When Festivals Go Wrong: Learning from the Worst Music Events in History

You’re supposed to enjoy yourself at music festivals. Three to four days in a field, access to loads of fantastic music, people, food and drinks? It can be like a mini paradise. 

But like all things, festivals sometimes go wrong. Bad organisation, poor planning and a lack of safety can mean cancellations. Or, in the worst case scenario, death and injuries. 

With this in mind, we’ve had a think about some of the most disastrous festivals over the past twenty years and what we can learn from them. 

Keep scrolling to get our thoughts. 

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Woodstock ‘99

Woodstock ’99 was so bad that Netflix called their documentary about the festival ‘Trainwreck’. Not much left to the imagination there, then. 

Obviously, it’s not just the documentary name that shows how bad the festival was; it’s what actually occurred. Sexism? Check. Lack of toilets? Check. Human waste mixing into mud pits? Check. Riots? Yeah, check. 

The organisation was so poor that in an attempt to cut corners on costs, festival bosses decided not to hire security. Instead, they opted to outsource the work to teenage volunteers who lacked the necessary training to do the job. 

So, it’s no wonder the festival went sour. It’s a reminder to hire proper security so you can keep your staff and attendees safe. Without this, a proper site, access to water and working toilets, you’re asking for trouble at your festival. 

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Bloc Festival 2012

Bloc Festival was known for cutting edge line up choices. However, in 2012, not even a performance from Nicolas Jaar could save the event. 

Overcrowding plagued Bloc, with festival goers eventually being kettled, penned in by metal barriers and escorted out by the police. But it gets worse. Once attendees left the festival, shuttle buses only went to Canning Town. Eventually, organisers cancelled Bloc 2012. 

Looking back, aside from the overcrowding, it seems that the festival layout caused problems. The two main stages were next to each other, meaning crowds clustered in one corner. 

So, what can we learn? Get your layout spot on for a start. Festivals are full of people and if you can’t plan for that, you’re going to put people in compromising situations. Next, get transport sorted. Leaving people to make their own journey home is negligent, especially when you’ve had to cancel the whole event.

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Roskilde 2000

We’ve taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to the entries so far, but what happened at Roskilde 2000 should be taken extremely seriously. 

Partway through American rock band Pearl Jam’s set, an accident caused the deaths of eight fans, with a further 26 fans needing hospital treatment. No one should go to a festival and never come home. 

But what led to this happening? It was a chain reaction of events. While reports say there was no concerted rush before or during the set, eventgoers remarked that the sound was poor, which may have led to people pushing forward in an attempt to hear the sound better. 

The type of barriers used at Roskilde 2000 used to be in place at football stadiums but were banned in the 80s after they caused rib injuries and falls if the surface was greasy. This, with the sheer amount of people in the crowd, could’ve been a factor. 

It’s a reminder that organisers have to provide the highest quality of safety barriers, research their pros and cons and react quickly to accidents if they occur.