Industrial warehouses and shipyards have become some of the most creative festival venues in recent years. These massive, non-traditional spaces offer an unforgettable industrial atmosphere – from soaring steel beams to weathered concrete floors – that can amplify a festival’s character and appeal. Around the world, festival producers have transformed defunct factories, depots, and docks into temporary cultural wonderlands. But turning an industrial site into a safe, attendee-friendly festival is no small feat. It requires foresight, adaptation, and plenty of on-the-ground problem solving.
This case study profiles several festivals in warehouses and shipyards across different countries, highlighting how each tackled critical challenges like reflective acoustics, egress retrofits, and fire code compliance. Along the way, we’ll also explore how organizers managed neighborhood relations and essential utilities in these unconventional settings. The goal is to distill lessons learned from both successes and failures – providing future festival producers with practical insights to produce amazing events in industrial locations while keeping audiences safe and neighbors happy.
Industrial Sites: High Rewards, High Challenges
Before diving into specific examples, it’s important to understand why festival producers are drawn to industrial venues and what obstacles typically arise. Old warehouses, factories, and shipyards offer immense space and character. Their raw, authentic backdrops – think graffiti-clad brick walls or towering cranes by the docks – help festivals stand out in a crowded market. Industrial sites also often reside in areas where noise restrictions may be looser than residential zones, allowing for louder music or later curfews. However, these benefits come with significant challenges:
– Sound Reflection (Acoustics): Hard concrete and metal surfaces create reflective acoustics that can cause echoes and muddy sound quality. Without acoustic treatment or careful sound design, music may bounce uncontrollably in a cavernous warehouse or across a shipyard’s water.
– Egress and Exits: Many industrial buildings weren’t designed for crowds. Extra exits, widened doorways, signage, and crowd-flow planning (egress retrofits) are often needed to evacuate thousands of people quickly and safely.
– Fire Safety: Aging structures might lack modern fire suppression or alarm systems. Organizers must often upgrade fire code compliance – installing sprinklers or alarms, removing fire hazards, and working closely with fire marshals – before the venue can host the public.
– Utilities and Infrastructure: Power, water, and restrooms can be scarce. Temporary generators, electrical distribution, lighting, toilets, and ventilation must be brought in or upgraded. Load-bearing capacity of floors and stages also needs evaluation.
– Neighborhood Relations: Even in industrial zones, there are usually nearby residents or businesses. Noise, traffic, and late-night crowds can trigger complaints. Successful festivals engage in neighborhood diplomacy – communicating with local communities, providing benefits or assurances, and mitigating disturbances (like soundproofing or traffic control).
With those factors in mind, let’s examine how real festivals on industrial sites have navigated these issues. Each of the following case studies – from massive warehouse raves in Europe to shipyard dance festivals and cautionary tales – offers valuable lessons.
Festival Case Studies: Warehouses and Shipyards
Printworks London – Printing Press to Dance Music Mecca
Profile: Printworks London was a groundbreaking example of turning a cavernous industrial building into a celebrated festival venue. Housed in a defunct newspaper printing plant in Rotherhithe, London, Printworks opened in 2017 with a capacity of about 6,000 attendees across multiple rooms (en.wikipedia.org). The venue retained much of its former factory character – including towering press halls, steel catwalks, and concrete surfaces – giving events an edgy warehouse ambiance. Over its years of operation, it hosted world-renowned electronic music showcases, art installations, and even orchestral performances.
Acoustic Challenges & Solutions: The tall, narrow press hall at Printworks had highly reflective surfaces (metal and concrete) that could have easily led to overwhelming reverb.
To combat this, the festival production team deployed a high-end directional sound system and strategic acoustic treatments. Line-array speakers were carefully tuned and angled to focus sound toward the audience and away from flat walls. Heavy curtains and sound-absorbing panels were installed in key spots to dampen echoes without ruining the industrial aesthetic. The result was a balanced audio experience – powerful and resonant, yet controlled. Visiting sound engineers noted that while the venue’s acoustics were naturally boomy, proper system design turned a potential echo chamber into a unique sonic experience.
