Evacuation with Glass & Tents – Planning Routes That Avoid Hazards and Propane at Your Wine Festival

Organizing a wine festival comes with unique safety challenges. A successful festival producer knows that protecting attendees and staff is as important as delighting them with great vintages. Among the most critical plans to have in place is a robust evacuation strategy that accounts for the realities of a wine festival – from glassware everywhere to large tasting tents and onsite fuel like propane for cooking. Planning evacuation routes that steer clear of breakage hazards and flammable materials, and drilling your team to respond calmly, can make all the difference in an emergency.

When thousands of people gather to celebrate wine and food, anything from a sudden storm to a small fire can trigger an evacuation. The goal is to get everyone out safely without causing panic or injury. That means addressing the specific hazards in your event environment and training your staff thoroughly. Veteran festival organisers emphasise that the time to plan for an emergency is long before your event gates open. By incorporating lessons from festivals around the world and crafting detailed plans, even boutique local wine festivals can uphold the highest safety standards. The following guide shares practical advice – drawn from decades of festival production experience – on evacuation planning in wine festivals, including real examples of what works and what to avoid.

Understanding Wine Festival Hazards: Glass, Tents, and Propane

Every festival environment has its hazards, but wine festivals often involve a few special ones:

• Abundant Glassware: Wine is typically served in real glass bottles and glasses. This elevates the risk of broken glass on the ground. In normal conditions, staff can quickly spot and clean a dropped wine glass. But during an emergency evacuation, a mass of fleeing attendees could knock over tables or drop glasses, leaving dangerous shards of glass underfoot (www.national-accident-helpline.co.uk). These shards can cause serious cuts and trip hazards at the worst possible time. Some large music festivals avoid this risk entirely by banning glass on site, since broken bottles have caused injuries in the past. While banning glass may not be feasible at a wine festival (given the event’s very purpose!), you can reduce risks by providing shatterproof acrylic wine glasses or encouraging attendees to leave their glassware behind if an alarm sounds. Ensure your staff instructs guests firmly (but calmly) to set down any glass bottles or cups during an evacuation. It’s better to lose a few glasses than to have someone cut their foot while evacuating.

• Tented Areas: Many wine festivals feature large marquee tents – for tastings, VIP lounges, or vendor booths. It’s human nature for people to seek shelter under tents in an emergency like heavy rain or lightning, but a tent is not a safe refuge in severe weather (intentsmag.com). In fact, high winds can collapse tents, and tents offer no protection from fire or lightning. Festival producers must plan to get everyone out of tents quickly in a crisis. Make sure every big tent has multiple clearly marked exits (with illuminated exit signs if possible) and keep the tent aisles and egress routes unobstructed. Do not allow vendor setups or furniture to block tent exit flaps. Train security or volunteers to direct people out and away from tents if, for example, a storm makes it unsafe to remain inside. Also consider in your risk assessment that a tent itself could become part of the hazard (as seen when stage tents collapsed in past events due to weather). Always have a backup shelter plan – if permanent buildings are nearby (like a winery facility or visitor center), know how to guide attendees there; if not, designate an open muster area far from any structures or trees.

• Propane and Open Flames: Gourmet food and wine pairings are a highlight of many festivals. This often means on-site cooking at vendor stalls, which might involve propane tanks, grills, or generators. These are necessary but pose a significant fire and explosion risk. All propane tanks should be secured upright and away from high-traffic public areas even during normal operations. When mapping evacuation routes, be very conscious of where these fuel sources are. Never direct a stream of evacuees past the cooking area or propane storage if you can avoid it. For instance, if your food court is on one side of the venue, plan primary exits on the opposite side so that crowds don’t funnel past a potential explosion hazard. A real-world example illustrates why: at an event in Chicago, a catering tent caught fire and caused a propane tank to explode, injuring a staff member (www.nbcchicago.com). It’s easy to imagine how badly that could have ended if hundreds of attendees had been nearby. So keep propane well away from evac routes and have trained staff (outfitted with fire extinguishers) assigned to that area. In an emergency, shut off propane valves immediately if it’s safe to do so, and consider evacuating people upwind of any fire (to avoid smoke) and away from fuel.

