The International Centre for
Crowd Management and Security Studies

You can now buy our crowd management books directly from the Centre
Use the link to purchase copies of titles in our series of Crowd Management  books including our latest title: Case Studies in Crowd Management, Security and Business Continuity.

The BBC has reported a fatal crowd crush incident at a Northampton nightclub 18/10/11
The BBC has reported that a 21 year old woman has been killed during a crowd crush as patrons left the Lava and Ignite Nightclub in Northampton UK . To view available media on this news story please select the title above in yellow.

Crowd and event management professionals graduate from Crowd Safety Management degree programme. 07/09/11.
This year’s graduates were Andrew Ball (British Transport Police), Andrew Fraser (Fraser Associates) Andrew Hollinson (Response Security Group), Andrew McQuillan (Select Security Group), Alan Tungate (Metropolitan Police Service), Alan Wise (British Transport Police), Cato Fjukstad (Professional Security Services AS), Colin Lish (Headline Security), David White (Protecttour), Glenn Robertson (Vespasian Security), Ian Hardcastle (Eclipse Security), Jorgen Aass (Movement Strategies Norway), Kasper Sonderdahl (Vestas DK), ,Life Bjorn (Parken Stadium DK), Luca Nalewaj  (Response Security Group), Niall Forde (Islington Borough Council), Oliver Gardiner (Vespasian Security), Paul Manson (G4S), Richard Douglas (Show & Event Security), Robbie Naish (Show & Event Security), Simon Coleman (Wembley National Stadium), Tim Collins (Mission Impossible Management).

The Daily Mail reports “Festival crush disasters could be prevented with software that detects dangerous crowd build-up” 08/08/11
The software developed by Barbara Krausz of the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, aims to enable the identification of possible dangerous density levels within crowd. To view available media please select the tile above in yellow.

YouTube footage by CVEITCH of an incident that reportedly occurred at the Secret Garden Party 03/08/11.
The footage claims to show an altercation between event security staff and visitors to the event. To view available media please select the title above in yellow.

FC Business has published an article titled “Terrace Equality- Relaxation of Alcohol Restrictions in Football 25/07/11
The article by Alex Miller in issue 54 of FC Business magazine asks if regulations concerning the sale of alcohol within football stadia are out of date and ready for reform. To view this article, please select the title in yellow above.

The Guardian has published an article asking “Can mega-gigs ever truly be safe?” 20/07/11
The writer looks at how crowd disasters could be avoided and the article includes interviews with Professor Keith Still of Bucks New Uni and Paul Wertheimer of Crowd Management Strategies. To view available media articles please select the title in yellow above.

Contact Music .Com reports rioting at Montreaux Jazz Festival 18/07/11
The news article reports that 21 arrests were made after clashed between visitors and security staff at the festival over the weekend. To view links to available media please select the title in yellow above.

Associated Press reports 11 injured during firework display 18/07/11.
According to the report a firework malfunctioned and exploded on the crowd injuring 11 during a professional firework display in Rome Wisconsin USA. To view links to available media please select the title in yellow above.

News. Com AU reports 7 Killed during a stampede 11/07/11
The stampede which killed 7 and injured 30 occurred outside the Felix Eboue Stadium in Brazzaville Congo during a music concert. To view links to available media please select the title in yellow above.

The Idaho Press-Tribune report spectator injued 07/07/11
A visitor to the 4th of July Demolition Derby car race in Homedale Hope USA was injured by falling infrastructure when a car left the track during the race. To view available media reports please select the title above in yellow.

The Security Oracle reports door staff arrested on suspicion of murder 04/07/11
The article report that four members of the door staff have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of Reece Lamude outside a Southend nightclub. To view links to available media please select the title in yellow above.

The NME reports of clashes between protesters and security staff at Glastonbury Festival 25/06/11.
The article reports that the clashes between Art Uncut protesters and security staff occurred during the headline performance by U2. To view available media reports please select the title in yellow above.

The Independent on Saturday (SA) reports “Mayhem at youth day celebration”. 17/06/11
The article reports on what was described as chaos during ingress into the Youth Day celebrations held in the Orlando Stadium in Soweto South Africa. To view available media please select the above title in yellow.

