Music festivals are the ultimate celebration of both artists and audiences. But for festival organizers, safety is always the number one concern. However, the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Festival has certainly raised new safety concerns and considerations.
Upcoming festivals, including Austin City Limits Festival and Miami's 2018 Ultra Music Festival, are addressing these concerns to assure festival goers that every necessary safety precaution is being taken.
With ACL slated for to take place at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, over the next two weekends, the festival's producers, C3, have issued a statement to reassure fans and artists alike that safety comes first.
"Safety has always been our top priority," C3 said in a statement. "Over the years, tighter security measures have been implemented at ACL Fest, including a layered security plan that includes elements that are seen and unseen, as well as pat downs, bag searches and size limits, and an enhanced security and law enforcement presence inside and outside the festival."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/IYDPQ1u2ZF">pic.twitter.com/IYDPQ1u2ZF</a></p>— ACL Festival (@aclfestival) <a href="https://twitter.com/aclfestival/status/914964500335521792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Miami's Ultra Music Festival is known for being one of North America's biggest and best dance music festivals. Part of the appeal of the festival is the downtown location of Bayfront Park, with its massive stages and impressive light shows set with the backdrop of the Miami skyline.
Ultra's organizers work hand-in-hand with local police to monitor the festival. CBS Miami spoke with acting Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina about the increased safety concerns arising from the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting.
"Like Las Vegas, we have a lot of outside venues with the weather and people want to be outside," Colina said. "We train and go over scenarios, active shooter scenarios where the policemen are reminded to get wherever the shooter is."
And with Ultra returning to Bayfront Park in March 2018, additional conversations and arrangements are still in the works. Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez also urges citizens to report any suspicious activity.
"We live at a time where you have to be on guard at all times," Perez said. "If you see something, say something, and with this slogan we are asking people to come forward and we depend on people to call the cops and Homeland Security."
With music festivals playing such a prominent role in the music industry, future festivals provide an opportunity for artists and fans to come together as a community and stand in support of the victims of the tragedy in Las Vegas.
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