Creating a Festival Emergency Action Plan

Introduction

Festivals are vibrant and unpredictable environments, where thousands of people gather to celebrate music, culture, food, and more. With so much energy and activity, being prepared for the unexpected is absolutely vital. A sudden thunderstorm, a medical emergency in the crowd, or a small fire at a vendor tent can turn a dream event into chaos if there’s no plan in place. This is why every festival organizer needs a comprehensive Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to guide staff and protect attendees when something goes wrong.

An Emergency Action Plan is a detailed document (and set of protocols) that outlines how to respond to various emergencies. It identifies potential risks, assigns clear responsibilities to staff, establishes communication strategies, and lays out evacuation or shelter procedures. In essence, it’s a playbook for worst-case scenarios. When an emergency strikes at a festival – whether it’s a sudden storm, an injury, or a security threat – a well-crafted EAP can save lives and keep panic at bay.

This guide will walk through how to create a robust festival EAP, drawing on real festival production experience. It covers identifying possible emergencies (from weather and fire to medical and security incidents), setting up roles and communication protocols, planning evacuations, and working with safety experts. These insights apply to small local events as well as massive international festivals, and to every genre from music and food festivals to comic conventions. By planning for the worst, festival organizers can ensure the best possible outcome in any crisis.

Identifying Potential Emergencies

The first step in developing an EAP is to identify the spectrum of emergencies that could occur at your festival. Every event is different – risks can vary based on location, season, attendee demographics, and type of festival – but some common categories of emergencies include:

• Severe Weather: Outdoor festivals are especially vulnerable to weather. Heavy rain, lightning storms, high winds, extreme heat, or cold snaps can all pose dangers. For example, a major music festival in Chicago once safely evacuated tens of thousands of attendees to shelter when a thunderstorm rolled in – a success made possible by advance weather monitoring and a solid plan. Conversely, the tragic stage collapse at an Indiana fair in 2011 (caused by sudden high winds) is a reminder that ignoring weather warnings or delaying action can have fatal consequences. When planning, consider all weather scenarios: Will you need to pause or cancel performances for lightning? Do you have wind thresholds for temporary structures like stages or tents? Is there a plan for extreme heat, such as cooling stations and extra water for attendees?

• Fire Hazards: Fire can break out from many sources – electrical equipment, pyrotechnics, kitchen vendors, or nearby wildfires in dry conditions. Even a small fire can cause panic in a crowded area. Identify potential fire risks at your venue (for instance, indoor venues have different fire safety needs than open fields). An EAP should include clear steps for fire emergencies: Who will call the fire department? Where are fire extinguishers and have staff been trained to use them? How will you evacuate people away from the affected area calmly? Conducting fire risk assessments with safety experts or local fire marshals before the event is highly recommended to catch hazards early.

• Medical Emergencies: With large crowds and active environments, medical incidents are common – from dehydration and heat stroke to injuries or allergic reactions. Your plan should account for both individual medical incidents and larger-scale medical crises. For example, if many attendees are affected by something (such as heat exhaustion on a hot day or a foodborne illness outbreak), do you have sufficient first aid and medical staff on-site to handle it? Festivals with younger audiences might also contend with issues like alcohol or drug overdoses, whereas events with older attendees might see more chronic health issues. Ensure on-site medical teams and first aid tents are equipped and staffed. The EAP should outline how medical emergencies are reported (e.g., radioing to a medical coordinator), where ambulances can access the site, and if an incident is serious, how to pause or adjust the event (for instance, stopping music if a life-threatening emergency is identified in the crowd).

• Security Incidents & Crowd Disturbances: Festivals can unfortunately be targets for security issues or witness crowd-related incidents. This category covers everything from fights or unruly behavior, to lost children, to the worst-case scenarios of an active attacker or a bomb threat. Crowd surges and stampedes also fall under this category – as seen in the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, poor crowd control and delayed emergency response can lead to devastating outcomes. When creating your EAP, consult with professional security personnel to identify scenarios: What if there’s a violent incident or a weapon detected on site? How will you respond to an intoxicated group causing fights? What is the procedure if a child goes missing? And importantly, do you have a show-stop procedure – a way to immediately halt performances and communicate to the crowd if a dangerous situation is unfolding? Defining the triggers for stopping the show or initiating an evacuation due to security threats is crucial. Work with local law enforcement on these plans; often, having uniformed police or trained security teams on-site is part of the strategy for handling major security emergencies.