Egress Retrofits: Converting a printing factory into a public venue required major safety retrofits. Organizers worked with building inspectors to add emergency exits and widen passageways wherever possible. At Printworks, old loading bay doors were repurposed as additional exit points, and temporary outdoor staircases and ramps were installed to handle crowd flow at closing time. Inside, the layout was designed as a one-way circuit to prevent bottlenecks – attendees entered through one end of the long hall and exited at the other. Exit signs and lighting were added throughout the maze-like corridors. These measures enabled the venue to achieve safe evacuation times for thousands of guests, satisfying the stringent UK fire and building regulations for nightly events.
Fire Code Compliance: The venue’s operators invested heavily to meet fire code standards. The former plant, like many old industrial sites, did not have an automatic sprinkler system initially. Before opening to the public, modern fire alarms and sprinklers were installed throughout the main halls. Fire doors were added to contain any potential blaze. Every event also had a fire safety team on site, including trained fire wardens and security staff monitoring for hazards (overloaded circuits, pyrotechnics usage, etc.).
These precautions paid off – Printworks had a strong safety record with no major fire incidents. The proactive compliance not only kept attendees safe but also built trust with local authorities, who continued renewing the venue’s event licenses year after year.
Neighborhood Diplomacy: Although located in an industrial area, Printworks was close enough to residential neighborhoods that sound and traffic had to be managed. Promoters engaged in classic community diplomacy: notifying residents of event schedules, implementing soundproofing measures, and sticking to agreed curfews (often around 10–11pm for outdoor noise). The building’s massive enclosed structure actually helped contain noise, but low-frequency bass could still travel. Thus, sound monitoring stations were set up at the perimeter to ensure decibel levels stayed within city-approved limits. Additionally, the festival provided extra security and cleanup in the surrounding streets on show nights, which helped maintain good relations with the community and local council.
Utilities & Infrastructure: Turning a decades-old factory into a modern venue meant upgrading basic infrastructure. Printworks’ producers had to bring in robust power distribution for concert-grade lighting and sound – tying into the grid and supplementing with generators for redundancy. They also installed temporary heating in winter and high-capacity fans for ventilation, since the building lacked central HVAC. Water was supplied to pop-up bars and restrooms via temporary plumbing hookups, and dozens of portable toilets were positioned in and outside the building to handle the crowd. Planning for sufficient power and sanitation was critical: for instance, ensuring that the electrical load of stage production wouldn’t overload the building’s circuitry. By reinforcing the utilities, the organizers turned a once-abandoned industrial site into a fully functional festival facility.
DGTL Festival at NDSM Docklands (Amsterdam)
Profile: DGTL is an annual electronic music festival held at the NDSM Docklands in Amsterdam – a former shipyard turned creative precinct. Since 2013, every Easter weekend this industrial waterfront has been transformed into a multi-stage festival playground (www.ndsm.nl). Massive shipping warehouses, gantry cranes, and even moored boats become part of the scenery. DGTL’s organizers chose the shipyard for its raw atmosphere and expansive space, allowing them to erect large stages both outdoors and inside old fabrication halls. The festival draws tens of thousands of attendees and has expanded globally, but the Amsterdam edition at NDSM Wharf remains its flagship, known for cutting-edge music and sustainability initiatives.
Reflective Acoustics: Outdoor stages at the shipyard face an interesting acoustic environment – open air sound that can reflect off water and metal structures. DGTL’s production team works around this by thoughtfully positioning stages and speaker arrays. Stages are oriented such that the open water of the IJ river acts as a natural sound dissipater, while nearby warehouse walls are angled or draped to reduce slap-back echoes. Inside the cavernous shipbuilding hangars used for some stages, temporary acoustic baffling is hung from ceilings and along walls (such as thick drapes and foam panels) to absorb some of the echo. Additionally, volume limits are set for indoor stages to avoid an overwhelming cacophony in the reverberant space. Festival-goers consistently praise DGTL for high audio quality despite the challenging industrial acoustics – a testament to careful planning and expert sound engineering.