• Alcohol and Attendee Demeanour: While not a physical hazard like glass or fire, remember that at a wine festival many attendees will be a bit inebriated or older (wine events often attract an older demographic compared to, say, EDM festivals). This can slow down response times and requires a calm, clear approach to instructions. Intoxicated guests might not immediately grasp the urgency or could conversely overreact in panic. Plan for your security teams to gently assist those who need help walking and to keep everyone moving in the right direction. If your crowd includes elderly wine connoisseurs or families with children, factor that into evacuation timing – they may need extra time and guidance.

Designing Safe Evacuation Routes

Route planning is the heart of festival evacuation strategy. Long before the festival day, you should walk the venue and design at least two or three evacuation routes that can swiftly move people to safety. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Map Multiple Exit Pathways: Avoid having a single “choke point” exit. Attendees should ideally have several exit choices leading to safe assembly areas. Study your site map for wide pathways or gates that can serve as exits. If your wine festival is in an open field or vineyard, you may even use perimeter fencing gates or service roads as emergency exits. Mark all these on an evacuation map. Never rely on just the main entrance for evacuation – that’s a recipe for crowd crush. The tragic Love Parade disaster in 2010 showed how deadly a bottleneck can become, when a single tunnel entrance led to a fatal crowd crush. Learn from such failures: always provide ample exit capacity.

2. Avoid Hazard Zones: As noted, route people away from hazards. That means your plan might intentionally zigzag around the wine tasting tent or the generator farm rather than straight through. For example, if there’s a large glassware washing station or bar in the center, don’t direct guests through that area – one slip could send racks of glasses crashing. Similarly, if a small fire started in the kitchen zone, you don’t want evacuees running past it. You can use barriers and signage to block unsafe routes and funnel people toward safer ground. Always have an alternate route in mind too, in case your first choice path is blocked by the incident (for instance, if a fire breaks out near one exit, use your Plan B route). Post evacuation route maps around the venue and backstage for staff, so everyone is familiar with them ahead of time.

3. Clear and Maintain Paths: Once you identify an evacuation path, keep it clear during the event. This sounds obvious, but in the rush of festival setup, exit paths often get cluttered with vendor boxes, parked carts, or crowds of people. Assign a safety officer to do periodic “exit route walkthroughs” during the festival, ensuring no obstacles. Instruct vendors that absolutely nothing (no cases of wine, no trash bins) should ever block an exit gate or path. Also, anticipate ground conditions – if you’re directing people out through a grass field, what if it rains and that field becomes mud? Consider laying down temporary mats or slip-resistant material on key routes if weather is a concern. Good lighting is crucial too: install lighting and EXIT signs along routes if your event goes into the evening (burningsandsfestival.com) (burningsandsfestival.com). People can’t move calmly if they’re groping in the dark or unsure of the path.

4. Transportation and Assembly Points: Once people exit, where do they go? Identify safe assembly areas far from the festival structures – perhaps a parking lot or an open space well beyond the tents and stages. Make sure these areas are away from hazards (for example, not downwind of a propane area). Coordinate with local emergency services on these locations; often, police or firefighters will meet evacuees there. For larger festivals, also plan how buses or cars will be managed if everyone needs to leave the site at once. Work with traffic authorities if you might evacuate onto public roads. The exit route doesn’t end at the gate – you have to ensure people can actually disperse safely once they’re out.

5. Accessibility: Remember that evacuation routes must accommodate people with disabilities. If you have guests in wheelchairs or on crutches (or even just folks who’ve had a few too many tastings!), you need routes that are as flat and smooth as possible. If your festival is on a farm with uneven terrain, identify the most accessible path (even if it’s a bit longer) for those who need it, and assign staff to assist. Make sure ADA exits are clearly marked and communicated.

Managing Tented Venues During Emergencies

Tents deserve special attention in evacuation planning. As noted earlier, tents are not storm-safe shelters (intentsmag.com), and they can even turn into hazards themselves. Here’s how to manage tented areas:

• Weather Monitoring: The best evacuation is the one you prevent. Keep an eagle eye on weather forecasts and have a weather monitoring system (such as a lightning detector and weather alerts) if your festival is outdoors. If high winds or lightning are forecast, be prepared to proactively evacuate tent areas before the situation becomes critical. For instance, the organizers of a large open-air festival might decide to pause the event and move everyone to shelter if lightning is within a certain radius. It is far safer to calmly evacuate tents 20 minutes early than to wait until a gale-force wind is ripping them apart.

