Festivals are live, unpredictable events – especially wine festivals, where celebration and hospitality flow as freely as the vintages. Yet even the best-organised wine festival can face sudden challenges that threaten its reputation. From a guest having one drink too many, to an unexpected storm rolling through the vineyards, to neighbours upset about noise or traffic – crises come in many forms. The mark of a seasoned festival organiser is how well they prepare for and handle these moments. Effective crisis communication – backed by thoughtful planning, pre-written statements, and clear escalation protocols – will keep your wine festival credible and your attendees (and community) on your side even under stress.
Planning Ahead: Crisis Communication Foundations
Every festival producer knows that the worst time to plan for a crisis is during the crisis itself. Preparation is key. Before your wine festival gates open, assemble a crisis response plan covering likely scenarios – be it overservice (over-intoxicated guests), severe weather, medical emergencies, or community complaints. Map out an escalation tree: a clear chain of command for decision-making and communications. For example, if a minor incident occurs (like a guest illness), on-site staff handle it and inform the floor manager; if it’s more serious (an accident or public disturbance), it escalates to the festival director and safety officer, who may involve authorities and the PR lead. This way, everyone knows who to call and how information flows when seconds count.
Just as important are pre-written crisis statements – sometimes called “holding statements” – for various scenarios. Draft templates for issues you might face: an apology and action plan if a video of an overserved guest misbehaving goes viral, a weather cancellation notice that emphasises safety and refund details, or a response to neighbourhood noise complaints. Having these statements ready (to be fine-tuned with specifics when needed) saves precious time and ensures your messaging is calm, clear, and consistent. Make sure to review these drafts with your team, legal advisors, and any key stakeholders (sponsors, venue owners) ahead of time, so everyone is aligned.
In crisis mode, communication must be early, frequent, and in the right channels. Don’t go silent and hope an issue blows over – it won’t. If attendees are voicing concerns on Facebook or Instagram, make sure your team is there too – posting timely updates and answering questions on those same platforms. Your plan should include a list of official channels (social media accounts, festival app, email blasts via your ticketing platform, PA announcements on-site) and who is responsible for updating each. For instance, designate one team member to push urgent SMS/email alerts to all ticket holders – a feature made easy if you’re using a robust ticketing partner like Ticket Fairy, which allows direct, real-time messaging to attendees. Wherever your audience is looking for answers, you need to be present and responsive.
Overserving Dilemmas: Managing Alcohol and Reputation
Wine festivals are joyous celebrations of food and drink – but too much celebration can quickly turn into a PR nightmare. An overserved guest (one who has been allowed to drink past the point of intoxication) not only poses safety risks, but can damage your event’s image if incidents occur. Preventing and handling overservice is therefore a top priority for any festival organiser dealing with alcohol.
Prevention starts with strong policies and staff training. Many wine festivals implement concrete measures to avoid overserving. For example, the Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival in South Africa sets strict rules for vendors: never serve alcohol to anyone showing signs of intoxication, use small tasting pours (their glasses have a 50 ml fill line), and cut off all alcohol service by a set time before festival close. They even employ a token system to limit the total number of tastings each guest can redeem, and provide plenty of free water and food to keep people hydrated and fed (www.pnpwineandfoodfestival.co.za). Similarly, many events require all pourers and bar staff to be certified in responsible alcohol service (such as a TIPS or RSA certification) and brief them to politely but firmly refuse service to impaired guests. The goal is to show due diligence in keeping attendees safe – and to greatly reduce the chance of an alcohol-related incident.
Despite best efforts, you should prepare for overservice-related incidents. Have on-site medical teams or first aid ready to assist anyone who’s had too much. If an attendee does become heavily intoxicated and causes a disturbance (or worse, needs medical help), handle it swiftly and discreetly – but also plan to address it publicly if necessary. For instance, if video of a drunken brawl at your wine festival surfaces online, you might issue a statement expressing regret, outlining the safety measures in place, and any steps taken (e.g. “the individuals were removed by security and paramedics responded immediately”). Show that you take the matter seriously and reinforce your festival’s commitment to responsible enjoyment. It’s wise to mention any partnerships or initiatives you have (such as free shuttle buses or ride-hail discounts to prevent drunk driving, or a booth for a responsible drinking advocacy group) to underscore proactiveness.