Egress and Safety Adaptations: NDSM’s wide-open layout actually benefits crowd flow – outdoors, attendees can disperse in many directions. Even so, DGTL sets up robust fencing and one-way gate systems to guide foot traffic and prevent dangerous crowd-crushes when stages clear out. The large warehouses on site, when used, are evaluated for capacity and fitted with extra exit doors (sometimes literally cutting temporary openings in the siding or using hangar-sized doors kept open). Emergency exit paths are lined with LED lighting strips and clear signage leading to muster points outside. Dutch regulations require detailed crowd management plans, so DGTL coordinates with Amsterdam officials each year to refine evacuation routes, accounting for features like the adjacent water (they even have rescue boats on standby whenever stages are near the docks). By investing in these egress plans and drills, the festival has avoided major incidents even as attendance grew.
Fire Code Compliance: Operating in an old shipyard means paying attention to fire hazards. DGTL obtains special permits annually, which involve inspections of stages and structures. All temporary indoor areas are equipped with fire extinguishers and sometimes portable sprinkler systems if the building lacks them. The organizers enforce strict no-smoking rules inside warehouses (except in designated areas) to reduce fire risk in these old wooden and steel structures. A firewatch team patrols the site, particularly at night when lighting cables and equipment could overheat. Fortunately, the venue’s outdoor nature lowers certain risks – there’s less enclosed space for smoke to accumulate – but wind can spread flames quickly, so DGTL’s team works closely with the fire brigade which stations a unit on-site during the event. This vigilance and adherence to Dutch fire codes have kept the festival incident-free regarding fires.
Neighborhood Diplomacy: The NDSM Docklands is somewhat isolated from residential areas, but noise can carry over the river to other parts of Amsterdam. To maintain a good relationship with the city, DGTL adheres to permitted sound hours (usually ending by midnight) and uses directional sound systems to minimize spill. Each year, organizers communicate with Amsterdam Noord community boards about traffic plans – thousands of visitors will be coming via ferries and shuttles – to ensure minimal disruption. They provide extra waste management and security in transit hubs (like the ferry terminal and parking zones) as a courtesy to the local community. By actively cooperating with city officials and neighbors, this shipyard festival has become a beloved fixture rather than a nuisance.
Utilities & Sustainability: One of the biggest challenges at an old shipyard is infrastructure – DGTL essentially builds a mini-city on a former industrial wasteland. They bring in diesel and sustainable generators, run extensive cabling for stage power, and erect lighting towers across the yard. Impressively, DGTL has pioneered green utilities: for example, trialing hydrogen-powered generators in place of diesel units (www.ndsm.nl) to cut down on noise and emissions. Water trucks and temporary pipes supply fresh water to vendors and free refill stations, while large tanks handle greywater and sewage from portable toilets. The site’s patchy power grid means the festival relies on generators, but by using energy-efficient LED lights and smart power management, fuel consumption is optimized. Year by year, DGTL’s commitment to sustainable utilities at NDSM Wharf showcases how even an industrial site can lean eco-friendly, all while reliably supporting the festival’s technical needs.
Berlin Atonal at Kraftwerk (Berlin, Germany)
Profile: Berlin Atonal is an avant-garde music festival that takes place in the cavernous Kraftwerk Berlin – a decommissioned power plant in the heart of Berlin. The building, essentially a massive concrete shell with 30-meter high ceilings and multiple stories of concrete columns, is an industrial behemoth. Atonal’s organizers chose this venue for its otherworldly atmosphere: the space itself becomes part of the artistic experience. With a capacity of a few thousand, Berlin Atonal hosts experimental electronic performances, art installations, and techno nights that echo through the former turbine halls.