• Infrastructure or Technical Failures: Sometimes the emergency isn’t external but internal. Consider the possibility of power outages, stage or structure collapses, equipment failures, or communication system breakdowns. A power loss at night can plunge a venue into darkness and cause panic if you’re not ready with backup lighting or generators. Structural issues, while less common, can be catastrophic – for instance, a collapsed lighting truss or bleachers. Your EAP should include what to do if critical infrastructure fails. This might involve having emergency lighting, regularly inspecting stages and rigs for stability, and knowing when to clear an area if something looks unsafe. Also, plan for communication blackouts: if your radios fail or cell networks congest, do you have runners or backup methods like megaphones to relay messages?

Tailoring the risk assessment to your festival is important. Make a list of all potential emergencies that make sense for your event’s location and audience. A winter festival in a mountain town will prioritize very different risks (e.g., hypothermia, snowstorms) than a summer EDM festival in a desert (extreme heat, dehydration). Likewise, a family-oriented festival might plan extensively for lost children and family reunification protocols, whereas a stadium rock concert will focus on crowd surges and noise-related hazards. Take into account historical data too – if similar events in the past had incidents (for example, a certain site that frequently floods or a recurring issue with pickpockets), include those in your planning. The goal is to paint a full picture of what could go wrong, so nothing catches your team completely off guard.

Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

Once you have identified potential emergencies, the next step is to assign clear roles and responsibilities for your festival team. In an emergency, confusion is your worst enemy – every staff member should know exactly what their job is when an incident occurs. Establishing a chain of command and an incident management structure beforehand will make your response far more organized and effective.

Here are some key roles and elements to define in your EAP:

• Incident Commander or Point Person: This is the individual (or small team) in charge of overall emergency coordination. It could be the festival director, a head of security, or another experienced manager. This person has the authority to make quick decisions, such as ordering an evacuation or stopping the show, in consultation with officials. They will coordinate between different teams (security, medical, production) and with external emergency services. It’s crucial that everyone on staff knows who the incident lead is at any given time (e.g., the “Emergency Manager on Duty”).

• Emergency Response Teams: Break down your staff (and contractor teams) into functional emergency roles. For example, you should have a medical response team (EMTs, first aiders, volunteers assigned to health emergencies), a fire response or safety team (staff trained in using extinguishers or handling small fires until firefighters arrive), a security team (for crowd management and security threats), and an evacuation team (staff stationed at exits to guide people out safely). Smaller festivals might have a handful of people wearing multiple hats, whereas large festivals will have entire departments for each area. Either way, assign roles in advance and make sure each team member understands their specific duties.

• Communication Lead: During an incident, someone needs to manage information flow. A communication coordinator can ensure that accurate information gets to all stakeholders – staff, emergency services, and attendees – without delay. This person might control the emergency public address announcements, send messages on the festival’s mobile app or social media, and relay info to media if necessary. They also help prevent misinformation and panic by delivering clear, calm instructions to the crowd.

• Liaison with Authorities: Many festivals, especially larger ones, involve close collaboration with local authorities (police, fire department, emergency medical services). It’s wise to have a designated liaison officer or team member who coordinates directly with these external agencies. Often, for big events, police and fire representatives will be on-site in a command center. Ensure your plan defines how festival staff integrate with official responders – for instance, who will meet the fire department at the gate to direct them to an incident, or who will work with police if an evacuation is needed. Unified command exercises (where festival officials and emergency services make joint decisions) are extremely effective for large-scale festivals.

• Responsibilities Matrix: In your EAP document, consider including a simple matrix or chart that lists different emergency scenarios and who is responsible for key actions in each. For example: Severe Weather: Incident Commander consults weather service and makes call to pause event; Communications Lead drafts attendee announcement; Security Team helps secure stages and direct people to shelter. Doing this for each major emergency type ensures there’s no ambiguity. During planning, walk through each scenario with the team and confirm that every task has an owner.

It’s worth noting that in a crisis, staff and volunteers might need to adapt if someone is unavailable or an incident escalates. Cross-training team members can help – for instance, train all senior staff on how to use the PA system or on basic first aid, in case they need to step into a role. Clarity and redundancy in responsibilities will make your festival much more resilient when trouble strikes.

Communication Protocols

Effective communication is the backbone of emergency response at a festival. How you communicate, and how quickly, can make all the difference in keeping people safe. Your communication protocols should cover two main fronts: internal communication among staff and responders, and external communication to attendees (and possibly the public or media).

Internal Communication: Determine the primary channels your team will use for emergency messages. Two-way radios are standard for festival staff – make sure all key personnel have radios and that there are designated channels for emergency use. For example, channel 1 might be general operations, but channel 2 could be reserved for emergency coordination so it stays clear of chatter. Establish code words or concise phrases for common situations to avoid confusion or causing alarm over open comms. (Many events use simple color codes like “Code Red” for fire or “Code Blue” for medical emergency in progress, etc.) The EAP should include a list of these codes and their meanings so every staff member or volunteer is aware.