• Structural Inspections: Ensure all tents are professionally installed and secured with proper ballasting/stakes. Have an engineer or experienced tent crew chief sign off that each big tent can withstand expected wind loads. However, even a well-built tent has limits. Know those limits (they should be in the tent specs) and don’t exceed them – if winds approach dangerous levels, get people out. After the Indiana State Fair stage roof collapse in 2011 (which killed several people when a storm hit a temporary structure) (intentsmag.com), many festivals adopted more stringent rules on evacuating at the first sign of extreme weather. Don’t hesitate to pull the plug if a storm is bearing down.

• No Camping Under Tents: For multi-day wine and food festivals, sometimes attendees might camp on-site or linger in tents overnight. Institute a rule that nobody should sleep in large event tents, because if an emergency happens at night (fire, storm, etc.), sleeping people are much harder to alert and evacuate. Use small camping tents in designated camping areas for overnight stays instead, and keep big marquees off-limits after closing hours.

• Fire Safety in Tents: Treat tents like buildings for fire code purposes. Use flame-retardant materials, and never allow open flames inside tents unless absolutely necessary (and if so, have fire extinguishers and trained staff right there). A small fire in a tent can spread faster than in a building, because the whole structure is fabric. If a tent does catch fire, your priority is swift evacuation – do not try to fight a large tent fire without training. Make sure your festival’s emergency plan spells out that once a tent evacuation is called, staff should sweep the tent quickly, then leave and let firefighters handle it. Practice how fast you can empty a tent – it should be a matter of a minute or two for a big one if exit paths are clear.

• Rendezvous Points: After evacuating a tent, direct people where to go (e.g., “please move to the grassy field north of the parking lot”). You don’t want evacuees milling around right outside the tent entrance, especially if there’s a risk the tent could collapse or materials could blow. Create distance.

Communication and Conducting Calm Drills

Even the best route plans are useless if nobody knows about them or if chaos erupts during execution. Effective communication is the linchpin of a calm evacuation. Here’s how to ensure everyone keeps cool and follows the plan:

• Emergency Announcements: Plan out exactly how you will communicate an evacuation order to attendees. Most festivals use a Public Address (PA) system or stage microphone to make a clear announcement. Design a simple script for this in advance. It should briefly state what people need to do and where to go, without causing panic. For example: “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. We need to pause the festival due to an emergency. Please proceed calmly to the nearest exit and follow staff directions. Do not run.” Avoid using trigger words like “bomb” or “attack” over the PA – if it’s a security issue, use a code word or just say emergency. The key is to sound calm and authoritative. If the person on the mic is frantic, the crowd will be frantic. Consider having a performer or host with a soothing voice make the announcement (as happened at one festival where the artist on stage, Janet Jackson, calmly reassured the crowd after a scare (time.com)). A confident voice can truly steady a panicked audience.

• Visual Cues and Signage: Not everyone will hear a PA announcement if they’re far away or if there’s noise. Always supplement audio with visual signals. This could be staff or security guards actively gesturing and directing people toward exits (high-visibility vests help identify them), or flashing strobe lights that signal an emergency (common in indoor venues). Electronic message boards can also display evacuation instructions if you have them. Exit signs should be highly visible, especially inside tents or indoor spaces, so people instinctively know which way to head (burningsandsfestival.com).

• Use of Technology: Leverage any technology at your disposal. For instance, if your ticketing platform or event app can send push notifications or texts to attendees, have a preset emergency message ready to blast out. Something like “Emergency at Festival – follow staff to exit. Proceed to parking area. Stay calm and safe.” Many attendees will check their phones if they see others moving suddenly, so an alert can reinforce official instructions (just be mindful not everyone will get it in time). Social media can also be used to give instructions or updates, as long as doing so doesn’t spread confusion. In a contained event site, focus first on on-site communication (PA, staff) and then use social channels to inform those off-site or coming later.

• Staff Training and Roles: Your staff and volunteers are your biggest asset in an evacuation. Train them in their specific roles during an emergency. Who is responsible for killing the sound and music on stage (to make announcements audible)? Who grabs the medical kit? Who helps mobility-impaired guests? Every staff member should know: 1) the evacuation routes, 2) the assembly points, and 3) their duty (for example, “Gate A ushers direct people down Main Street and prevent vehicles from coming in”). Conduct a briefing with all staff on the morning of the festival about these procedures. It can help to give pocket-sized cards or leaflets to staff with the emergency plan highlights.