Reflective Acoustics: Kraftwerk Berlin presents both a challenge and an artistic opportunity. The raw concrete surfaces and towering empty volume create a natural reverb measured in seconds. Instead of fighting the echo entirely, Atonal often embraces it as part of the soundscape – ambient and experimental acts actually play into the resonance.
That said, ensuring some clarity is still important. Organizers limit the number of simultaneous stages to avoid sound crossover in the open space, and schedule performances thoughtfully (e.g. no two bass-heavy acts at once). Sound systems are configured with delay towers and strategic speaker placement to reduce muddiness – essentially calibrating the timing so that direct sound and reflections align pleasingly for the audience. In certain areas, temporary acoustic panels are mounted to pillars to tame the harshest slapback. The result is a haunting, immersive auditory experience unique to the Kraftwerk venue, although it requires expert tuning and artists adapting their sets to the space.
Egress and Structural Safety: The power plant’s vast main hall can hold a large crowd, but getting those people in and out safely demanded creativity. The venue has limited entrances, so Atonal’s team worked with engineers to open up additional egress points at ground level – including repurposing old equipment hatches as emergency exits. Temporary metal stairs and platforms were constructed to allow access to higher floors for viewing galleries, all built to German safety standards with railings and weight limits. During events, only certain levels of the old plant are accessible to prevent too many people loading one balcony. Security staff strictly control traffic on the stairways to avoid bottlenecks. Prior to each festival edition, structural engineers inspect the building (some parts of which are decades old) to certify it can handle the dynamic loads of thousands dancing. These measures ensure that although attendees feel like they’re exploring a raw abandoned structure, it’s actually been carefully prepared as a safe environment.
Fire Code Compliance: A concrete power plant might seem fireproof, but Atonal’s producers leave nothing to chance. Every art installation and stage setup in Kraftwerk is vetted for fire safety – flammable materials are treated with fire retardant, and open flames are generally prohibited. The venue is equipped with modern fire alarms, and during events a fire brigade unit is on standby nearby (as required by local permit). They also establish clear evacuation routes on the ground floor that lead directly outside – crucial since the building can feel like a maze. Signage and staff guide people to exits in case of any emergency. Notably, after the tragic 2016 Oakland “Ghost Ship” warehouse fire in the U.S. (which killed 36 people at an unpermitted music event), festival organizers worldwide became even more vigilant. Berlin authorities and Atonal’s team redoubled their compliance checks, knowing the stakes.
By staying compliant and cautious, Berlin Atonal has maintained an impeccable safety record in a venue that, at first glance, looks intimidating but is actually well-secured.
Community Relations: The Kraftwerk building is in central Berlin, adjacent to galleries and creative offices. For the festival to return annually, maintaining good relations is key. Berlin Atonal coordinates with the neighborhood by scheduling the loudest events on weekends and ending at reasonable hours (for Berlin’s nightlife standards). They also contribute to the local arts scene – involving nearby art galleries and cafes as part of the festival program – which turns potential noisemakers into partners. This inclusive approach means that rather than viewing the power plant gatherings as a disturbance, many locals take pride in the cultural prestige the event brings to their district. Additionally, organizers strictly manage attendee behavior outside the venue (through security and signage asking for quiet and respect in the streets) to ensure that when each night’s performances end, hundreds of techno fans aren’t wildly disrupting the neighbors’ sleep. It’s a fine balance of urban diplomacy that allows Atonal to thrive in the city center.
Infrastructure & Utilities: Hosting a festival in a disused power plant ironically requires bringing in lots of power and infrastructure. Berlin Atonal supplements the venue’s existing electrical system with generators to handle the modern sound and lighting rigs – the old transformers in the building are more museum pieces than functional equipment. They lay out temporary power distribution with redundancies to avoid outages mid-show. The concrete halls also have no climate control, so depending on the season, organizers deploy rental heaters or industrial fans to keep conditions comfortable. Since permanent plumbing is limited, temporary bathrooms (luxury portable toilets and hand-wash stations) are set up in unused corners. One advantage: the building was designed to support heavy machinery, so loading in tons of staging, speakers, and even art installations like large sculptures is less of an issue structurally. Still, careful planning is needed so that the modern festival infrastructure is invisibly woven into the old plant – giving attendees a seamless experience of art and music amidst industrial relics.
