Concerts are an amazing experience, but there’s nothing quite like a musical festival. These events can go on for days, featuring spectacular light shows and a plethora of bands entertaining the masses. While they are absolutely a fun time, there are mishaps.
With the enormous number of people that attend a festival, not to mention alcohol consumption, the likelihood for an accident is higher than your average day. These are the top five most common injuries and how you can help avoid them.
1. Heat Injuries
Festivals typically take place in an outdoor setting, leaving concertgoers exposed to the sun for hours on end. While sunscreen can help you avoid a sunburn, high levels of heat can also lead to dehydration and other injuries. Nausea, exhaustion, and seizures are just a few.
Staying hydrated is the key to avoiding these types of injuries. While it’s tempting to knock back drinks all day, especially if you’re staying nearby or camping on the grounds, remember to pound down a few bottles of water as well.
2. Broken Bones
Parties of any nature are fueled by high energy and a reckless attitude. The larger the party, the more you can expect of each. Crowd diving, crowd surfing, sitting on a friend’s shoulders, or bumping shoulders in the mosh pit can all lead to injury. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun, but stay aware of your surroundings and don’t partake in these activities if you’ve had too much to drink.
3. Drinking and Driving
Some festivals feature campgrounds for their attendees while others require people to drive to a hotel or motel after the fun is over. With a mix of alcohol and sometimes drugs, many find themselves over the limit when the lights go down.
Getting behind the wheel while too intoxicated can lead to property damage or worse. There are countless cases of injuries caused by drunk drivers hitting people, even at slower speeds. If the trip to the hotel includes a highway, the risks are even higher for an accident. Long story short, don’t drink and drive.
4. Stab Wounds
This is one of the more unfortunate injuries on this list. Festivals bring together a highly diverse group of people, which creates a unified audience and culture at various shows. While that’s a great thing, it also means that everyone in the crowd might not have the same intentions of just enjoying the show.
Even with security checks, people have been known to bring knives and other weapons into festivals. Some come with the intent to cause harm, while others have one too many and make violent decisions. It’s vital that you be aware of your surroundings and avoid altercations at all costs.
5. Substance Overdose
Drinking is all a part of the fun for most concertgoers, but festivals tend to include drugs as well. Most of these are illegal or non-prescription, and some of them can be downright deadly. Those who attend festivals often combine drinking with drug use to enhance their experience.
Nine times out of ten, their expectations are met and they thoroughly enjoy the concert without bothering a soul. However, the wrong combination of alcohol and drugs or too much of either can lead to an overdose. Watching your consumption of any substance is vital, but make sure to call 911 immediately if you see someone experiencing an overdose.