Music Festivals and Pop Culture

Why Aren’t Music Festivals Safe?

The recent tragedy at Astroworld is an opportunity to examine live music events and their safety

The last post I wrote here was called Ultimate Music Festival Survival Guide where I said,

“Festivals are literal war zones and you could literally DIE if you don’t properly prepare.”

I wrote this months before the tragic Astroworld event in Houston, Texas where 10 confirmed people passed away, hundreds were injured and thousands traumatized. I wrote this Survival Guide based on the knowledge that people have died at festivals, even before Astroworld.

Why is it that in order to not have a totally uncomfortable experience at a festival these days you have to prepare as if you’re going into war? You need actual survival gear like flashlights, body wipes, and hydration packs to get through a typical festival day. When you’re spending anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars to attend these festivals, organized by huge, wealthy conglomerates like Live Nation, why aren’t your basic needs being provided?

I’ve attended over 25 music festivals and 100s of concerts over the past 15…