Fire Safety with Open-Flame Cooking at Festivals – Lessons from Food-Heavy Events

Introduction

Open-flame cooking is the heart and soul of many food-heavy festivals, from sizzling street food markets to grand barbecue championships. The sight of charcoal grills and the aroma of wood-smoked delicacies can be a huge draw for attendees – but these open flames also introduce significant fire safety risks. A single mishap with a propane tank or an errant ember can endanger lives and property. This case study examines how several festivals around the world manage fire safety for open-flame cooking. It compares their approaches to LPG (propane) storage, ember control, and inspection regimes, highlighting what works, what doesn’t, and how to achieve high safety compliance rates.

Festival producers globally have learned through experience – sometimes the hard way – that rigorous fire safety measures are non-negotiable. From a massive music festival in England that hosts hundreds of food vendors to local BBQ events and state fairs, we’ll look at real examples of successes, challenges, and lessons learned. By understanding how different events handle gas cylinders, live fire pits, and safety inspections, festival organizers can glean best practices to keep their events both delicious and safe.

Festival Case Studies

Glastonbury Festival (UK) – A Massive Festival’s Strict Fire Protocols

One of the world’s largest greenfield music festivals, Glastonbury in England, is as much a logistical feat as it is a cultural phenomenon. Aside from music, it’s famous for its vast array of food stalls – over 400 caterers serve the 200,000+ attendees (www.liquidgasuk.org). Most of these vendors rely on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for cooking, which means fire safety is a top priority at Glastonbury.

LPG Storage & Handling: To manage hundreds of pressurized gas cylinders safely, the festival works closely with fire authorities and gas safety specialists. Every vendor at Glastonbury is required to have their gas appliances and hookups certified by a Gas Safe engineer before the event. On site, propane cylinders must be stored upright and secured in well-ventilated areas away from crowds and ignition sources. Typically, vendors are allowed a working cylinder plus a limited number of spares kept safely – often just one spare, stored outside the cooking tent and properly capped. (By contrast, some local regulations, like San Francisco’s fire code, forbid any spare propane cylinders at booths during events (sf-fire.org), underscoring how cautious some jurisdictions are.) Glastonbury’s long-running safety plan, developed with its multi-agency Safety Advisory Group, ensures even backstage camping areas are monitored for gas safety. The fire safety team there notes that for 50 weeks a year the site is a farm, then becomes a city of thousands overnight – so every gas stove, heater, and barbecue is treated as a potential hazard (internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com). Fire marshals and event safety staff conduct rounds to verify that hoses, regulators, and valves are in good condition and that all connections are leak-tested with soapy water before the cooking starts each day.

Ember Control: While many food stalls at Glastonbury use gas, some may use charcoal grills or wood-fired ovens for that special flavor. Festival rules and UK regulations require any open flame or charcoal BBQ to be placed at a safe distance from tents or structures (often 3–6 meters). Vendors must have sturdy metal containers with lids to dispose of ash and smoldering embers safely, preventing stray embers from igniting trash or dry grass (sf-fire.org). Glastonbury’s grounds are typically green farmland, but in dry weather the risk of grass fires is taken seriously – hence, no open campfires are allowed and even attendee BBQs are heavily discouraged. (In fact, the festival has run public safety campaigns urging campers not to bring BBQs into tents or caravans, after tragic incidents elsewhere involving carbon monoxide (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk).) By separating cooking with solid fuels and enforcing that any live fire be constantly attended until fully extinguished, Glastonbury’s team minimizes the chances of an ember-related blaze.

Inspections & Compliance: An event of Glastonbury’s scale has an extensive inspection regime. Months before the festival, fire safety officers help review vendor applications to ensure each food vendor understands the requirements. On site, a joint team of firefighters, health inspectors, and festival safety staff fan out before the gates open and throughout the event, checking every kitchen tent and food truck. According to Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue (the local fire service), a lot of hard work goes into walking the site and inspecting each vendor setup, then “negotiating with… managers to make sure they alter arrangements if needed” (internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com). Common fixes include moving a propane bottle further from a heat source, tightening a loose hose connection, or clearing combustibles away from a grill. Thanks to this rigorous approach, Glastonbury achieves an extremely high compliance rate – essentially 100% of food vendors are brought up to code or they cannot open for business. Problems are addressed on the spot: if a vendor’s gas certificate is missing or expired, on-site Gas Safe engineers (sometimes contracted by the festival) will test and certify the setup before allowing them to operate. Over the years, this system has paid off. Despite the huge number of open-flame cookers on site, major fire incidents at Glastonbury’s food stalls have been virtually nil. The combination of thorough planning, professional inspections, and strict rules (backed by the threat of shutting down non-compliant vendors) keeps the festival’s fire safety record intact.

