This summer, I was part of the Redwood on site safety team to help deliver Boardmasters Festival. Redwood has spent months preparing and planning health and safety and crowd management requirements for this event, and then our core team was on site to deliver these plans.
Fistral Beach Bar
It was my first experience working alongside the safety team live at an event, I was brought along to manage the safety office, triage the radio calls, and provide support for the event liaison team. It was an incredible experience but definitely not without the hard work! As my first experience working within that role at an event, I really did learn a lot as well as making some incredible memories - the sunsets really are magical in Cornwall!
Here's what I learnt from my first on site event experience and 8 days in the Boardmasters field:
Pack for all weathers
When attending or working at festivals it really is important to cover all bases, across the week we went from extreme heat to lightings storms and risk of flash flooding in the break! And it goes without saying, bring appropriate footwear…
Everyone is there to support each other and work as a team
This was something I really noticed; the team spirit felt around the site. Everyone on a festival site is there to work towards one collective goal, putting on a safe and successful event. Each member of the crew really is there to support each other, don’t be afraid to muck in, ask for help or offer your own! You never know when you might need a favour from someone.
Getting your rest and looking after yourself is crucial
Another very important lesson, is that as much as you want to, you can’t burn the candle at both ends. Working long hours in high paced environments really does require you to be responsible and look after yourself. Get your rest, drink lots of water and remember to eat!
If you’re lucky you might just be able to sneak in a few acts & beers along the way, I was lucky enough to catch IDLES, Disclosure & Kings of Leon over the course of the weekend!
Be friendly and put yourself out there
Festivals are great places to meet people and network, you can make amazing relationships in the field, and you never know what opportunities might come from them.
Humour goes a long way
When you’re in a stressful situation, it is crucial to keep a calm and level head. When all hope is lost you would be surprised with how a little bit of humour can raise the camaraderie and spirits in the team. We chose to pre-emptively keep the teams’ spirits high and express this through our fantastic safety office decor - think live, laugh, love….
Safety Team at Boardmasters 2022