Going to a music festival is equally fun and dangerous at the same time. You must stay aware and learn how to keep others and yourself safe when things go south.
The recent tragedy at American rapper Travis Scott’s concert at the Astroworld Festival in Houston has taught us a valuable lesson about how a crowded music concert can take your life. Eight people died and many more were injured during his performance. The unfortunate event revealed how an entertaining music festival can turn into a chaotic and deadly event in just a matter of time.
The world could see how the organizers and emergency staff took care of the situation. It also raises concern about how the festival-goers should react if a situation like this comes up. Here are some tips to avoid a situation like this:
- Look out for danger signs
When you are at a crowded place you must watch out for any red flags that might signal you about any impending danger. If you are already feeling the pressure, it is too late to prevent the situation.
It is best to get out before the situation goes down. In a music festival people are so compelled with the performances, they often do not realize that the situation is critical. Also, people are not told or taught about the danger that can arise at a crowded place like a music concert.
So, keep your eyes open for any signs that indicate danger.
- Leave when the crowd gets dense
The first sign of crowd crushing is that gathering around you will get denser. You will start to feel uncomfortable and have less freedom of movement. Before you feel more congested, leave as soon as possible. You may feel like this is normal at a music concert, but it could lead to a bigger problem and become quite risky to stay. You may feel bad about leaving the concert but your life matters the most. Just move away from the crowd and keep yourself safe.
- Stay on your feet
When an adverse situation like crowd crushing happens, it’s important to stay standing on the ground. If you fall, it’s very difficult to stand up again in the crowd. It can cause others to fall as well in a chain reaction. Don’t sit on the ground while you are in a situation. In a dangerous situation like this, if people start running they may stomp you to death trying to escape.
Also, don’t put your stuff like a backpack on the ground. It could act like an obstacle that causes people to trip and fall on the ground.
- make sure to have some space around your chest
People often feel breathless when they are in a crowded place. The reason for this is they don’t get enough oxygen with hundreds of people around them obtaining oxygen and emitting carbon dioxide. If you do not have enough space around your chest, your lungs also won’t be able to do their jobs properly causing you to breathe more heavily. All festival-goers should be aware of this and maintain sufficient distance, atleast6y a centimeter from others to breathe normally. If you keep going without being able to breathe properly in a crowded concert, you might actually die.
- Don’t push others
Whatever movement you make in a concert, directly affects the people around you. It creates a chain reaction that cannot be controlled. If you push the person in front of you either they will push back or convey the push to the person before them. Then they will do the same, and go on. It will only amplify the push and it will definitely come back to you.
So, don’t make the situation worse. Don’t push back when you feel a push. In the worst moments, you might feel more than one push coming at you once. The best thing to do at this time is to avoid the place where two waves cross. The pressure is the worst in that spot because they come from opposite directions.
- Stay away from walls or solid objects
Walls and solid objects can cause you a lot of harm when you are getting crushed by a huge crowd. When you are getting pushed if you hit a wall the whole pressure of the crowd will be on you. You will be literally crushed by the people behind you. So make sure to keep your distance from solid obstacles.
- Learn when crowd density gets dangerous
A music festival will always be crowded. You must learn when the density of the crowd gets unsafe. If there are less than 5 people per square meter it’s completely safe. If the number rises from 5 it starts to get at an unsafe level.
- Help others
It is important to look out for your friends and others if things get unsafe. If more people behave like this, situations like the recent event would not even arise. Your helping nature will not only save others but save you as well.