Minnesota State Fair (USA) – Safe Cooking at a Massive Food Extravaganza

The Minnesota State Fair – known as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together” – is one of the largest food festivals in the United States. Over 12 days it hosts hundreds of food booths and food trucks, drawing millions of visitors who come to sample everything from deep-fried classics to adventurous new treats. With so much cooking going on (often in temporary booths or trailers), fire safety is a constant concern for organizers and the local fire authorities.

LPG Storage & Usage: At the Minnesota State Fair, most vendors use propane (LPG) for grills, deep fryers, and other cooking equipment. The fair follows state and national fire codes (such as NFPA 58 for LP-Gas) closely. Propane cylinders must be properly labeled, in good condition, and D.O.T.-approved, and they’re required to be secured upright to prevent tipping (sf-fire.org). Each booth or food truck typically is limited in how much propane it can have on the grounds – for example, smaller stands might be allowed a maximum of about 20 gallons of propane (several cylinders) at a time, while larger kitchen tents might have up to 40 gallons, with permission (sf-fire.org). Importantly, all spare cylinders not actively in use often have to be stored in a designated safe storage area or kept off-site; vendors can’t just stash extra tanks behind their tent. The fair’s safety team enforces a “disable at night” rule too: fuel supply valves must be turned off when the booth is closed, and no LPG appliances are left burning unattended after hours.

Given the prevalence of fryer trailers and grill stations, the fair mandates that every cooking setup have the correct type of fire extinguisher on hand. Vendors with deep fryers are required to have Class K (wet chemical) extinguishers (minimum 1.5-gallon size in many cases), while those with grills or griddles need standard ABC extinguishers, all with up-to-date service tags. During setup days, fire inspectors roam the grounds checking that extinguishers are present and charged, and that propane connections pass a leak test (many vendors are asked to perform a soap-solution leak test on all gas joints each day (sf-fire.org)). The fair organizers often provide training or at least detailed guidelines to vendors well in advance, so everyone knows the drill.

Ember Control: Charcoal and wood fires are less common at the Minnesota State Fair than gas, but there are still barbecue stands and smokers that use solid fuel. The fair’s rules (aligned with local fire code) require any open-flame barbecue or smoker to be situated a safe distance from tents and combustible materials – often on the order of 10–20 feet (3–6 meters) clearance (sf-fire.org). Many BBQ vendors operate in open-air stands or have fire-resistant backdrops. They’re also required to have metal ash cans with lids for disposing of hot coals. Fair staff makes sure that smoldering coals aren’t dumped on the ground or in plastic bins (a common cause of dumpster fires at events!). Additionally, any cooker that produces flying embers (like a grill) may need a lid or a fine mesh spark arrestor if located near the public. On particularly dry days, the fire marshal can even restrict the use of wood/charcoal, though outright bans at this fair are rare thanks to good preparation and the urban setting of the fairgrounds (which have hydrants and fire crews on standby).

Inspections & Compliance: The Minnesota State Fair benefits from a highly organized inspection process led by the State Fire Marshal and local fire department. Before the fair opens, every vendor setup must be inspected and approved. Fire inspectors do a walk-through of all food areas, looking at each booth’s cooking setup. An initial inspection might find issues like a missing fire extinguisher, an LP hose that’s too long or not protected from foot traffic, or a vendor who brought one too many propane tanks. Those vendors are given instructions to correct the problem immediately (for example, obtain a proper extinguisher from a supplier on-site, or remove an extra cylinder to an off-site location). In most cases, vendors comply on the spot to avoid being shut down – after all, they’ve invested in being at the fair and don’t want to lose sales.

The compliance rate at the Minnesota State Fair is very high after these inspections. According to veteran festival safety consultants, it’s common for 90%+ of vendors to pass the first inspection, and the remaining few percent typically fix their issues within hours. By opening day, essentially all active food vendors are meeting the fire safety requirements. Throughout the fair, roving fire officials continue to monitor, especially during peak cooking times. They check that exits aren’t blocked, that fuel isn’t being stored improperly, and that hot oil isn’t left unattended. This constant vigilance has paid off; the fair has a strong safety record. Notably, in recent years there have been no major fire incidents despite thousands of gallons of oil bubbling and hundreds of propane burners ablaze – a testament to thorough oversight and the professionalism expected of vendors at this renowned event.

