Dealing with Power Outages at a Music Festival.

Music festival organisers invest time and money in creating an infrastructure that ensures zero power outages. Whilst outages are rare, they do occur and most festival-goers would be unaware due to the robust processes and procedures in place. What are organisers doing to ensure that their event can handle any power outage and provide uninterrupted service.

Aside from impacting artist performances a power outage at night can lead to dangerous situations. Being suddenly thrown into darkness can result in crowd disruption, security breaches and potential injuries. Festival organisers create robust plans for the uninterrupted supply of power to a site for the duration of their events. This ensures seamless continuance of performances, site lighting and power supplies even if the primary power source fails. 

Power Options. 
Electricians and production engineers usually specify the power requirements for stage lighting, backline equipment and amplification which in some cases can be substantial. The use of diesel or biofuel generators are usually the only power source that can provide the ‘juice’ needed for a large stage with significant amplification requirements. Although many organisers would prefer greener more sustainable power sources the use of wind and solar electricity generators can currently only supply sufficient power for low use site and vendor lighting or in some instances smaller stage set ups. Technological innovations in clean energy supplies with a zero-carbon footprint continue and festival organisers will be keen to adopt these as and when they become practical to use. Some festivals are using hydrogen generators which provide the same output as diesel generators but with zero emissions for example. Whatever power source is used the electricity generated needs to be hooked up in a safe and efficient manner. 

Planning Power Supply. 
Organisers usually subcontract their power supply needs to a specialist experienced company who will specify and install equipment to meet expected demand. Most installations consist of primary power industrial grade generators supplemented by backup generators. The backup generators can keep electricity supplied to key zones like stages, medical tents, organisers offices and emergency lighting for example. Installation of Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS) ensure that power is switched automatically to backup generators should the primary one fail. To avoid other issues like short circuits the installation of cables and associated electrical systems must be designed and fitted by qualified licenced electricians. All cabling and electrical equipment installed must be suitably waterproofed for outdoor use and using Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) are essential safety devices to detect ground faults and instantly shut off electricity supplies. All site installations need to be thoroughly tested along with continuous monitoring of voltage, amperage and loads during the event for early detection of potential issues. 

Outage Causes. 
Outages can occur and if the installation is good the switch to backup generators would hardly be noticeable, however, there are some common reasons why festival sites experience power outages. Generators can and do fail which can be caused by an internal fault or in some cases running out of fuel. A generator running at maximum capacity can cause stress and overheating and many are designed to shut down automatically to prevent permanent damage. Accidental damage to site cabling from site vehicle movements or water ingress can trigger GFCI which will automatically cut power supplies. Similarly, the installation will usually include a number of circuit breakers which can trip if overloaded or even be faulty. In rare cases artist's equipment may be faulty and when connected to the power supply can trigger short circuits resulting in breaker trips. 

Power Outage Procedures. 
If a power supply system has been professionally designed and installed the chances of power outages are reduced significantly. However, organisers still need to create robust processes and procedures in the event of a power outage. On-site electrical engineers and technicians tasked with monitoring systems should be able to quickly identify the cause of any outage. Rectifying faults and causes can then be escalated to appropriate resources for fast repairs. If the power outage is likely to impact an entire festival site there should be the ability to manually switch on emergency power for lighting and PA systems which can be powered by standalone batteries for example. The outage procedures should also include protocols for communication to festival-goers, artists, staff and vendors to inform them what has happened with instructions on next actions. As power supplies are restored organisers should prioritise critical systems like medical facilities and essential lighting for example. 

For festival organisers planning their next event 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, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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