The Irish Times reports poor crowd management during Obama visit to Dublin 25/05/11
The article claims that the organisation of queuing and ‘crowd control’ was poor and that spectators were left very dissatisfied. To view links to available media please select the title in yellow above.

The BBC reports football fans were able to swim in stand areas at recent match in Brazil 03/03/11
The BBC is reporting that a football match in Brazil went ahead although flooding was so severe that fans were able to swim in some of the stand areas. To view this media report please select the headline title in yellow above.

The BBC reports that Jessie J was shocked by binge drinking and crowd issues at a recent concert 11/04/2011
According to the BBC news article, Jessie J posted comments on Twitter about the level of alcohol consumption by fans and “crying girls who were being squashed” during a recent university event in Dublin. To view media reports on this article select the title in Yellow above.

YouTube footage of Front Of Stage Barrier failure during an Iron Maiden Concert in Rio 27/03/11
To view this footage and available media please select the title in Yellow.

The BBC reports that Nine people were arrested by Police after sectarian crowd disturbance 25/03/11
The BBC reports that nine people were arrested by Police after sectarian crowd disturbance outside Odyssey Leisure Complex Belfast. To view media reports please select title in Yellow.

The Event Organiser reports that the Gloucestershire cheese rolling event has been cancelled due to threats of violence against organisers 25/03/11.
Organisers responding to concerns about audience numbers had decided to make the event a ticketed event. the threats of violence are believed to be in response to the entry fee of £20. To view media reports please select the title in yellow.

The Belfast Telegraph reports five people killed at a cattle fair in Mexico during a stampede caused by gunshots 03/03/11.
To view media reports click on title in yellow.

The Scottish Sun reports T tent yob bit bouncer 11/03/11.
A man has admitted biting a crowd management worker whilst being escorted from a festival tent last summer. Alan Docherty of Greenock, Renfrewshire was ordered to do 200 hours of community service by Perth Sheriffs.

The DCMS reports that The Sports Grounds Safety Authority Bill was passed unopposed in the House Of Commons will now progress to the House Of Lords 08/03/11
The Sports Grounds Safety Authority Bill aims to fully integrate the Football Licensing Authority into the safety management of spectators at other sport events within UK stadia. To read available reports of this article please select and click on the news title above in Yellow.

The Security Oracle reports on security measures taken to protect teen popstar Justin Bieber whilst in Dublin for concerts 07/03/11
The Security Oracle reports that teen popstar Justin Bieber is to be guarded by twenty ‘security guards’ whilst in Dublin for two sold out shows due to concerns about fans hysterical behaviour.

YouTube footage of crowd collapse and pitch-side barrier failure 25/02/11
YouTube footage posted by an unknown person shows a crowd collapse and a subsequent pitch-side barrier failure at a match between Villarreal v Hamsik on the 25th February 2011. No further information is available on this incident at this time. To read view media of this incident please select and click on the news title above.

The BBC reports that 30 people have been killed and 70 injured during a religious sermon in the Modibo Keita Stadium, Mali in West Africa 22/02/11
The news reports suggests that the deaths occurred as the audience attempted to reach the Imam to be blessed and were crushed against what is described as metal fencing. To read available media reports of this incident please select and click on the news title above in purple.

UTV News reports Belfast nightclub licence suspended for overcrowding 17/02/11
UTV News is reporting that Belfast nightclub ‘Rain’ has had its licence suspended after a number of incidents of overcrowding. To read available media reports of this incident please select and click on the news title above in purple.

BBC Radio 4 Gig Crowd Experiment: Pod Casts
BBC Radio 4 science program So You Want To Be A Scientist? featured an investigation into the pressures within crowds in the front of stage area. The program features a number of pod casts, please click on the link to visit the website.

ITN reports 11 people killed and 29 injured during the egress from a political rally at a sports stadium in Port Harcourt Nigeria 13/02/11
Witnesses claim that many of the stadiums exit gates were not opened to allow the crowd to leave the venue and that a Police Officer tried to disperse the crowd by firing into the air. To read available media reports of this incident please select and click on the news title above in purple.

Der Spiegel reports security personnel allegations regarding the actions of a Police Officer during the crowd disaster at the Love parade 01/31/2011
Der Spiegel reports security personnel allegations regarding the actions of a Police Officer during the crowd disaster at the Love parade in July 2010 in Duisburg Germany. To view media article select the title above in yellow.