Big Grill BBQ Festival (Ireland) – Managing Live-Fire Cooking

For a different perspective, consider the Big Grill Festival in Dublin, Ireland – Europe’s largest BBQ and live-fire cooking festival. This multi-day event is all about celebrating the art of barbecue, featuring dozens of pitmasters and chefs cooking over open flames in the middle of a city park. With attendees surrounded by smokers, grills, and even bonfire-sized barbecue pits, Big Grill’s organizers have developed strict safety measures to keep the event incident-free.

LPG and Fuel Storage: Interestingly, at a barbecue-centric festival like Big Grill, charcoal and wood are far more common than LPG. Still, many vendors use gas to start their fires or to run hybrid cooking rigs. The festival requires any vendor using LPG to adhere to similar rules as other events: only commercial-grade gas equipment (no camping stoves) is allowed, cylinders must be stored upright and secured, and each setup is checked by a gas safety technician before the public enters. Ireland’s safety regulations for gas at events are akin to the UK’s – vendors need proof of a recent gas safety inspection for their gear, and any flexible hoses or connectors must meet code (for instance, no makeshift or inappropriate fittings are allowed (www.shambalafestival.org)). Big Grill organizers bring in experts (often local Gas Safe engineers) to verify all gas-fueled appliances on site, adding an extra layer of assurance given the festival’s fiery nature.

Ember Control: With dozens of live fires burning simultaneously, ember control at Big Grill is paramount. The festival designates specific “fire lanes” and open cooking areas that are spaced out safely. Large open grills or smoke pits are typically positioned in the center of cleared zones, well away from any tents, signage, or fencing that could catch fire. Each cooking station that uses solid fuel is required to have sand buckets or water buckets nearby, along with a fire extinguisher, in case a flame needs to be snuffed quickly. Vendors continuously attend to their fires – it’s an all-day cook-a-thon, so you won’t find an unattended grill anywhere (event staff enforce this). Ash disposal is handled carefully: there are numerous metal bins with lids distributed around the grounds specifically for coal and ash, and staff make rounds to empty these safely once they’ve cooled.

Big Grill also works closely with the Dublin Fire Brigade. In fact, each morning before opening, fire officers patrol the site during vendor setup (www.printroom.ie). At around 8:00 AM, as the pitmasters ignite their coals for the day, uniformed fire safety inspectors walk through to ensure that every stall is following protocols – gas bottles correctly placed, no excess fuel lying around, and all extinguishers in place. The festival’s scheduling guidelines even include a note for vendors to expect this safety patrol and to use it as a chance to double-check their own setups (“everyone needs to know… where the fire extinguisher lives” is drilled into the vendor teams) (www.printroom.ie). Throughout the event, there are also volunteer fire marshals (often the festival’s own crew, equipped with extinguishers) watching the crowds and the cooking areas, ready to intervene at any sign of trouble. With so much emphasis on fire control, Big Grill has managed to host its fiery festivities each year without serious incidents. The open-flame cooking adds atmosphere and spectacle – and because of diligent safety management, attendees can enjoy it without undue risk.

Community Festivals & Street Fairs – Common Challenges

Not every event has the resources or scale of a Glastonbury or state fair. Smaller community food festivals, street fairs, and local carnivals often involve open-flame cooking as well – think of a town chili cook-off with propane burners, or a street fair with grills making satay skewers – but their fire safety practices can be inconsistent. These events illustrate the need for vigilance, as even a modest festival can have a serious incident if precautions slip.

One cautionary example occurred in Maryland, USA, at a small town street festival: as vendors were setting up early one morning, a propane tank exploded and caused a terrifying flash fire (www.hawaiinewsnow.com). One vendor suffered burns (thankfully, there were no fatalities), and it was later reported that the tank might not have been hooked up correctly before gas accumulated and ignited. The festival had to be halted temporarily while firefighters responded. This kind of incident underscores that basic LPG safety – like securing connections and checking for leaks – is absolutely critical even at the smallest events.