Carriageworks (Sydney, Australia) – From Rail Yard to Arts Hub
Profile: Not all industrial-site festivals are temporary. Carriageworks in Sydney is a shining example of a permanently repurposed industrial venue that hosts festivals year-round. This sprawling 19th-century railway carriage workshop was converted into a contemporary arts and festival center in 2007. As a government-backed project, Carriageworks underwent extensive renovations to become Australia’s largest multi-arts venue, drawing over 1.3 million visitors in 2017 alone (en.wikipedia.org). It now serves as a hub for music festivals, art exhibitions, fashion shows, and food fairs – all set against a backdrop of heritage iron beams and brickwork. For festival producers, Carriageworks demonstrates how investing in infrastructure and compliance can turn a derelict site into a world-class destination.
Acoustics: The Carriageworks halls are essentially long, tall brick warehouses that once housed trains. To adapt them for performances, architects installed features like acoustic insulation in the roofing, wall paneling, and movable drapes that can tune the sound profile of the space. When a music festival or concert is hosted, the venue provides configurable acoustic shells and uses high-quality PA systems calibrated by professional engineers. This ensures that even loud rock bands or electronic acts sound clear rather than echoing excessively in the hard-surfaced halls. The acoustics at Carriageworks have been praised for balancing the site’s historic character with modern sound needs – a result of thoughtful design during the conversion process.
Exits and Safety Retrofits: As part of its transformation into a public venue, Carriageworks had to satisfy all modern building codes for ingress and egress. Multiple new exits were added to the old structures, including large roll-up doors that can be opened to evacuate crowds quickly. The venue’s layout was opened up to eliminate dead-end corridors, and state-of-the-art emergency lighting and exit signage were installed throughout. During major events, Carriageworks staff coordinate entry and exit flows by opening additional gate points (for instance, using both the front heritage doors and side loading docks as exit routes). The ample number of exits and well-trained crowd management staff allow festivals here to comfortably host thousands of people without compromising safety – a far cry from the dilapidated condition the rail yard was in before renovation.
Fire Code Compliance: Because Carriageworks is a permanent venue, its compliance measures are comprehensive. The refurbished warehouses are equipped with automated fire sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and smoke ventilation mechanisms to quickly clear any incident. All materials used in the fit-out were required to be fire-rated. The venue maintains a direct line with the local fire brigade and conducts regular drills. This high level of compliance was unfortunately validated in 2014 when a small electrical fire broke out in one wing during an exhibition – the sprinklers activated immediately and the building was evacuated calmly, with no injuries and minimal damage. That incident reinforced to both the operators and festival producers using the space that investing in top-notch fire safety infrastructure pays off by preventing disasters.
Community and Neighborhood: Carriageworks is situated in the evolving inner-city suburb of Redfern. Initially, there were community concerns about noise and traffic with the influx of events. The operators undertook extensive neighborhood consultation, working with residents on issues like event scheduling and parking management plans. Sound curfews were established for outdoor events (the venue also cleverly uses its enclosed halls to contain nighttime noise). Additionally, Carriageworks made itself a community asset – hosting farmers’ markets, indigenous art fairs, and free public exhibitions – not just high-ticket events. This inclusive approach has largely won over local opinion; the venue is now seen as a revitalizing force in the area. For festival organizers, the lesson is that becoming a positive presence in the neighborhood – rather than just a one-weekend party – can mitigate opposition and even garner community support.