Pro Vice Chancellor to present on crowd management at The Royal Society of Medicine
Prof Chris Kemp, Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean: Design, Media & Management, at Bucks New University, has been invited to present a seminar on crowd management and control at a high-profile Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) conference.

Der Spiegel reports that 16 persons are being investigated in relation to the Love parade crowd deaths 18/01/11
Der Spiegel reports that 16 persons are being investigated in relation to their involvement with the deaths of 21 visitors to the Love parade in July 2010.To view available media select the title in yellow. Earlier news reports are also available by search this news area.

ITN reports 3 people killed in a stampede at a Budapest nightclub 16/01/11
ITN has reported that 3 people were killed in a nightclub in Budapest during what they describe as a stampede. The news report makes several references to overcrowding. To read available media reports of this incident please select and click on the news title above in purple.

AFP has reported the deaths of over 100 pilgrims at a religious event in Kerala India 15/01/11
AFP has reported the deaths of over 100 pilgrims at a religious event in Kerala India. The news story claims that pilgrims were killed as a result of panic amongst the crowd. An estimated 300,000 pilgrims are claimed to have been attending the event. To read available media reports of this incident please select the news title.

Crowd Safety Management News 11/01/11
If you have news items that you would like to contribute to this Crowd Safety Management News area, please email web links to the story to Owen.Grainger-Jones@bucks.ac.uk

One Direction fans injured at Wolverhampton concert 08/12/11
The BBC and a number of other media organisations have reported that 35 fans of One Direction were treated for minor injuries before an outdoor concert in Wolverhampton. To read available media reports of this incident please select the news title.

Fatal crowd crush during egress at festival in Cambodia 23/11/10
The BBC and other media organisations are reporting that at least 345 people were killed during a crowd crush whilst leaving a water festival in Phnom Penh Cambodia yesterday. According to interviews given to media organisations witnesses' claim that the crowd crush occurred whilst the crowd was attempting to leave the event site via a bridge. To learn more about this fatal incident please select the links to media news reports by clicking on the title above.

NME.Com reports - Axl Rose bottled offstage at Guns N' Roses' Dublin gig

RT.Com reports - Skinheads hurt 19 in attack on Russian rock festival

Moscow News reports - Skinheads swoop on Russian rock fest

The Press Association reports - Cuts 'would hit Games security'

Security Oracle reports - SIA Suspends Licences After Malpractice Claims

The Mail Online reports - British pop singer 'feared he had crippled a fan' just hours before plunging to his death at Belgian music festival

Sky News reports - Pope's UK Visit: What Not To Take Along

SF Weekly reports - Man Dives onto Stage in Suicide at Thursday's Swell Season Concert

LA Times reports - Federal officials launch probe of fatal California 200 accident

Der Spiegel reports - Interview with the Love Parade Crowd Manager

Der Spiegel reports - Love Parade Documents Reveal a Series of Errors

BBC reports - Rapper MIA's stage invaded at Big Chill festival

Der Spiegel reports - Love Parade Report Calls Organizers to Task

Der Spiegel reports - Looking for Answers in Duisburg

Stage Safe News reports - Love Parade, Organisers to Blame?

BBC reports - Germany mourns Love Parade victims at memorial service

ReutersVideo reports - Blame game after German concert tragedy

Der Spiegel reports - Maximum Capacity of Love Parade Site Was Just 250,000

BBC reports - Organisers blamed for German Love Parade deaths

BBC reports - In pictures: Duisburg stampede

BBC reports - Eyewitness accounts: Duisburg stampede

BBC reports - Stampede at German Love Parade festival kills 19

Online NewsPaper reports - People crushed during stampede at carnival in LA

Security Oracle reports - Four Bailed After Wimbledon Incident

The Independent Newspaper reports - Teenagers freed in concert stabbing probe

Politiken DK reports - Festival goers storm Roskilde Festival

Evening Star reports - Man dies after concert stabbing

Sky News reports - Slash Plays Down On-Stage Concert Attack

ITN World reports - Police take on stewarding role at World Cup

ITN reports - Police scour CCTV footage in hunt for club gunman

BBC reports - World Cup stewards in Durban clash with police over pay

BBC reports - Five killed in Kenyan rally crush

Reuters Africa reports - Six injured at Cape Town Cup fan zone

Crowd crush at pre-World Cup friendly

joaomontenegro Youtube footage of - Breaking into Rage Against the Machine concert in Finsbury Park, London