• Drills and Simulations: While you likely won’t conduct a full evacuation drill with attendees (logistically impractical and could alarm people), you absolutely should drill your staff and do tabletop exercises. In the weeks before the festival, run a scenario-based drill or two (burningsandsfestival.com) with the core team. For example, simulate a small fire breaking out in the food tent: walk through who calls 911, who activates the PA, who guides which crowd out which exit, and where fire extinguishers are. You can even have staff physically practice moving to their positions and opening exit gates. These rehearsals ingrain a calm, muscle-memory response so that if the real thing happens, your team reacts like second nature. Music festivals and sports events often do this with their security each year. As a festival organiser, make the drill serious but also encourage questions and feedback from staff – they might notice a flaw in the plan that you can fix before showtime.

• Keeping Calm Under Pressure: Emphasise a culture of calm in your training. Remind staff that they set the tone for attendees. If security or volunteers stay composed, smile, and firmly guide people, the crowd will follow cues. Conversely, if staff look scared or start yelling, attendees will sense that and panic can spread. One way to foster calm is to assign experienced, cool-headed individuals to be the ones initiating the evacuation announcements and leading key choke points. Crowd psychology research shows that people tend to mirror the mood of those leading them. As the saying goes, “Keep calm and carry on” – your team should embody that in an emergency.

• Two-Way Communication: Also set up a reliable internal communication channel (like radios on a dedicated emergency channel) so that your team can coordinate. An evacuation might not be all-at-once; you could have one area that needs clearing while others are on standby. Knowing exactly what’s happening (e.g., “propane leak near vendor row, we are clearing that zone first”) helps managers make informed decisions and announcements. It also lets different departments (security, medical, production, parking) sync up their efforts. Miscommunication can lead to blunders – for instance, you don’t want a situation where one gate’s staff is telling people to go left while another says go right and they collide. Drill your team on radio protocol and ensure backups (like runners or hand signals) in case radios fail.

Real-Life Lessons: Successes and Close Calls

Learning from real festivals can be incredibly valuable. Here are a few scenarios and takeaways from events around the world:

• Tomorrowland Unite (Spain, 2017) – Textbook Evacuation: At this electronic music festival in Barcelona, a massive stage fire forced an evacuation of over 22,000 people. Thanks to fast response and a solid plan, authorities cleared tens of thousands of attendees quickly and without any injuries (indianexpress.com). Organizers later credited the efficient work of emergency services and prior planning for the safe outcome. The key lesson here is that even huge crowds can be evacuated unharmed if you have well-marked exits, professional staff, and cooperation with local authorities. Imagine the alternative if they hadn’t planned – a fire in a crowded area can be a disaster, but in this case everyone walked out safely. Use this as inspiration: no matter how large or small your event, aim for that level of preparedness.

• Global Citizen Festival (USA, 2018) – The Danger of Panic: This large concert in New York’s Central Park wasn’t evacuated due to a real threat, but a false alarm triggered chaos. A falling barrier made a loud sound that many thought was gunfire, and mass panic ensued (time.com). People ran in all directions, some climbing fences and suffering minor injuries, because they feared an active shooter. The situation was brought under control only after artists and officials urged the crowd to calm down, explaining it was a false alarm. The takeaway for festival producers is clear: panic can be as dangerous as any real hazard. You must design your emergency comms to prevent panic. If you ever need to evacuate due to a perceived threat, be sure to quickly give reassuring, clear information. For example, if something loud happens (like an explosion of a generator or a burst balloon that sounds like a gunshot), immediately announce “Attention, there is no danger, please remain calm” if you confirm no threat. Speed matters – the longer people are confused, the more rumors spread. Additionally, this incident shows why having ample exits and removing bottlenecks is vital: a panicked crowd will evacuate itself even if you don’t tell them to, so make sure they can get out without injury.

• Propane Tent Fire (USA, 2018) – Isolating Hazards: We mentioned earlier the case of a sponsor’s tent catching fire at a charity event in Chicago, which led to a propane tank explosion (www.nbcchicago.com). Only one person was hurt, but it could have been much worse. The lesson for festival planners is to keep hazardous equipment away from crowds and have fire response tools handy. If you store spare propane tanks, do it in a cordoned-off service area, not behind a food stall next to patrons. Also, brief your vendors: no one should change propane canisters or refuel generators when the public is around, except with proper precautions and preferably when crowds are lighter. If, say, a food vendor needs to swap a propane tank in the evening, maybe do it before the dinner rush or with a staff fire marshal watching. It’s these small protocols that prevent big accidents.

• Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (Argentina) – Safety Over Show: One of the world’s most famous wine festivals is Argentina’s National Grape Harvest Festival in Mendoza. In 2020, during rehearsals for the festival’s big show, there were freak accidents – a lighting rig and a crane fell (with no audience present) causing the organizers to postpone the main event for safety inspections. They made it clear that it was not worth continuing the show at any price, reinforcing that safety comes before the show. Always be ready to make the tough call to delay or cancel a portion of your festival if you discover a serious safety issue. Your audience might be disappointed in the moment, but they will definitely understand that safety was the priority. In Mendoza, the decision to fix the staging infrastructure before letting the public in potentially averted a major disaster. For your festival, this means doing thorough site checks (from stage stability to tent stakes) and not being afraid to hit the pause button if something’s not up to standard.

• Community Events and Local Knowledge: In smaller wine regions, festivals often rely on local community volunteers and knowledge for safety. For example, in rural Australia’s Barossa Valley or New Zealand’s Marlborough wine festival, organisers work closely with local volunteer fire brigades and paramedics who know the area. They might station a fire truck on-site or have an ambulance crew ready, and these local teams often participate in pre-event planning. Tapping into community resources can greatly enhance your emergency response. Local police or firefighters might point out, for instance, that a particular exit route floods when it rains, or that a certain open field is the safest evacuation spot. Engage with them – invite them to walk the site with you pre-event. Some festivals even involve local residents in planning: for instance, a town might arrange for a church hall to serve as the evacuation shelter if a festival in the town square goes awry. When you show this kind of community collaboration, it not only improves safety but also earns goodwill.

Working with Authorities and Compliance

No festival is an island – you must coordinate with external authorities for a successful evacuation plan. Seasoned festival producers emphasise building strong relationships with emergency services and regulators:

• Early and Regular Coordination: As soon as you begin planning your wine festival, loop in the relevant authorities – typically local police, fire department, medical services, and the venue owners or city officials. Share your preliminary safety and evacuation plan and invite their input. These officials may have requirements you must follow, such as a minimum number of exits per number of people, or a mandated width for fire lanes. Review local fire codes and regulations carefully; they often require things like visible alarm signals, posted evacuation plans, and adherence to occupancy limits (skylinetentcompany.com). Compliance isn’t just red tape – it’s about keeping people safe and insulating you from liability. In many countries, getting an event permit will require submitting an Emergency Action Plan or similar documentation. Do the homework and incorporate all legal safety requirements into your plan.

• Safety Inspections: Expect that fire marshals or safety inspectors will come to check your site before or during the event. If you’ve coordinated well, this is a positive – they’ll verify that your exits are clear, your extinguishers and first aid are in place, etc. Address any issues they raise immediately. It’s wise to have a safety officer on your team do a mock inspection using a checklist (for example, ensuring all “No Smoking” signs around propane, making sure electrical cables are safely run). Catching these before the officials do means a smoother festival.

• Onsite Emergency Presence: Work out with authorities if they will station personnel on-site on the day. For larger festivals, having an incident command post with police, fire, and medical reps all together can hugely streamline decision-making if something happens. This is common in big events – all the key players sit in a control room watching CCTV and weather radar, ready to act. For a smaller wine festival, you might at least have an off-duty police officer hired for security or a couple of EMTs on standby. Introduce them to your team and ensure they know the layout. In a crisis, they become your best partners – defer to their expertise and let them take charge of aspects like crowd control or triage, while you (the organiser) focus on implementing the event plan (like announcements and logistics).

• Communication with Authorities: Establish a clear line of communication (like a direct phone or radio channel) between the festival command and city emergency dispatch. If you call for an evacuation because of, say, a bomb threat, you want the police to already know what’s going on as you call it. In some jurisdictions, you can hire private emergency management consultants or use systems that tie into local emergency alert networks. However, be cautious with that – over-broadcasting a public evacuation alert beyond the immediate threat zone can trigger a “shadow evacuation” of people who aren’t really in danger (wildfiretoday.com), potentially leading to traffic jams and hampering first responders. Coordinate so that any public alerts go to the right people.

