Understanding the Festival ‘Boneyard’
Every successful festival has a hidden backbone behind the scenes – the boneyard. This term refers to a secured on-site storage area where all the vital equipment, tools, and supplies are kept during the event (festivalandeventproduction.com). It’s often located in the “back of house” (out of public view), functioning as the festival’s supply depot. From stacks of extra fencing panels and spare lighting fixtures to pallets of toilet paper and cleaning supplies, the boneyard holds everything that might be needed at a moment’s notice. A well-organized boneyard ensures that when an issue arises or something runs out, the solution is only a quick trip away, keeping the festival running smoothly.
Setting Up a Secure Storage Area
Location and Space: The first step in establishing a boneyard is choosing the right location. It should be on festival grounds but off-limits to attendees – typically behind stages, tents, or other structures, or in a fenced-off backstage compound. The area should be large enough to store all necessary items and allow easy movement of people and equipment. For large festivals, this could mean a sectioned-off field or parking lot; for a smaller event, it might be a corner of a venue or even a locked room. The key is accessibility for staff (and vehicles like forklifts or carts) while remaining invisible and inaccessible to the public.
Infrastructure: Equip the boneyard with the basics needed for safe storage and operations. Use temporary fencing or barricades to enclose the area and designate entry/exit points – ideally with a lockable gate. If possible, set up a site office tent or container within the boneyard where tools, radios, and sensitive equipment can be locked up securely overnight. Ensure the area has adequate lighting (for nighttime operations) and protection against weather. For example, if the festival is outdoors, have tarps or pop-up canopies to cover supplies and use wooden pallets or road mats on the ground so gear isn’t sitting directly on mud or wet grass. Thinking ahead about shelter and ground conditions in the boneyard will prevent damage to supplies and keep the logistics crew safe and efficient.
Organization and Layout: Plan the layout of the boneyard for logical storage and quick retrieval. Group similar items together in clearly marked zones – fencing and barricades in one corner, electrical cables and lighting in another, maintenance tools and hardware in a dedicated tent or container, and so on. Create aisles or open space so that staff can move and even drive a small vehicle or forklift through if needed. Heavy items (like generators or large speaker cabinets) should be placed where a forklift can access them easily. Stack and store materials safely: for instance, bike rack barricades or fence panels can be piled and strapped to prevent tipping, and boxes of light bulbs or merchandise should be kept out of high-traffic paths to avoid accidental damage. Good signage goes a long way – consider labeling sections with signs (e.g., “Electrical”, “Plumbing/Restrooms”, “First Aid Supplies”, “Merchandise”) so any crew member can quickly find the right area even in a hurry or at night.
Inventory Management and Staffing
A boneyard is only as effective as the system in place to manage it. This means keeping track of what’s in stock, what goes out, and what comes back – and having people responsible for this oversight.
Dedicated “Boneyard” Crew: Assign specific staff members to manage the boneyard throughout the festival. These could be part of the site operations or logistics team. At least one person (often called a site coordinator or inventory manager) should always be on duty at the boneyard during event hours. Their job is to oversee the stored materials, handle requests for supplies, and document inventory movements. For larger festivals, a small team can rotate shifts to keep the boneyard manned 24/7 – especially important for multi-day events where overnight issues might arise (like a midnight plumbing repair in the camping area). These staff act as the quartermasters of the festival, knowing exactly what’s available and where it’s stored.
Inventory Tracking: Before the festival starts, create an inventory list of all items stored in the boneyard. This list should be as detailed as practical – for example, note the number of spare fence panels, the count of toilet paper cases, how many light fixtures or cables, the tools in the toolbox, etc. During the event, implement a simple check-out/check-in process. When a runner or crew member comes to grab something (say, five rolls of duct tape or an extra PA speaker), the boneyard manager notes it. This can be done on a paper log, a whiteboard, or a shared spreadsheet or mobile app – whatever fits the team’s size and tech comfort. The important part is to monitor consumption to avoid unexpectedly running out of critical supplies. Keeping a log also helps after the event: it reveals which items were used up and which weren’t, informing better planning for next time.
Quick Retrieval Systems: In the chaos of a live event, time is of the essence. To enable fast service, consider preparing “go-kits” for common issues. For example, have a fence repair kit (with fence panels, zip ties, stakes), a lighting fix kit (spare bulbs, fixtures, cables), or a cleaning/restroom kit (toilet paper, hand sanitizer, trash bags) pre-packaged and ready to grab. When a call comes in over the radio that something needs fixing or restocking, the boneyard crew can pull the relevant kit or item box immediately. Additionally, equip the boneyard with trolleys, handcarts, or even utility vehicles so the crew can efficiently deliver heavy items to where they’re needed on-site. A well-thought-out system can mean the difference between a five-minute solution and a fifty-minute scramble.
Security: Protecting Your Supplies
The boneyard often contains high-value equipment and essential supplies, so security is paramount. Nothing can derail an event faster than discovering a spare generator or a toolbox full of gear has disappeared right when it’s needed.
Access Control: Limit who can enter the boneyard. Only authorized staff and vendors should have access, and it should be clear that this area is strictly off-limits to the public. Use credentials or staff badges to enforce this if needed – for instance, give boneyard staff and key operations crew a specific badge marker that allows entry. If the boneyard is large or contains especially valuable gear, consider a sign-in/out log at the entrance or even a security guard posted during critical times.
