Festival safety
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With the number of people attending festivals, its easy to lose yourself in the crowd. Keep your phone charged (or carry a spare power-pack) so you can contact your friends. It’s useful as a torch too! When you do split up, arrange a time and place to meet up again.​ There are many helpful apps such as What Three Words to help you find each other.
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Drinking is a part of festival life but it can impair your judgement especially in a difficult or emergency situation.
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Drink responsibly and within you limits. Make sure you are also drinking bottled water to avoid dehydration, and don’t leave your drink unattended (or accept drinks from people you don’t know).
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Drugs are found at most festivals and its important to recognise they may not be the same as the ones you may be familiar with. Drugs vary widely in strength and affect people in different ways. Visit the medical area/s or welfare facilities or in some cases, safe paces are also provided, if you are worried about any adverse affects.
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Thieves operate at festivals and it is best to leave behind anything you don’t want to lose. If you do bring any valuables, don’t leave them unattended in your tent or on show in your car. Use the available storage or locker facilities. Try to keep your belongings in pockets/bags with zips. Don't leave any valuables in your tent!
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Get your bearings when you first arrive at the festival - if even just to figure out how to get to and from your tent and where the toilets are, and where the nearest water can be found. You can also get to know the people who are camping near you- make a few friends, but also be aware of who should and should not be in your area.
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Wherever possible, come in a group and take care of each other. Go around together and take turns at being the one who stays straight and looks out for the others. If you do go off on your own, make sure your friends know where you‘ve gone and who with.
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If you run into any problems, ask festival stewards or security for help – that’s why they are there!
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Staying Safe during an Incident
Incidents can result from a whole range of things going wrong, such as fire, structural collapse, freak weather or terrorist attack. They very rarely happen at festivals, but it is important to know what to do (and not to do) in the unlikely event that one did. Be alert but not alarmed!
Your safety is your No 1 concern!
Move away from the incident. Don’t hang around to watch what happens. Obey any instructions from security, stewards and the police. Let the emergency services have room to do what they have to do.
See it, Say it, Sort it!
Report anything suspicious or that just doesn’t look right to a member of the festival staff. They will know what to do. Please don’t be tempted to make stuff up for a joke – it’s not so funnyif someone gets hurt as a result.
Run, Hide, Tell!
If there is an obvious threat, such as someone wielding a knife or a firearm, the only thing to do is to get away as fast as you can. If this is impossible, conceal yourself, preferably behind something solid. Report what is happening as soon as you can, but don’t put yourself in harm’s way to do so.
Don’t be a hero!
Even if you have all sorts of life-saving skills, if you blunder into a hazardous area with no kit and not much idea of what you are likely to find, the chances are you will end up being one more casualty who needs help.