Utilities & Amenities: As a fully redeveloped site, Carriageworks has modern utilities built in. Power supply was greatly upgraded – new transformers and electrical systems can handle heavy production loads, reducing the need for external generators. Climate control was added discreetly, so the spaces can be cooled or heated for events as needed despite the vast volume. The venue offers ample restroom facilities and connections to city water/sewer, though big festivals may still bring in supplemental portable toilets to accommodate peak crowds. Back-of-house amenities like built-in rigging points for lights and sound, on-site kitchens for catering, and high-speed internet infrastructure all make festival production smoother. Essentially, Carriageworks shows the ideal scenario: if you put resources into retrofitting an industrial space properly, you create a plug-and-play festival venue that combines historic charm with modern convenience.
A Cautionary Tale: Unpermitted Warehouse Rave (New York City)
No set of case studies would be complete without learning from failures. In 2015, an event promoter attempted to throw a massive Halloween festival in an abandoned warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn – at a site that turned out to be a toxic former plastics factory. Over 4,500 tickets were sold for the night, but city authorities shut the party down at the last minute due to egregious safety issues (www.brooklynpaper.com). The warehouse, which had been declared a Superfund environmental cleanup site, lacked proper fire exits and had hazardous chemicals on the premises. Neighbors, including a nearby seniors’ home, raised alarms about the potential noise and health risks, prompting the Fire Department’s intervention. Hundreds of costumed attendees were turned away at the door by firefighters and police, and the organizer faced heavy backlash and fines.
This incident underscores the critical importance of due diligence and compliance when using industrial sites. The promoter’s mistakes were numerous: failing to fully inspect and remediate the venue, not securing final permits from the fire marshal, and neglecting community outreach (residents only learned of the event the same day, spurring complaints). The outcome could have been much worse – an overcrowded, non-compliant warehouse is a tinderbox for tragedy. Festival producers should heed this cautionary tale by never cutting corners on safety. No matter how enticing a raw industrial space may be, it must be vetted for structural and environmental hazards and brought up to code (or else abandoned for a safer location). The cost of doing otherwise can be catastrophic, both in human lives and to one’s reputation and legal standing.
Comparing Challenges Across Industrial Venues
Looking at the above festival profiles, some clear patterns emerge regarding acoustics, egress, and fire safety in industrial venues:
- Acoustics: All producers faced the issue of reflective acoustics from large metal or concrete surfaces. Their solutions ranged from adding acoustic dampening (e.g. Printworks’ curtains and panels, DGTL’s hangings in warehouses) to adjusting the audio strategy (such as directional sound at Printworks and DGTL, or embracing reverb creatively at Berlin Atonal). The takeaway is to assess the sound behavior of a space early – bring in audio experts to map out echoes and treat the venue as needed. What works for one site might not for another; for instance, what was a problem in a techno show could become an aesthetic feature in an ambient performance. Flexibility and testing are key.
- Egress Retrofits: Every case required improvements to handle crowd movement. Temporary exits, additional doors, and clear routes were recurring themes. Whether it’s cutting new exit doors in a warehouse wall or adding signage in a shipyard, festival organizers must plan for rapid evacuation. This means consulting with fire/building officials on how many exits are required per number of attendees and ensuring all exit pathways remain unobstructed during the event. In practice, the more entrance/exit points you can safely utilize, the smoother your crowd flow will be – as seen at Carriageworks and Printworks where multiple gates and routes prevent choke points.
- Fire Code Compliance: Perhaps the most non-negotiable element, fire safety was addressed through sprinklers (in permanent venues like Carriageworks), on-site fire teams (DGTL, Atonal), and strict no-smoking or open flame rules. A tragic reminder of what happens if this is ignored is the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, USA, where 36 lives were lost in 2016 due to an illegally converted art space with no sprinklers or proper exits. Professional festival producers do not take such risks – they go above and beyond code minimums. The case of the Brooklyn warehouse rave shut-down also illustrates that authorities will step in if a venue is obviously unsafe. It’s far better to collaborate with fire officials ahead of time, invest in required safety infrastructure, and sleep well knowing everyone at your festival is protected.