Reputation management in these cases hinges on tone. Be careful not to sound defensive. If neighbours or press report that your festival became a booze-fuelled chaos, a defensive denial will ring hollow. Instead, acknowledge the concerns and highlight your actions. Consider a real-world example: at one New York winery’s event, neighbours complained about patrons “vomiting, [and]invading our properties,” while the winery’s initial response was to insist it was “in full compliance with all laws” (www.insideedition.com). That reaction felt tone-deaf to the community’s frustrations. A better approach would be to apologise for any nuisance caused, affirm a zero-tolerance policy for misbehaviour, and announce new measures (more toilets, clearer property boundaries, increased security patrols) to prevent reoccurrence. By showing empathy to those affected while taking responsibility, you can turn a potential reputation hit into an opportunity to demonstrate accountability.
Lastly, don’t overlook the legal and regulatory angle. Overservice can lead to fines or loss of your liquor licence if authorities find you negligent. Stay in close contact with local licensing boards and law enforcement; let them know your precautions ahead of time and keep them in the loop if an incident happens. This transparency builds trust and can go a long way in preserving your festival’s credibility with both officials and the public.
Acts of God: Weather Emergencies and Your Response
Outdoor festivals live at the mercy of the elements. Weather is one of the most common disruptors for events – from sudden downpours and lightning storms to extreme heat or high winds. A wine festival held at a picturesque vineyard or an open field must have a robust weather contingency plan, not only for safety but for maintaining public goodwill.
Monitoring and contingency planning are your first lines of defence. Invest in reliable weather forecasting services; for large festivals, consider having a meteorologist on call. Set specific decision triggers in advance: for example, “If lightning is detected within 10 miles, we will pause the event and instruct guests to shelter.” Know the thresholds for wind that would require stage or tent evacuation. Identify shelter areas or evacuation routes on your site map and train your staff on them. In regions prone to certain hazards – say, hurricanes in the Caribbean or intense monsoon rains in Southeast Asia – schedule your festival in a safer season or ensure your infrastructure (tents, stages, electrical setups) can withstand those conditions.
Sometimes, despite all planning, cancellation or evacuation becomes the only safe option. How you communicate this can make or break your festival’s reputation. If you need to call off an event or clear the site for safety, announce it immediately on all channels (stage PA, social media, text alerts, emails) with a concise message: what’s happening, what attendees should do, and (if known) what comes next. Emphasise that your priority is attendee safety – most reasonable people will understand, especially if you communicate early. A notable example is the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Tennessee: in 2018, heavy rain turned the grounds to mud and the two-day festival was cancelled just a few hours after it began. Attendees were understandably disappointed, but imagine if organisers had hesitated – the situation could have been far worse. One communications professional who experienced that event noted the importance of being prepared with a crisis plan and acting fast: “Have a plan that is documented and reviewed by the stakeholders who will need to take action. The best time to plan for a crisis is not when you are in a crisis” (www.forbes.com). In other words, know beforehand who decides a weather shutdown and how you’ll tell everyone.
Multi-channel communication during weather crises is vital. If ticket-holders are stuck in their cars or sheltering in a tent, they’ll be checking phones and social media. Push out updates frequently – even if it’s “We’re assessing the situation, next update in 30 minutes.” During that rainout in Tennessee, many attendees were glued to Facebook and Twitter for news. Organisers ultimately jumped onto those same platforms to deliver real-time updates, rather than trying to redirect fans to another channel. By being present in the conversation, you demonstrate accountability. Make sure your staff or volunteers are also circulating on the ground with megaphones or personal communication to help direct guests if tech fails.
After the immediate emergency, follow-through is the next test of your reputation management. Do you offer refunds or rain-check tickets for another day? Waiving parking fees or giving a discount code for next year can show good faith. If the festival is annual, post a sincere thank-you and apology to attendees for their patience, perhaps accompanied by photos or stories of how everyone pulled together. One bad weather day doesn’t have to tarnish your festival’s image – many iconic festivals (from Glastonbury in the UK slogging through mud, to outdoor concerts in tropical Singapore sweating through heat) have built a kind of legend around overcoming weather with the right spirit. Your job is to ensure that even if things didn’t go as planned, people remember how well you handled it. The core message should be: safety first, and we’re all in this together.