• Permits and Capacity: Stick to the permitted capacity of your event. Exceeding crowd numbers is a recipe for evacuation problems – more people than planned means routes may not handle the load. Also, check if your liquor license or event permit has specific safety conditions (some places require a certain number of security per X attendees, etc.). By working closely with local authorities (fire, police, medical) and showing that you take safety seriously, you ensure all bases are covered. Officials will appreciate an organiser who prioritises safety, and may even assign extra resources to help you if needed.

Scaling Plans for Any Size of Festival

Whether you’re producing a quaint regional wine fair for 500 people or a sprawling wine and music festival for 50,000, the principles of evacuation planning scale up and down:

• Small Events: At a smaller boutique wine festival (say a weekend event at a winery or a local park), the setting might be more intimate but you still need a plan. With fewer attendees, you might only need a couple of exits and a basic assembly point. Your team might be smaller, so assign multiple roles to staff (the parking volunteer might double as the emergency exit guide). Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “small = safe” – even a few hundred panicked people can cause a tragedy in the wrong conditions. The advantage of small events is easier communication (you might even be able to verbally announce to the whole crowd without special equipment). Use that closeness to your benefit: if there’s an issue, quickly get on a microphone or even a megaphone and give directions. Small festivals often rely on community emergency plans – for example, the local town might have a siren or a volunteer firefighting unit. Integrate with those. Practice a quick staff huddle drill: can you get all workers informed and positioned in 2 minutes? Test it.

• Large Events: For a large-scale wine festival, perhaps one that’s part of a city’s annual tourism calendar, you’ll have multiple stakeholders and more complex logistics. Here you should create a detailed Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) document covering various scenarios (fire, weather, medical emergency, security threat, etc.) and specific responses. Large festivals benefit from professional security companies, on-site medical tents, and advanced tools like crowd density monitoring and PA systems with pre-recorded emergency messages in multiple languages (if you have an international audience). You might also consider color-coding zones on your site and having zone-specific evacuation plans; e.g., “if something happens in Zone A (the cellar tasting room), Zone A evacuates via Gate 1 and Gate 2, while Zone B and C hold in place until clear.” This prevents wholesale panic if only part of the site is affected. Large wine festivals, such as those in major cities or wine regions (think the Bordeaux Wine Festival in France or Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in Australia), often attract tourists who may not speak the local language fluently, so pictorial signage and multilingual staff or announcements can be important in an evacuation. Also, big festivals should utilize ticketing data – for instance, knowing exactly how many people are on site at any moment (via scan counts) helps when coordinating with emergency services or doing post-evacuation headcounts. If 10,000 tickets were scanned in, you aim to have 10,000 out at the assembly area.

• Different Audiences: Tailor your approach to who is attending. A younger, festival-party crowd might respond well to very direct instructions and loud clear alarm signals, whereas an older, wine aficionado crowd might appreciate a softer tone and guidance like “take your time, watch your step.” Families with kids will need extra assurance (“stay with your group, don’t rush”). If you know, for example, that a large contingent of your attendees are international tourists (common at famous wine events), ensure that critical emergency info is available in common languages (maybe have some bilingual staff or printed emergency info in the program). While planning, consider doing a brief pre-event communication to attendees about safety: some festivals put a page in the program or a sign at entry that says “Welcome! Please note the emergency exits are located [here]. In any emergency, follow instructions from staff and stay calm.” It sets expectations that you have a plan and primes people to listen if needed.

Ticketing and Attendee Notification Tools

Modern festivals can take advantage of their ticketing and technology platforms to aid in emergency management:

• Attendee Contact Lists: Your ticketing system (such as Ticket Fairy) holds valuable contact information for attendees. If you have to evacuate and possibly not resume the event (say a day is canceled due to extreme weather or an accident), you can use the platform to quickly send out emails or texts to all ticket holders with updates. For example, if Day 2 of the wine festival is canceled after a big storm evacuation on Day 1, an email blast through Ticket Fairy can inform everyone about refunds or rescheduling, keeping your customer relations smooth even in crisis. During an active emergency, you might use this channel to issue instructions if feasible (“We have evacuated the event due to an incident. Please do not attempt to re-enter the site until all-clear is given. Check our Twitter for live updates.”).