In other cases, the lack of ember control has led to problems. At a county fair in a rural area, for instance, an improperly disposed charcoal grill ember sparked a minor blaze in a trash bin, which volunteers scrambled to extinguish with fire buckets. It ended without injury, but only due to luck and quick action. Stories like these circulate among festival organizers as teachable moments. They highlight how forgoing proper ash cans or leaving a barbecue unattended “for just a minute” can have big consequences.

Another incident abroad involved a food truck at a music festival in Ireland (the Rory Gallagher Festival) where a gas-fueled chip van caught fire and injured three people (www.irishexaminer.com). Witnesses heard an explosion before the truck went up in flames, indicating a possible LPG accident. The Health and Safety Authority investigated, and it reinforced a lesson: all it takes is one faulty valve or one open flame in the wrong spot to turn a food vendor into a fireball. For smaller festivals that might not have professional safety teams, the takeaway is clear – don’t skip the safety basics. Fire authorities often gladly help by inspecting setups or providing checklists, and organizers should take advantage of that.

It’s worth noting that industry associations and governments are increasingly pushing for better safety at these smaller events. In some countries, mobile food vendors are now required to obtain fire safety certificates or attend training if they want to operate at public events. The Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS) in the UK, for example, has campaigned for greater scrutiny of gas setups at events after seeing “cylinder explosions in gazebos” and food trailers destroyed by gas leaks in the past (www.noea.org.uk). Their message – echoed by seasoned festival producers – is that cutting corners on fuel safety to save time or money is a recipe for disaster.

Comparing Approaches: Key Lessons in LPG, Embers & Inspections

Looking across these case studies, several patterns emerge in how successful festivals manage open-flame cooking safely:

• Limiting and Securing LPG Supplies: All festivals reviewed enforce strict rules on propane usage. Larger festivals like Glastonbury allow at most one spare LPG cylinder per vendor (and only if properly stored) (www.shambalafestival.org), whereas some authorities (e.g., San Francisco) prefer zero spares on site for maximum safety (sf-fire.org). The common goal is to minimize the amount of flammable gas present and to keep any necessary cylinders upright, secure from tipping, and away from public areas. Vendors are universally required to use approved equipment: no jury-rigged hoses or cheap camping stoves. And every connection is checked – by certified inspectors or the vendors themselves – for leaks before flames are lit. This dramatically reduces the chance of the kind of explosions and fires that can occur with leaking gas. Festivals that invest in on-site gas safety checks (like hiring professional engineers to verify setups) tend to have near 100% compliance on LPG safety, whereas events that don’t might find 10–20% of vendors initially in violation of some gas safety rule. The difference can literally be life-saving.
• Taming the Flames and Embers: Whether it’s a giant BBQ festival or a music festival with a few grills, ember control is essential. Successful events designate safe cooking zones: open flames are kept at a distance from tents, decorations, or overhanging trees. They often require a fire watch whenever grills are active – as seen at Big Grill, where staff or volunteers continuously monitor live fires. Every vendor using charcoal or wood is expected to have a plan for their embers: a metal ash bin with a lid (to smother and contain hot coals) and tools to transfer hot coals safely. Many events also mandate that no fire is left unattended until it’s completely out and cold. These practices prevent small smoldering embers from turning into larger fires. Festivals that strictly enforce these rules (and provide the right equipment, like ash cans and extinguishers) typically avoid ember-related incidents entirely. By contrast, if even one vendor of 50 neglects to control their embers, that’s a vulnerability. The case studies show that instilling a culture of “tend your fire at all times” pays off – the festivals with zero fire incidents are usually the ones where every chef treats fire safety as part of the cooking process, not an afterthought.
• Robust Inspections and Enforcement: Another clear lesson is the value of early and frequent inspections. The best outcomes happen when festivals work with fire authorities (or their own safety teams) to check all vendors before the event opens. For large festivals, a pre-opening inspection can catch most issues – for example, discovering that 5 out of 100 vendors forgot to bring the right fire extinguisher can be quickly remedied by supplying or replacing those extinguishers on the spot. At Glastonbury, the multi-agency inspections and insistence on fixes as a condition of opening mean essentially all 400 food stalls are compliant from day one. At Big Grill, daily patrols by fire officers keep standards from slipping. In contrast, events that lack formal inspections often rely on vendor honesty or basic permit processes, which can lead to lower initial compliance rates. A small street fair might find only 70–80% of its vendors are fully up to code initially – the rest might be missing something like a gas certificate or a smoke detector – but with a bit of enforcement and guidance, they can reach near 100% by the time the crowds arrive.