It’s also vital to have backup communication methods. In a chaotic scenario, radios can fail, batteries die, or signals get jammed if everyone starts using their cell phones. Plan for alternatives: cell phone trees, runners/messengers, or even megaphones for zone leaders. Some festivals set up an on-site “command center” (even if it’s a tent or trailer) where information is centralized. All emergencies get reported there, and that hub coordinates the response. Within your team, establish that anyone who notices a potential emergency (an odd piece of equipment smoking, or a brewing crowd crush in front of a stage) should immediately alert the command center or their supervisor – it’s better to raise a false alarm than miss a critical early warning.

External Communication (Attendees and Public): In an emergency, attendees need to know what’s happening and what to do, but without inciting panic. Your EAP should have a plan for making announcements or alerts to the crowd. Most festivals will use the public address (PA) system or stage microphones to make emergency announcements. Some also leverage large video screens or electronic signage to display messages (useful in loud environments or if sound systems fail). Make sure pre-written emergency scripts or messages are prepared in advance for likely scenarios, so that panicked improvisation isn’t needed. For example, a lightning hold announcement might say something like: “Attention: Due to approaching severe weather, we are temporarily pausing the show. Please calmly proceed to the designated shelter areas indicated by staff and on the video screens. Stay tuned for updates.” Craft these messages with input from PR or communications experts to ensure they are clear and reassuring.

If your festival has its own mobile app or SMS alert system, that can be an excellent way to push notifications directly to attendees’ phones. Social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) can also spread the word quickly about schedule changes or emergency instructions – assign someone the task of managing official social channels during a crisis. Remember to coordinate messaging with local authorities as well; inconsistent or conflicting information can create confusion. One spokesperson (often the communications lead or festival director) should be authorized to speak to any media on behalf of the event if needed, so that information is accurate and controlled.

Lastly, consider communications for emergency services. Ensure that local police, fire, and medical teams on site can communicate with festival staff. This might mean sharing radio channels or having direct lines of communication between your incident commander and the police/fire incident commanders. Time is critical, and you don’t want messages relayed slowly through intermediaries if something serious is unfolding.

In summary, build a robust communication plan with redundancies. Every staff member should know how to report an issue, who to contact, and how we’ll inform the public. Test these systems – do a radio check, a PA sound check, even a mock announcement – before the festival opens.

Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Procedures

A cornerstone of any festival Emergency Action Plan is a well-thought-out procedure for evacuation and, in some cases, shelter-in-place. When a significant threat arises on-site – be it a fire, severe weather, or security threat – organizers may need to move attendees to safety quickly and efficiently. This is no small task when dealing with large crowds, so careful planning and design are key.

Evacuation Planning: Long before the festival begins, map out all the available exit routes from your venue. This includes not just obvious exits like main gates, but also secondary gates, service roads, or emergency-only openings in fencing that could be used if thousands of people need to leave in a hurry. Make sure these exits are clearly marked with signage and lighting, and that they remain unobstructed (staff should regularly check that no vendor booths, parked vehicles, or equipment are blocking escape paths). Depending on your site, you may also designate specific assembly areas or safe zones away from the main event space where people should gather after evacuating. For instance, large parking lots or open fields at a distance can serve this purpose.

It’s wise to categorize evacuations in your plan by scale and urgency. A “partial evacuation” might involve clearing one section of the festival (say, one stage area) for a localized issue, whereas a “full site evacuation” is for more dire situations affecting everyone. Define who has the authority to call each type of evacuation – usually the Incident Commander in consultation with security and police will make that call. Also decide on the method of announcement: will a specific alarm sound, or will it be a voice announcement? Many festivals choose to use voice announcements to avoid causing undue alarm with sirens, unless there’s an immediate life-threatening need.

Once an evacuation is initiated, crowd management becomes critical. Your staff and volunteers should be trained to guide attendees calmly toward exits. Station staff with high-visibility vests or flags along exit routes to direct flow. Use the PA system or megaphones to continuously communicate instructions like which exits to use or which areas to avoid. Avoid pushing people too fast – the goal is a steady, orderly flow. If you have video screens, flashing a simple message like “Please proceed to the nearest exit calmly” can reinforce verbal instructions. Lighting is essential: in an evening event, turning up floodlights and keeping paths lit will help prevent trips and reduce panic.