ITN reports - Fans injured in match stampede

Security Oracle reports- Lady Gaga Outraged With Security Guards Over Costume Ban

BBC reports - Six men deny charges over illegal Pembrokeshire rave

BBC reports - Unofficial cheese rolling race held in Gloucestershire

Event Industry News reports - DF Concerts set to organise Pope’s Scotland visit

BBC reports - Eight arrested as weekend rave ends in Pembrokeshire

BBC reports - Police aim to contain rave, with 2,500 in Pembrokeshire

Eurovision2010 reports - fan gets on stage during Spain's performance in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest final

Funny Videos Archives Youtube footage - Electronics Store Opening Stampede

BBC reports - BBC reports - Doormen jailed after Shrewsbury club attack

BBC reports - Man wounded in shooting at London Fields in Hackney

Safe Concerts . Com reports - Another one bites the dust as Fraudster's ticketing scam is kicked into touch

Wales Oline reports - Celtic Blue Rock festival loses licence over safety fears

Event Industry News reports - Organisers of Glade Festival cancel event for 2010

HSE report set to influence crowd safety at events
A new report produced by Buckinghamshire New University identifying areas of good practice in crowd safety at street and unusual events has been published by the Health and Safety Executive.

BBC reports - Crowd stampede at Netherlands WWII ceremony

BBC reports - CCTV of Luton violence examined to identify offenders

Burnham On Sea . Com reports Berrow Fayre cancelled as high winds cause damage

Burnham On Sea.Com reports Berrow Fayre cancelled as high winds cause damage

Republica TV posts YouTube footage of serious incident on 2nd May 2010, Ipswich Australia.

BBC reports - Five killed and 12 injured in Mexican concert crush

Music Law Updates. com reports- Thimbleberry organiser cleared of permitting drug use

The Mirror.co.uk reports- Pub crawl organiser let off over assault

Security Oracle reports - Manslaughter Trial Told Doorman Acted Properly

BBC reports - Security fears as Justin Bieber heads to New Zealand

BBC reports - Oasis stage invader sentenced to house arrest in Canada

BBC reports - Big screen could cut Gloucestershire cheese race crowds

BBC reports- American Apparel sale closed in London after scuffles

BBC reports- Three hurt in Mexico as Sir Elton John stage collapses

BBC reports - More than 40 arrests after East Lancashire derby

BBC reports - 'Pooh-sticks' event called off over high river levels

BBC reports - Uganda mourners at Buganda tombs in deadly crush

Info4 Security reports - Home Office publishes 'Working Together To Protect Crowded Places'

BBC reports - John Terry injures guard's leg driving from ground

The Daily Mail reports - Streaker stuns Crufts judges by running into arena

BBC reports- Fire in Southampton nightclub

New Head of the Centre
Mark Hamilton, MD and Chairman of the Rock Steady Group takes over as Head of the Centre.

The Brighton Argus reports - Brighton plan to charge pubs for police thrown out

Runcorn and Widness Weekly News reports - The Studio in Runcorn told it must replace its entire door staff and improve CCTV after licensing hearing

BBC reports - Many die in India temple stampede, police say

News.com.au reports - Disabled AC/DC fan impaled in mosh pit at Brisbane show

BBC reports - Manchester United tickets seized in touting raid

BBC reports - Friends awarded compensation over racist bouncer

The Montreal Gazette reports - 20 injured after fence collapse at Olympic concert

BBC reports - Charges over fatal Thai Santika nightclub fire

The Australian.com reports - Rouge waves hurt surf spectators

BBC reports - Violent clashes after Southampton and Portsmouth FA tie

BBC reports - Police hit with missiles at Parklane 'Facebook' party

Football365 reports - Steward sacked over banner row

BBC reports - Man hurt at Stoke City Football match dies

BBC reports - Prodigy fan seriously injured in Dundee concert fall

Liverpool Echo reports - Hillsborough lessons for Liverpool schoolchildren

BBC reports- Panel to study Hilborough tradgedy files revealed

BBC reports- Fancy dress revellers set alight in Stoke-on-Trent

Journal of Crowd Safety and Security Management (JCSSM)