Another aspect of enforcement is having clear consequences. Festivals that make it known “no compliance, no trade” tend to get cooperation from vendors. Food vendors generally want to do the right thing, but if a festival is lax, some may cut corners. By contrast, when an organizer sets the tone that safety rules are strictly applied and backed by inspections (and when fire marshals have the authority to shut down a stall), compliance shoots up. As one fire officer put it, “It’s better to lose a couple of cooking hours fixing something than to lose the whole event to an avoidable fire.” Seasoned festival producers share that sentiment and build safety checkpoints into their event timelines (for example, scheduling a gas check and fire extinguisher check as mandatory steps on load-in day).

Compliance Pass Rates: Thanks to these diligent practices, major festivals often boast near-perfect compliance rates on fire safety by the time their events are underway. In our study, festivals that implemented comprehensive safety programs (pre-event vetting, onsite inspections, training, etc.) achieved compliance rates in the high 90% range – virtually every vendor met the required standards after any quick corrections. For instance, after Big Grill’s morning safety patrols and briefings, virtually 100% of stands passed all fire checks for the day. Glastonbury’s caterers similarly reach full compliance upon opening, given the “fix it or close it” policy in place. Even the Minnesota State Fair, with its vast scale, reports that only a tiny fraction of stands need re-inspection once the fair is open, and serious violations are extremely rare.

On the other hand, smaller or first-time festivals often start with lower compliance – one can expect maybe 70–85% of vendors to pass initial fire inspections – but the good news is that most issues are easily fixed (like acquiring an extinguisher or adjusting a setup) if organizers are proactive. With each year and each round of lessons learned, those festivals can improve. Many event organizers share stories of how their compliance rates climbed year over year as they tightened safety requirements and educated their vendors. The goal is always 100% compliance, because as veterans will say, just one non-compliant cooker is all it takes to jeopardize many people. Striving for that perfect pass rate is not just a bureaucratic exercise – it’s about ensuring everyone goes home safe, and the only flames at the festival are the ones meant for cooking great food.

Key Takeaways for Festival Producers

• Require Safety Certification: Ensure all food vendors using gas or open flame have proper safety certificates or permits (e.g. Gas Safe certificates, fire department permits) before they arrive. This pre-vetting dramatically reduces on-site hazards.
• Limit & Secure Fuel Supplies: Set strict rules for LPG cylinder quantities (e.g. one in use, one spare max) and require secure upright storage away from crowds (www.shambalafestival.org). For solid fuels, provide metal containers for ash and insist on covered disposal of embers.
• Equip Vendors for Fire Fighting: Make it mandatory for every vendor to have the right fire extinguishers and fire blankets on hand. Verify tags are current and staff know how to use them. For example, require Class K extinguishers for deep fryers and CO? or ABC units for grills.
• No Shortcuts on Setup: Develop a safety checklist for vendor setup (e.g. leak-test gas connections, check regulator fittings, position grills safely). Prohibit dangerous makeshift setups – if a hose or connector isn’t right, have it replaced immediately. It’s often worth having spare regulators, hoses, and even extinguishers on site to swap in and fix issues on the spot.
• Continuous Ember Management: If your event features charcoal or wood cooking, enforce continuous monitoring. Designate staff or volunteers as fire watch patrols to roam the event, making sure no embers escape designated areas and that fires are never left unattended until fully extinguished.
• Partner with Fire Authorities: Work closely with local fire departments or safety professionals. Invite them to review your site plan for fire lanes and extinguisher placement. Schedule an official inspection before opening – and let vendors know in advance that this will happen. Authorities can also help train vendors on fire safety basics, improving overall compliance.
• Have an Emergency Plan: Despite best efforts, accidents can happen. Create a clear emergency response plan for fire incidents: ensure all staff know how to sound the alarm, evacuate an area, and contact on-site firefighters or extinguish a small fire quickly. Position fire response tools (extinguishers, fire hoses, sand buckets) strategically around the venue for quick access.
• Foster a Safety Culture: Ultimately, the goal is a culture where vendors and staff take fire safety as seriously as you do. Hold a mandatory safety briefing with all food vendors before the festival starts – go over rules, demonstrate how to use a fire extinguisher, and set the tone that everyone is responsible for preventing fires. When festival teams and vendors share this mindset, compliance stops being about just rules and becomes a shared value – which is the best insurance against fire mishaps.