Theft Prevention Measures: Secure fencing and a locked gate are the first lines of defense. Ensure the perimeter is robust – tall enough and not easily scalable. During overnight hours, lock up the boneyard and, if possible, station security personnel or event staff to monitor it. Smaller valuable items (like expensive tools, radios, laptops, or credentials) should be locked inside a container or trailer within the boneyard. Essentially, create layers of security: even if someone breaches the fence, they still can’t easily walk away with the most important assets. Lighting in the boneyard at night is also a strong theft deterrent (thieves prefer to work in darkness). If the budget allows, set up a camera to surveil the storage area, especially at large festivals.
Vigilance and Crew Honesty: Sometimes losses come from within. Emphasize a culture of accountability among the crew – every item taken from the boneyard should be for a valid purpose and recorded. Discourage “souvenir hunting” or casual borrowing of festival property. When the team knows the boneyard is closely managed and monitored, there’s less temptation for things to wander off. After each day (or at regular intervals), have the boneyard manager double-check that everything is in place or properly accounted for, so any discrepancy can be investigated immediately.
The Boneyard: Backbone of Quick Problem-Solving
A well-run boneyard is more than just a storage space – it’s the nerve center for troubleshooting during a festival. Throughout an event, unexpected needs arise constantly. How swiftly and effectively the team responds often depends on the resources at their fingertips in the boneyard.
Fast Response Scenarios: Consider a few real-world examples. At a large outdoor music festival, a sudden gust of wind knocks over a section of perimeter fence. With hundreds of attendees on the other side, security and site crews need to act fast. If the boneyard is stocked and organized, the team can grab replacement fence panels, extra sandbags or stakes, and repair the breach within minutes – often before most attendees even notice. Similarly, imagine an evening event where a string of decorative lights goes dark in a high-traffic area. Instead of leaving a safety hazard or a darkened path, the crew quickly pulls spare lights from the boneyard and fixes the issue on the spot. These swift interventions keep the event experience safe and intact.
Restocking and Maintenance: Festivals involve many consumables and components that get used up or wear down each day. For example, restroom supplies (toilet paper, paper towels, soap) constantly need replenishing. A boneyard stocked with plenty of these items means volunteers or janitorial staff can head there each morning or mid-event to reload their carts rather than waiting on an off-site delivery. The same goes for generator fuel, batteries for radios, or even spare wristbands for ticketing – having them on-site in the boneyard avoids downtime. One food festival found that by storing extra propane tanks and cooking supplies in their boneyard, vendors could quickly swap tanks and keep serving customers, instead of shutting down a stall and waiting for more fuel. In every case, on-site storage translates to minimal disruption and happier attendees.
Learning from Mistakes: Seasoned producers have learned the importance of a boneyard the hard way. Without a well-run boneyard, problems escalate. Imagine a scenario where there’s no organized on-site storage: part of a lighting truss starts to sag, but no one can find the proper clamps or cable ties because spares were left in a disorganized pile or in a truck off-site. The fix that should take 5 minutes instead takes an hour, during which that part of the venue is unsafe and out of use. In another case, a small regional festival didn’t secure its supply area at night – by morning, some critical electrical cables were missing, presumably stolen, delaying sound checks for hours while replacements were fetched. These examples show how disorganization and lax security in the storage area can cripple an event. On the flip side, festivals that treat their boneyard as priority infrastructure see far fewer emergencies turning into crises.
Scaling to Festival Size: The boneyard concept applies to events of all sizes – not just massive multi-day festivals. For a local one-day or boutique event, the “boneyard” might simply be a rented storage van or a locked back room, but the same principles of organization and readiness apply. Smaller events may have a leaner inventory, but they should still designate a clear place for extras (even if it’s just a closet with labeled bins). Larger events will need a more extensive boneyard with multiple sections and perhaps several managers (for example, one overseeing stage equipment and another handling site supplies). Always tailor the boneyard’s scale to the festival’s needs – but never overlook it entirely. Even a modest event benefits greatly from having a mini-boneyard where those extra trash bags, extension cords, or ponchos are ready just in case.
Key Takeaways
- Always have a “boneyard”: Establish a secure on-site storage area for all critical equipment and supplies, away from the public but accessible to crew.
- Stock up on essentials: Fill the boneyard with plenty of spares – fencing, lights, cables, bathroom supplies, generators, tools, and more – anticipating potential needs or emergencies.
- Organize for easy retrieval: Keep the storage area tidy and logically arranged. Label sections or containers so staff can quickly find what they need, even under pressure.
- Assign dedicated staff: Have a team or point person manage the boneyard. They should track inventory, handle check-outs/returns of gear, and respond swiftly to requests during the event.
- Secure the area: Protect supplies from theft or loss. Use fencing, locks, controlled access, and if needed, security personnel or cameras to ensure only authorized staff enter and nothing valuable walks away.
- Backbone of operations: Remember that a well-run boneyard is the backbone of festival logistics. It enables quick fixes and efficient restocking, keeping the event safe, on schedule, and enjoyable for everyone involved.
25th August 2025