Heading To A Festival This Summer? Here’s How To Stay Safe If You Find Yourself In A Crowd Crush

With festival season kicking off, global travel insurance experts, World Nomads, urge attendees to stay informed and vigilant in large crowds to avoid the dangers of overcrowding and poor crowd management. 

From locating exits and staying on your feet to using non-verbal cues and helping others, preparation and calm responses are key to staying safe in mass gatherings. 

As the Glastonbury Festival officially kicked off festival season last week, global travel insurance experts, World Nomads, are reminding festival-goers to prioritise personal safety in large crowds. With past events around the globe highlighting the dangers of overcrowding and poor crowd management, being informed and aware can be life-saving. 

Mass gatherings such as festivals and concerts are undoubtedly a draw for many people, offering unforgettable experiences – but they also carry risks. Recent crowd crush incidents have led to tragic loss of life in events from South Korea to India. Understanding the difference between a crowd crush and a stampede is critical. A stampede usually involves people fleeing perceived danger, while a crush occurs when crowds surge toward something – often a stage or exit – leading to dangerous pressure that can trap or injure people. 

What You Can Do to Stay Safe 

Whether you’re attending a headline act at Glastonbury or a local street performance, here are key steps you can take to protect yourself: 

Know Your Exits: As soon as you arrive at a venue, take a moment to identify all available exits – not just the one you came through. In an emergency, the less crowded option could save precious seconds. 

Trust Your Instincts: If a crowd begins to feel too dense or you feel uncomfortable, start moving away from the area while it’s still possible. Don’t wait until it’s too late to get out safely. 

Stay On Your Feet: Avoid falling at all costs. If you do fall, try to get up quickly. Protect your head and keep your arms up in front of your chest to create breathing space and guard against pressure. 

Don’t Push or Shout: Conserve energy. Pushing back against a crowd doesn’t help and can increase danger. Instead, stay calm and move with the flow when possible. 

Use Non-Verbal Cues: In loud environments, shouting won’t help. Use hand signals, eye contact and pointing to communicate with those around you. 

Help Others: If you see someone struggling, help them stay on their feet. In extreme cases, crowd-surfing someone to safety may be the only way out. 

The Accordion Method: A Way to Escape 

If you find yourself in a dense crowd with surging motion, use what’s known as the accordion method to work your way out. After each wave-like push forward, use the lull to move diagonally into gaps between people. Repeating this movement during each lull can help you gradually escape toward the periphery of the crowd. 

Festival Fun, Done Safely. 

Festivals are about celebration, connection, and joy – but awareness and preparedness can make all the difference. Stay alert, stay calm, and look out for one another. 

For World Nomads’ full tips on staying safe in a crowd crush or stampede, please visit here.