Music Festival On-site Psychiatric Help.

With mental illness becoming more topical many music festival organisers are providing welfare services on-site during events. Providing access to welfare services during a multi-day festival can help provide an invaluable service to festival-goers prone to a variety of mental health issues that can be compounded by the festival experience. 

The vast majority of festival-goers have a positive experience at music festivals and on the whole the events have a beneficial impact on their mental health and general wellbeing. However, for a minority the combination of alcohol, drugs and an underlying mental health issues and lead to some serious consequences.

Sensory Overload. 
Most festival-goers enjoy the loud music, light shows and crowded spaces usually enhanced by alcohol and drug consumption making for a memorable experience. For a few people this sensory overload can be a tipping point bringing mental health issues to the surface leading to anxiety among many other symptoms. For anyone with a history of bipolar disorders or schizophrenia the festival experience can have a detrimental effect and sufferers should know to avoid alcohol and drug consumption. 

Charitable Help. 
There are several active charities that provide services and information about mental health and many are very active on the music festival scene in the UK. For more specialised assistance a charity called Chill Welfare, founded in 2015, provides on-site teams specifically for music festivals. They have an understanding of the unique scenarios faced by music festival-goers. Chill Welfare aim to keep people safe by reducing the harms caused by alcohol and other drugs, support mental wellbeing and promote sexual health. They act as a buffer between those who need help and the police and healthcare services by providing advice, support and general welfare support. 

On-site Help for Music Festivals.
Although not many music festivals in the UK have dedicated on-site psychiatric help large festivals like Glastonbury have had psychiatric tent manned by qualified psychiatrists to provide welfare services for many years. There are a number of dedicated charitable organisations that can provide on-site welfare facilities for music festivals that include: 

• Chill Welfare.
• The Loop.
• Festival Welfare Services.
• National Event Welfare Service.
• Psycare.
• Samaritans.
• Tiger Tea Welfare.
  

For festival organisers looking for help in this increasingly important service for festival-goers they can contact a consultant psychiatrist to help plan services for their event. Other resources can be found from the recognised charities who are usually keen to provide on-site support. Whist providing a medical tent run by St Johns Ambulance for example can provide essential basic medical assistance they are not really geared up to deal with those suffering from mental health anxiety issues brought on by sensory overload combined with drug and alcohol consumption. 

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 David Garrison from Pexels

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