• Real-Time Capacity Tracking: Some advanced ticketing or gate systems allow you to see how many people are currently inside the venue. This is extremely helpful for first responders – if you can tell the fire department “we have 4,500 attendees on-site and 500 staff,” they know the scale of evacuation. It also helps when ending the evacuation: accountability. In an ideal scenario, you’d account for everyone at the assembly area (practically, that’s hard, but you might at least notice if a large group is missing). Digital scanning data from Ticket Fairy’s entry system, for instance, can give you a ballpark count to reconcile with gate clickers or manual counts.

• Communication Apps and Power Outages: Many festivals now use mobile apps or cashless wristbands for transactions and information. Keep in mind that in some emergencies (like a power failure or IT outage), those systems might go down. Have a contingency to still communicate even if Wi-Fi is out. Sometimes old-fashioned solutions like bullhorns or printed signs at exits are the reliable fallback. If your event app has an offline mode for displaying maps, encourage attendees to download the event info to their phone beforehand – then even without connectivity, they could open the map and see where the exits are.

• Public Relations and Social Media: After an evacuation, one of the first things attendees do is pull out their phones and check social media or messages to figure out what’s going on. Assign someone on your team to immediately post an official statement on your festival’s social media in case of an evacuation (“We are experiencing an emergency at the festival and are evacuating as a precaution. Please remain calm and follow staff directions. Further updates to come.”). This not only informs those on site (if they get signal), but also friends/family or media who will see it. It helps prevent misinformation. If your ticketing platform integrates social media promotions, you might also push notifications that way. The key is to control the narrative with factual, calm information.

• Ticket Scanning on Re-entry: If the emergency is resolved and you can let attendees back in (for instance, a brief evacuation for a passing lightning storm), plan how you’ll manage re-entry. Many will have their tickets scanned already. Using a ticketing system that supports pause and resume for events is helpful – Ticket Fairy, for example, can verify if someone already checked in so you’re not double counting, or you can issue a one-time wristband that allows exit and re-entry smoothly without new scanning. These logistics matter to avoid a secondary crowd jam at the gates after the all-clear.

Throughout all this tech, remember: technology should support your safety plan, not replace it. Fancy tools are great, but they don’t absolve you from the basics of crowd management, good training, and common-sense safety measures.

Key Takeaways

• Identify and Mitigate Hazards: Know the unique risks at your wine festival – especially broken glass, tents, and propane. Take steps in advance (like using shatterproof cups or isolating fuel sources) to lessen these dangers.

• Plan Clear Evacuation Routes: Map out multiple exit paths that avoid hazardous areas. Keep those routes wide, well-lit, signed, and free of obstacles at all times.

• Coordinate with Experts: Follow all safety regulations (skylinetentcompany.com) and work closely with local authorities (fire, police, etc.) to align your plans with official protocols.

• Train Your Team: A plan on paper isn’t enough – train staff and volunteers on exactly what to do in different emergencies. Conduct drills and simulations so that everyone reacts calmly and efficiently (burningsandsfestival.com).

• Communicate Calmly: In a crisis, use PA announcements, signage, and staff instructions to guide attendees. Keep messages clear and calm to prevent panic. Prompt communication can stop confusion (remember the Global Citizen example of panic in the absence of info).

• Learn from Others: Study past festival incidents and successes – from fires handled smoothly (indianexpress.com) to chaotic evacuations – to improve your own plans. Adjust your strategies based on real lessons learned, and continuously update your emergency plan after each event with any new insights.

• Audience & Scale Matter: Tailor your evacuation and safety measures to the crowd size and demographics. Smaller events need plans too, while large events require detailed coordination and perhaps zone-by-zone approaches. Always consider attendees with special needs in your planning.

• Leverage Ticketing & Tech: Use your ticketing platform (like Ticket Fairy) and other tech tools for safety communications and logistics. Maintain an attendee count, and be ready to message ticket holders if needed. But also have low-tech backups in case of power or signal loss.

• Put Safety First (Always): Ultimately, no festival element – band, wine tasting, or schedule – is more important than safety. Be prepared to delay or cancel activities if something seems unsafe. Your patrons will respect a festival that clearly values their well-being.

By heeding these points, the next generation of festival producers can ensure that their wine festivals are not only memorable and fun, but also examples of safety done right. With thorough preparation, community collaboration, and a calm, capable team, you can handle whatever surprises come your way – and keep the glasses clinking again another day, safely.