Always include contingencies for attendees with disabilities or special needs in your evacuation plan. Assign staff to assist those who might need help (like wheelchair users, or anyone who is disoriented). If your festival has areas that are harder to evacuate (e.g., VIP platforms, elevated stages, or enclosed tents), pay special attention to getting those people out efficiently.

Shelter-in-Place: Not every emergency will call for evacuation; sometimes the safer move is to keep attendees in place or direct them to specific shelter areas on-site. For instance, if a sudden tornado warning or lightning storm occurs, it might be safer to have people shelter inside a sturdy structure nearby rather than trying to evacuate everyone on short notice. Similarly, in certain security situations (like something happening just outside the festival), it might be better to keep people inside until all-clear, rather than sending them out into potential danger. Clearly outline in your EAP what scenarios warrant a shelter-in-place instruction. If your venue has permanent buildings (such as a concert hall, barns, or concrete structures on fairgrounds), identify those as shelter locations and communicate that to attendees in the moment. If not, even directing people to their cars (if it’s a festival with adjacent parking and a lightning storm hits) can be a strategy, as cars can offer some protection from lightning and hail.

Whether evacuating or sheltering, have a plan for accounting for staff and performers as well. The chaos of moving a crowd can also endanger your team if not coordinated. Establish a check-in protocol after evacuation: for example, all staff might report to a certain area or supervisor once their zone is cleared, and stage crew might have duties like shutting down equipment if time allows. Performers and VIP guests may need escorts to safety as well (this could be sensitive if there’s a high-profile artist – plan discretely for that).

Finally, rehearse these procedures. Conduct a walkthrough with your core team on site before the event – physically go to each exit and imagine an evacuation: How long might it take? What obstacles might people face? If possible, do a small drill with staff or at least a tabletop exercise talking through an evacuation scenario. The more familiarity your team has with the evacuation plan, the smoother it will go if you ever have to implement it.

Working with Safety Experts and Authorities

Developing a festival emergency plan should not be done in isolation. Input from safety experts and local authorities is invaluable, and often it’s a requirement for obtaining event permits. Early in your planning, reach out to the relevant experts: this can include fire marshals, police department event units, emergency medical services coordinators, and professional event safety consultants. Share your event details with them (expected crowd size, site layout, timing, any special effects like fireworks, etc.) and work together on the emergency protocols.

Many regions have specific regulations or expectations for large events. For example, a city might require a written emergency plan submitted to authorities, or they might mandate a certain number of ambulances and fire extinguishers on site based on attendance. By collaborating with officials from the start, you ensure your EAP meets all legal standards and integrates with city or county emergency plans. These professionals can also offer insight from past events – they’ve likely seen what can go wrong and can point out risks you might overlook. For instance, local police might advise on the best evacuation routes based on traffic patterns, or the fire department might identify a hazard with your stage layout you hadn’t considered.

Safety consultants or experienced production managers can be hired to specifically review or write emergency plans. This is often money well spent, especially for large festivals or if your team is new to this. They bring specialized knowledge of crowd dynamics, structural safety, and emergency management. If you do work with a consultant, have them coordinate with local emergency services as well so that everyone is on the same page.

During the festival, it’s common practice to have a unified command center where key players from your team and from city agencies sit together. This could be a trailer or a tent outfitted with communication gear, site maps, schedules, and surveillance feeds. Regular check-ins or briefings (say, every hour or two) between the festival and authorities can keep everyone informed of any developing concerns (like a weather radar update or a security alert in the region). Building a good relationship and open communication with authorities means that if you have to respond to an emergency, you’ll do so as a coordinated unit, rather than tripping over each other.

Don’t forget the importance of post-event debriefs with safety experts and authorities as well. After the festival, review what went well and what didn’t in terms of safety and emergency readiness. If there were any incidents or close calls, discuss them frankly and update your EAP for next time. Continuous improvement is part of the process – the more you learn from each event (and from others’ events), the stronger your emergency planning skills become.

Training Staff and Rehearsing the Plan

Even the best-written emergency action plan isn’t effective if the people involved aren’t familiar with it. Training is the bridge between a plan on paper and real-world execution. All festival staff, volunteers, and even vendors should receive guidance on what the EAP contains and what their role is during different emergencies.

Start by incorporating EAP training into your staff orientation or briefing sessions before the event. Walk through the key procedures: for example, explain how an evacuation would be initiated and what each staff member is expected to do if one is called. Provide simple cheat sheets or quick-reference cards if possible – something like a wallet card or laminated badge insert that lists emergency codes, important phone numbers, and the location of emergency exits/medical tents. When people have a reference, they’re less likely to forget under pressure.