Neighbours and Noise: Community Relations in Crisis
Most wine festivals take place in close-knit communities – maybe a quaint wine-making town, a farming region, or even a city neighbourhood. The local community can be your biggest ally or your biggest headache. Building a good neighbour rapport is critical to head off crises and maintain your festival’s credibility on the home front.
Community engagement starts long before the festival weekend. Proactive organisers meet with local residents and authorities during the planning stages. They distribute flyers or hold town hall meetings to inform neighbours about event dates, road closures, expected noise levels, and whom to contact with concerns. Offering small gestures can turn skeptics into supporters: some festivals give nearby residents free or discounted tickets, or make a donation to a local charity or school as a thank-you for the community’s support. For example, the world-famous Glastonbury Festival in England donates a portion of its profits to local villages around its site (www.theguardian.com). Such goodwill gestures pay off when it comes time to discuss permits or the occasional complaint.
Despite best efforts, neighbour complaints can still arise – noise, litter, traffic jams, or rowdy attendee behaviour spilling beyond the festival grounds. The key is to respond quickly and respectfully. Many festivals set up a dedicated hotline or liaison for residents during the event. In London’s Finsbury Park, Community Festival organisers publish a phone hotline for locals to call if they experience any disturbance, staffed throughout the event (even late into the night) so issues can be addressed in real time (communityfestival.london). Empower a member of your team to be the “Community Liaison” on show days, tasked with answering these calls or even visiting an upset neighbour directly to defuse a situation.
If a neighbourhood issue escalates – say a viral social media post by a local resident complaining about festival-goers trespassing or making noise – treat it as seriously as any other PR crisis. Acknowledge their experience and outline what you’ll do to fix it. Sometimes a public apology and a private gesture (like sending a cleaning crew to a street that got trashed, or giving that neighbour a VIP winery tour later as goodwill) can turn a negative story into a demonstration of your festival’s values. Never underestimate how quickly local bad press can spread. A single angry community blog or letter to the editor can sway public sentiment, or worse, influence city officials who approve your permits.
What about long-term reputation in the community? Consistency is key. If you promise the town that music will end by 10 PM, then stick religiously to that curfew – even if the headline band begs to play one more song. Festivals like Napa’s BottleRock have famously cut the power on performers at the strict cutoff time, prioritising their agreements with neighbours and the city. It might upset a few fans in the moment, but it earns trust locally. Likewise, implement strong cleanup operations so the streets and vineyards are spotless by the next morning, and report back to the community on how you managed safety and noise. In taking care of your neighbours, you reinforce that your festival isn’t just there to profit off the locale – it’s becoming part of the community fabric, even in challenging moments.
Key Takeaways
- Have a Plan (and Write It Down): Don’t wing it. Create a detailed crisis communication plan with assigned roles, an escalation chain, and pre-drafted statements for likely scenarios. Review it with your team and partners before the festival.
- Safety and Empathy First: In any crisis – a medical emergency from overservice, a weather evacuation, or a neighbour dispute – show genuine concern for people’s safety and feelings. Let that priority guide your decisions and messaging.
- Act Fast and Communicate Often: Be the first to inform your audience about issues and do it frequently. Use every channel available (PA announcements, social media, emails, texts) to keep attendees and stakeholders in the loop with up-to-the-minute information.
- Train Your Team for Crises: Make sure staff and volunteers know how to spot problems (like an intoxicated guest or incoming storm) and whom to notify. Conduct briefings or drills so that when something goes wrong, everyone executes the plan rather than panicking.
- Engage the Local Community: Treat your neighbours as key stakeholders. Communicate early, honor commitments (noise, curfews, cleanup), and have a way for locals to reach you during the event. A supportive community can defend your festival in tough times, but an angry one can shut you down.
- Own the Narrative: When things go wrong, step up and take responsibility where appropriate. Be transparent about what happened and what you’re doing to address it. A sincere apology and visible corrective actions can restore trust faster than silence or excuses.
- Learn and Improve: After any incident, debrief with your team. Identify what worked and what didn’t in your crisis response. Use those lessons to improve future plans, whether it’s investing in better weatherproofing or tightening alcohol controls. This continuous improvement mindset will shine through and bolster your festival’s reputation year after year.
27th September 2025