Managing the Muddy Music Festival Site.

The muddy music festival field has always been part and parcel of the festival experience but it doesn’t have to be that way. Having a festival site that turns into a quagmire is not pleasant for most festival-goers, doesn’t help with returning the site to nature and can cause sever logistics problems for access and egress to the site.

Some festival-goers revel in the muddy field experience but there are just as many that suggest this is their least favourite part of attending a music festival. With advances in technology and site management there are numerous solutions available to manage this should the inevitable summer rain and inclement weather arrive. What can festival organisers do to manage their festival site to prevent the unpleasant muddy quagmire on-site.

Site Management Planning. 
Understanding the geography of a festival site is a key consideration for the placement of facilities, camping and car parks. Discuss with the land owner to fully understand which areas of the site are prone to flooding to ensure that those areas are avoided if at all possible. Camping and car parks should be placed in elevated locations and toilet facilities should be placed well away from camping and vendors as many can be prone to overflowing which is not pleasant for anyone. If possible, visit an intended festival site during a particularly wet season and assess the dry and potentially flooded areas to assist with site planning. 

Solutions for High Foot Traffic.  
Some festival sites that have a severe flooding problem where space is at a premium may consider installation of temporary drainage solutions but this can be expensive and needs to be discussed with the land owner. For high foot traffic routes consider installation of raised wooded walkways throughout the sites as this can help avoid any areas prone to flooding becoming a quagmire. If the ground does not flood but has high foot traffic consider woven mats as an alternative.

Site Access for Vehicles. 
The only real solution for site access areas used by festival-goer's cars as well as contractors and vendors vehicles is to lay durable rubber or plastic matting that will stay in place from constant heavy vehicle use.

Music festival site management in preparation of wet weather is essential for most festivals and plays a key role in the ability to return the site to nature. A poorly placed car park without appropriate matting can quickly turn into a rutted filed that can take substantial funds to return to its previous condition. Organisers should ensure that their planning process includes a comprehensive site survey and appointment of contractors to advise and install a professional solution that both protects the land and provides a pleasant experience for all visitors. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Cori Rodriguez from Pexels

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