health interventions to a particular "cohort" or event population. A lot of these will depend on what the risks/hazards are with the particular populations in order to "target" them with public health interventions. Audience motivations tell the event organizer and Emergency Medical Services about the types of behaviors they should expect from the audience and how this may affect their health while at the event. Through these understandings, health promotion and event safety messages can be developed for a particular type of mass-gathering event based on the likely composition of the audience in attendance. Health promotion and providing public information should be at the core of any mass-gathering event to minimize public health risk and to provide opportunities for the promotion of healthy behaviors in the local population. Audience motivations are a key element to identify and agree on what public health information is needed for the event audience. A more developed understanding of audience behavior provides critical information for event planners, event risk managers, and Emergency Medical Services personnel to better predict and plan to minimize risk and reduce patient presentations at events. Mass-gathering event organizers and designers intend their events to be positive experiences and to have meaning for those who attend. Therefore, continual vigilance to improve public health effectiveness and efficiency can become best practice at events. Through understanding the motivations of the audience, event planners and designers, event risk managers, and emergency medical personnel may be better able to understand the motivation of the audience and how this might impact on audience behavior at the event. Hutton A , Ranse J , Munn MB . Developing public health initiatives through understanding motivations of the audience at mass-gathering events. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):191-196.

Drugs of Abuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances at Outdoor Music Festivals in Colorado

ABSTRACTBackground: Drugs of abuse (DOA) are widely used in the United States and are ubiquitous at outdoor music festivals. Attendees at music festivals are at high-risk for novel psychoactive substance (NPS) use, which is becoming more prevalent worldwide. No U.S. studies have employed an qualitative approach to investigate the etiologies of both traditional DOA and NPS use amongst music festival attendees. Objectives: The objective of this study was to improve understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of festival attendees using NPS and DOA. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews of 171 attendees during the Sonic Bloom and Arise music festivals in Colorado in 2015 and 2016. Discrete variables were summarized with descriptive statistics. The anonymous, multi-domain interview documented the knowledge, attitudes beliefs, and practices underlying DOA use, which were analyzed with qualitative methods. Results: We enrolled 171 participants that endorsed DOA use at the festivals. Most were experienced DOA users, who perceived minimal risks associated with DOA and NPS use. Nearly all unanimously reported normalization of DOA at music festivals. Participants popularly cited empathogenic, entactogenic, and entheogenic effects of DOA as their primary motivations for use. NPS use was endorsed by 39.8% (n = 68) of respondents, all of whom identified as being experienced DOA users. Conclusions: This population of novel psychoactive substance users is primarily composed of experienced drug users that endorsed use because of low cost, minimal perceived risk, accessibility, and normalization of drug use at music festivals.

Music to some, noise to others; reducing outdoor music festivals' sonic impact on surrounding communities. Case study: KAABOO 2016

For music scenes to coexist and thrive alongside residential communities, approaches to the problem of music as noise must acknowledge the impact of noise signal type on listener annoyance levels. The challenge has yet to be properly addressed by the environmental acoustics community, which focuses on measurement standards and mitigation techniques applicable to mechanical noise but unfit to address noise issues related to music. Differences include short versus long range contexts, health versus annoyance considerations, and continuous/unintelligible versus time-variant/intelligible source signals. Noise ordinances often introduce further complications, requiring disambiguation to provide valid/assessable expectations. The presentation outlines how the problem was successfully tackled for KAABOO 2016, a large-scale open-air music festival involving over 100 acts, over 75,000 patrons, and multiple outdoor stages. We discuss (a) working with the city and venue to fine-tune noise ordinance expectations and support valid compliance assessment; (b) designing and deploying sophisticated sound systems, powerful enough to fulfill audience expectations and focused enough to effectively reduce noise impact on the surrounding communities; (c) cooperating with the artists’ teams to appropriately reduce on-site levels; and (d) obtaining relevant noise data prior and during the event to validly capture the event’s noise impact and formally assess compliance.

Influence of the Program on Patient Presentations at Outdoor Music Festivals

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The deterrent effects of Australian street-level drug law enforcement on illicit drug offending at outdoor music festivals

BackgroundAustralian and international street-level drug law enforcement deploy many strategies in efforts to prevent or deter illicit drug offending. Limited evidence of deterrence exists. This study assessed the likely impacts of four Australian policing strategies on the incidence and nature of drug use and supply at a common policing target: outdoor music festivals. MethodsA purpose-built national online survey (the Drug Policing Survey) was constructed using five hypothetical experimental vignettes that took into account four policing strategies (High Visibility Policing, Riot Policing, Collaborative Policing, and policing with Drug Detection Dogs) and a counter-factual (no police presence). The survey was administered in late 2015 to 2115 people who regularly attend festivals. Participants were block-randomised to receive two vignettes and asked under each whether they would use, possess, purchase, give or sell illicit drugs. ResultsCompared to ‘no police presence’, any police presence led to a 4.6% point reduction in engagement in overall illicit drug offending: reducing in particular willingness to possess or carry drugs into a festival. However, it had minimal or counterproductive impacts on purchasing and supply. For example, given police presence, purchasing of drugs increased significantly within festival grounds. Offending impacts varied between the four policing strategies: Drug Detection Dogs most reduced drug possession but High Visibility Policing most reduced overall drug offending including supply. Multivariate logistic regression showed police presence was not the most significant predictor of offending decisions at festivals. ConclusionConclusionThe findings suggest that street-level policing may deter some forms of drug offending at music festivals, but that most impacts will be small. Moreover, it may encourage some perverse impacts such as drug consumers opting to buy drugs within festival grounds rather than carry in their own. We use our findings to highlight trade-offs between the goals of public health promotion and crime control in street-level enforcement.