“There are two very advanced communities in terms of legislation, implementation and involvement with regulating large events: Catalonia and the Basque Country,” says Alfonso Santiago, of the Bilbao BBK Live Festival. In the absence of consistent regulations, several regional governments have stepped up. Because the attendees are also customers who will consume.” The musician emphasizes that not only is there no official control over the numbers of attendees, the festivals themselves often inflate the numbers for the media and their sponsors. The nature of the business is that the festivals will try and get as many people as they can to attend. “Festivals need to be controlled by someone. “The Spanish government should update things like this throughout the country and not wait for local communities to take the initiative.” Márquez adds. Not just so the security officers know, but also so that the attendees can see for themselves if the festival is exceeding capacity.” Festivalgoers at this year’s Arenal Sound, which ran into problems due to overcrowding within the site. “This is important in order to have a real-time record of people entering and leaving through the several entry points. “For example, it is only mandatory in some places to have electronic access points,” explains Gómez. Some regions have developed the regulation a great deal and updated it accordingly, but others have not. The regulations are abundant, but dispersed throughout the country. The consequence is that what in some cities is mandatory might only be a recommendation in others.” “There are also regional laws that lay out protocols for following the countrywide law that are complemented by some other local regulations created by town councils. “There is a countrywide law that establishes some basic principles for festivals, the General Regulations of Police at Public Shows and Recreational Activities of 1982 – which is very old if we take into account that in that year there were hardly any macrofestivals in Spain,” says Gómez. Gómez suggests that a more centralized framework would be better. Márquez also asks that these fines actually be acted on since in most cases, “they stay on paper.”Įach festival is mostly regulated by the laws of the region in which it is taking place. If the profit is higher than the cost, it’s worth it,” says José Luis Gómez, a security expert. If an employer wants to bypass a law, the first thing they will do is calculate how much the fine would cost them. ![]() “Above all, penalties for those who do not comply need to be increased. Risk prevention can be strengthened by ensuring that organizers don’t scrimp in order to save on costs. There are no regulations that state, ‘For a festival with more than 8,000 attendees, six access points and four stages, and X employees are needed’.”Įach festival is mostly regulated by the laws of the region in which it is taking place “The first thing you note in a European festival is the number of people working at the festival. Dangerous areas of the stage often go unmarked,” says Márquez. As an artist – and I’ve played in almost all the major festivals – I’ve never been presented with a security protocol or been told about occupational hazards. “As a spectator, nobody has ever stressed to me the importance of knowing about security measures or shown me an evacuation drill. Márquez says the union doesn’t want to be alarmist, but to simply draw attention to where improvements can be made. There are security officers who have been standing for 12 hours and are tired, so they can’t be at 100% when they need to be.” Photo of the fire at the Tomorrowland Festival in Barcelona. “For example, you can hire personnel to work double shifts. “Sure you can save on security,” adds Márquez. In the cases I’m familiar with, there haven’t been any cutbacks,” says Peñas. “We must be responsible with these matters. He wonders if cuts to budgets have influenced the safety levels. No one is denying that the incidents are alarming, says Francisco Martín Peñas, from La Mar de Músicas Festival in Cartagena, a city on the southeastern coast of Spain. Smaller, local events often serve as examples of how to not set up a festival.” Pepo Márquez, a spokesman for a musicians union, notes that “with the exception of the international festivals, there is still a long way to go at the European level. Festivals are safe and strict protocols are followed with evacuation plans, certification and licensing from the regional governments,” says Salmerón. ![]() “Despite the numbers, the incidents have been minimal. But according to Albert Salmerón, president of the Association of Music Promoters, security measures need to be adapted. Given these large figures, the incidents seem infrequent. Pepo Márquez, a spokesman for a musicians union Smaller, local events often serve as examples of how to not set up a festival
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