Conducting drills or simulations is incredibly valuable. If time and resources allow, organize a tabletop exercise where the management team gathers and goes over a hypothetical emergency scenario step by step. (For instance, “It’s 3 PM, a severe storm is 30 minutes away – what steps do we each take?” and then discuss.) This kind of mental rehearsal reveals gaps in the plan and helps everyone feel more confident about their responsibilities. For critical roles like security and evacuation teams, you might even do a short physical drill: practice what you’d do if you had to clear out the main stage area, or how the medical team would respond to a mass injury incident. Large-scale festivals sometimes hold full-scale exercises with local police or EMTs on-site ahead of the event, which can be complex but extremely useful. Even smaller festivals can benefit from a modest drill, or at least a venue walk-through with staff noting fire extinguisher locations, exits, and first aid posts.

Another aspect of training is communication drills. Ensure everyone knows how to use their radio properly, understands the code words, and knows the backup plan if the tech fails. You’d be surprised how many new staff might not know how to change the channel on a walkie-talkie under stress – a quick practice can fix that.

Beyond the staff, consider educating your attendees subtly as well. It’s not common to run attendee drills (that would be impractical and might worry people), but you can include a note in the program or an announcement at the start of the event about safety. For example, some festivals begin the day with a friendly reminder from the MC: “Your safety is our priority. Please take a moment to note the exits and the information booths. In the event of any emergency, follow the directions of staff and listen for announcements.” Setting that expectation can make the crowd more cooperative if something does go wrong.

Finally, emphasize a culture of safety among all staff. Encourage team members to speak up if they see something unsafe, and make sure they know that any emergency – big or small – should be reported immediately. When everyone is mentally prepared and empowered to act, the festival becomes a safer space.

Conclusion

Creating a festival Emergency Action Plan is a detailed and sometimes daunting task, but it is undeniably one of the most important parts of festival production. When you invest time and effort into emergency planning, you’re ultimately investing in the safety of your attendees, your staff, and the success of your event. The hope is that you never have to put your EAP into full action – that all shows go smoothly and no serious incidents occur. But as any veteran festival organizer will tell you, hoping for the best is not a strategy. It’s planning and preparation that allow festivals to weather storms (literally and figuratively) and handle crises without descending into chaos.

By identifying risks, assigning roles, establishing communication and evacuation procedures, and practicing the plan, you create a framework that can adapt to whatever the world throws at your event. Whether it’s a small community festival for 500 people or a massive international music festival for 100,000+, the principles remain the same: know the dangers, have a plan, and make sure everyone knows their part in it. In those critical moments when something does go wrong, your team will not be scrambling blindly – they will have a guide to follow and training to rely on, and that can make all the difference in the outcome.

As you refine your Emergency Action Plan over time, remember to keep learning and updating it. Each festival and each experience (including near-misses and success stories) will teach you something new. Stay humble, stay alert, and foster strong relationships with safety experts and authorities. In doing so, you ensure that the show can go on – safely – even when faced with the unexpected.

Key Takeaways

• Prepare for All Scenarios: Identify all realistic emergency scenarios for your festival (weather, fire, medical, security, structural, etc.) by assessing your venue, audience, and event activities. Tailor your plan to these specific risks so nothing is overlooked.
• Clear Roles and Chain of Command: Assign specific emergency roles to your team (incident commander, medical lead, head of security, communications coordinator, etc.) and establish a hierarchy for decision-making. Everyone should know who is in charge and what their personal duties are when an emergency happens.
• Effective Communication Systems: Set up reliable communication methods for both staff and attendees. Use two-way radios with designated emergency channels and simple code words for staff, and have PA announcements, messaging apps, or text alerts ready to inform the crowd. Always have backup communication plans in case primary systems fail.
• Evacuation and Shelter Plans: Plan and mark evacuation routes and safe shelter areas in advance. Practice how to evacuate the venue (partially or fully) in a calm, orderly way. Train staff to guide crowds, assist vulnerable attendees, and avoid bottlenecks. Know when to evacuate versus when to have people shelter in place.
• Collaboration with Experts: Work closely with safety experts, law enforcement, fire officials, and medical services during the planning stage and throughout the event. Their expertise and coordination are invaluable for refining your EAP and responding effectively if an emergency occurs.
• Training and Drills: Don’t just write the plan – rehearse it. Conduct training sessions and drills so that staff and volunteers are familiar with emergency procedures and confident in their roles. Regularly update and review the EAP based on lessons learned from drills or real incidents.
• Stay Calm and Lead: In any crisis, the festival team’s calm and organized response will influence how attendees react. By having a detailed Emergency Action Plan and a well-prepared crew, you can maintain control, minimize panic, and protect everyone until the danger passes or help arrives.