Smukfest says it needs more time to analyze why guests were crushed during The Minds of 99’s concert on Saturday evening in Skanderborg.
DR reports that the festival will spend the coming period examining what went wrong at the show by the Danish band The Minds of 99. About 38,000 guests were gathered in front of Bøgescenen when the pressure in the crowd became too high. Two people fainted, and ten guests were helped into a bar by volunteers.
Smukfest’s security chief, Thomas Rydahl, said in a press release that it is too early to conclude what may need to be adjusted at large concerts in the future. According to DR, he stated that the festival needs time to analyze the episode properly before drawing conclusions.
Festival asks affected guests to come forward
Rydahl also repeated a call for guests who experienced something unpleasant at Smukfest to contact the festival’s secretariat. From there, they can be put in touch with the festival’s psychological support team. Per the press release, very few people have done so so far.
The security chief has previously said that the two guests who fainted quickly regained consciousness. He acknowledged that the situation created a sense of unease and was not optimal. As reported by DR, Rydahl earlier wrote to Ritzau that the episode reflected safety details the festival had not accounted for when reorganizing the areas outside Bøgepladsen.
The incident unfolded after the band’s third song. Singer Niels Brandt then asked the audience to look after each other. According to BT, whose liveblog followed the concert, the situation developed roughly 20 minutes into the set, when Brandt stopped the show and asked the crowd not to push.
BT adds that Smukfest later thanked The Minds of 99 and Brandt for the way they responded from the stage. On its own Instagram account, the band wrote an extra large thank you to the security staff for looking after everyone, DR notes.
Smukfest is held in Skanderborg and draws 60,000 visitors daily, according to DR. Bøgescenen is the festival’s main stage, set among the beech trees that give the site its name. No further conclusions about crowd management have been announced.
The festival has not said when its analysis will be completed. Rydahl underlined in the press release that Smukfest wants to listen and help those affected by the concert. DR’s report is based on the press release issued by the festival on Monday.
