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Keeping a Music Festival Site Clean and Safe.

Andy Robertson

Music festival sites can look messy and unkempt after several days and this does not convey a positive image to festival-goers. With some festivals receiving thousands of visitors keeping the site looking fresh and clean can be a challenge and is a common criticism by visitors who often complain of piles of rubbish and safety hazards.


With good planning and training there should be no excuse for festival organisers not to have a well-maintained festival site that stays clean and fresh even after several days. A site with rubbish strewn everywhere and layouts that look unprepared for inclement weather reflect badly on organisers with pictures, videos and comments appearing on social media as a result.

Staff and Volunteer Responsibilities. 
All staff and volunteers should undergo training that includes awareness of the festival site and how it is to be maintained for the duration of the event. Just because someone is off duty it is still their responsibility to highlight any issues that may reflect adversely on the site appearance. The planning process should ensure that sufficient numbers of volunteers are available to perform the duties and shifts identified and always make allowances for no shows and AWOL volunteers. 

Safety Hazards.
 
Good training for staff and volunteers regarding health and safety requirements is essential and anyone on site should remain constantly aware of any potential hazards. Common dangers usually include trip hazards along with exposed electricity cables and potential fire risks for example. Any pre-installed walkways should be well maintained, and vendors need to be inspected on a regular basis to ensure they are complying with health and safety requirements too. The movement of vehicular transport on a festival site should be kept to a minimum, in addition, car parking zones need appropriate supervision. Accidents involving vehicles on festival sites is still a common occurrence every year. 

Waste Collections and Disposal.
 
A large music festival can generate enormous volumes of waste and there is nothing worse than overflowing bins and litter strewn over a site. Staff and volunteers should be vigilant when on site to ensure that all rubbish is disposed of correctly. Well placed bins and reminders to festival-goers about appropriate disposal can make a huge difference. This extends to vendor and camping zones too which is where the most rubbish accumulates. Litter and rubbish not disposed of correctly can contribute to increased safety hazards throughout a festival site.

Regular inspections by responsible individuals should quickly identify any safety hazards and rubbish accumulation that is making the site look bad. Quick responses to address any issues will ensue that a site always looks clean and fresh. This can be achieved with good planning and effective training for all those working on site.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Xavier Messina via Pexels

Andy Robertson
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