Beyond those core areas, two other considerations were common:
- Neighborhood Diplomacy: No festival is an island – even industrial sites have communities nearby. The successful examples all involved proactive communication and compromises with neighbors. This could mean adjusting sound levels and curfews (Printworks, DGTL), providing benefits or cultural value to the area (Atonal, Carriageworks), or at the very least giving residents a hotline or contact to voice concerns during the event. Building a reputation as a responsible festival organizer pays off in the long run – it can secure your ability to use the venue in the future and even earn you local allies who appreciate the economic and cultural boost your event brings. Conversely, surprising a neighborhood with an unannounced all-night party (as in the Brooklyn case) is a recipe for conflict and shutdown.
- Utilities & Site Infrastructure: The case studies show that power, water, and other utilities are often afterthoughts for inexperienced producers, but they can make or break an industrial-site festival. Large venues need ample electricity – usually a mix of grid power and generators – and redundancy to avoid blackouts. Temporary lighting (for safety and atmosphere), sound systems, and food vendors all depend on it. Water and sanitation must scale up too, with enough toilets and running water to keep attendees comfortable and health codes satisfied. Smart producers bring on professional site operations crews who plan out electrical loads, distribute generators optimally, and manage waste disposal. And in today’s world, considering sustainable options (like DGTL’s hydrogen generators or energy-efficient tech) not only helps the planet but can reduce noise and fuel costs. Put simply: don’t just assume an old warehouse has everything you need – often you must build the infrastructure from the ground up each time.
Lastly, a crucial tool across all these areas is technology and planning. Using a robust ticketing and access control system (such as Ticket Fairy’s platform) can help manage capacities in real time – making sure you never oversell beyond what egress or fire codes allow, and tracking entry counts to avoid dangerous overcrowding. Detailed production schedules, CAD drawings of site layouts, and consultation with structural engineers and acousticians may not be the “fun” part of festival planning, but they are absolutely essential when dealing with unconventional sites. The more you treat an industrial venue like a blank canvas that needs thorough preparation, the better your festival will run.
Key Takeaways for Festival Producers
- Assess and Adapt Acoustics: Every industrial venue has unique sound quirks – identify echo and reflection points early, and invest in sound design or acoustic treatments to ensure audio quality.
- Prioritize Exits and Safety: Never compromise on egress. Add extra exits, widen bottlenecks, and design crowd flows so that everyone can get out quickly in an emergency. Safety infrastructure (fire alarms, extinguishers, sprinklers if possible) is a must-have, not a luxury.
- Work With Authorities, Not Against: Involve fire marshals, building inspectors, and city officials in your planning. Getting proper permits and inspections can save your festival from being shut down last-minute, and more importantly, it saves lives.
- Be a Good Neighbor: Open communication with the local community goes a long way. Inform them of your event plans, address noise and traffic concerns, stick to agreed-upon curfews, and leave the area cleaner than you found it. Your goal is to have neighbors support the event, or at least not oppose it.
- Plan Utilities and Infrastructure in Detail: Don’t assume an industrial site will have festival-ready power or facilities. Map out your power distribution (generators, cables, backups), water supply, toilets, and waste management well in advance. Bring in experts to certify that structures (stages, platforms, old floors) can handle the load and that your electrical setup is safe.
- Learn from Both Successes and Failures: Study case studies like these. Revisit what worked well – such as Printworks’ sound mitigation or Carriageworks’ comprehensive retrofit – and what went wrong – like the unpermitted warehouse party. Every event, good or bad, yields lessons that can inform your future festival.
- Embrace the Venue’s Character, Safely: Finally, the reason to use a warehouse or shipyard is its unique vibe. Embrace the industrial aesthetics and unconventional layouts as part of the experience – just do so with a strong foundation of planning, safety, and respect for the space and its surroundings. When done right, an industrial-site festival can be an unparalleled experience that attendees and communities remember for years to come.
25th August 2025