BBC reports -Fire crew tackle Lancashire nightclub fire

The Mercury reports - Pilgrims crushed in festival stampede

ESPN reports- Fans injured trying to grap player's shoe

Liverpool Echo report - Liverpool holidaymakers in New Year's Eve riot at Pontin's holiday camp

The Independent Newspaper reports - Twickenham crowd crush prompts safety review
Old news from 2000

Various media reports on the Lame Horse nightclub fire, Perm, Russia, December 2009

Digital Spy.com report - Jedward flee stage after bottle attack

BBC reports - Russian nighclub fireworks blaze kills scores

Various media reports -111 feared dead in Russian nightclub blaze
.

AOL.Com reports - Packed Tubes see ruthless commute

BBC reports - Youths clash at Belfast Christmas lights switch-on

Virtual Festivals.com report- Fake wristband invasion fear for 2010

Contact Music reports - Fans Crushed At Jls Concert

Sky News report of Birmingham Xmas lights switch on taken from YouTube

Various BBC reports on the Birmingham's Christmas lights switch-on incident

Scores hurt at Christmas lights switch on in Birmingham

The Sun reports - Clashes as new Primark opens

The Mail reports- Terrifying moment crowd is engulfed by 20ft fireball at family festival after 'yob threw aerosol can into flames'

Ingress Breakdown
click on title for link.

Crowd Safety Management Students Graduate
Buckinghamshire New University is delighted to announce the successful graduation of the third cohort of Crowd Safety Management students.

SECURITY WEEK
Safety,sustainability and crowd management. 21-25 September 2009, Missenden Abbey, Buckinghamshire. for further details see link on fuller news item and contact:- Tom Harrison Tel: +44(0) 1494 601 620 email:tom.harrison@bucks.ac.uk

Sky News reports - London Water Fight Turns Violent

The day live music died
In the wake of the UK Government’s clear reluctance to act on the bureaucracy of the Licensing Act 2003, admit it’s mistakes and end the ongoing controversy over the Metropolitan Police’s form 696 Andy McSmith, writing in the The Independent Saturday, 18 July 2009, reports:

Second death at Madonna stage collapse
British worker, Charles Prow aged 23 has been named as the second person to die following the tragic stage roof collapse in Marseilles.

Three hurt in freak festival accident
Three people have been injured at the Bearded Theory music festival in Derbyshire after part of a stage collapsed when "freak" strong winds lifted part of the roof off the stage.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Patrick Jordan
Patrick was an active and valued board member of the Centre and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of his contribution to event safety through his work at Mojo Barriers. Chris Kemp Executive Dean, speaking on behalf of the University, said.....

The Sun reports - The battle of Primark

New one day course promotes live event green skills
European festivals organisation Yourope, Bucks New University and environmental campaign group www.agreenerfestival.com have lauched a new short course in sustainable event management. The course aims to meet a growing demand by festival and event organisers for more knowledge and training about a range of issues to do with managing sustainable events.The one day course which will be held on February 20th 2009, will be hosted by Bucks New Uni and is aimed to provide event planners and organisers and those involved in environmental planning at events with training and knowledge of some of the key issues, and their solutions, to enable informed decision making on environmental best practices. The key topics covered include an introduction to organising sustainable events and

Bucks New University Crowd Safety Management workshop,The Event Show Olympia 21st January 2009
Bucks New University and the International Centre for Crowd Management & Security Studies have been invited to host a workshop on Crowd Safety Management. The workshop will be chaired by leading crowd safety expert Mick Upton, founder chairman of Showsec International and the Centre. He will be joined by Mark Hamilton, Managing Director of G4S Events and founder of Rock Steady and Ben Challis,UK lawyer specialising in Entertainment Law and Exectuive Producer for television coverage of Glastonbury Festival

Injuries at X-factor show
5 teenage girls have been injured at a free concert featuring X-Factor finalists JLS at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, South London.

61 dead in Bangkok club blaze
A devastating fire at a New Year's event in a Bangkok nightclub has left at least 61 people dead with more than 212 injured in a stampede to escape from the blaze which broke out at the Santika Club just after midnight.

SIA boss walks in vetting farce
London Lite reports that the top man at the Security Industry Authority in the UK, Mike Wilson, is to leave the agency after 14 months after it was discovered that 38 staff employed at the SIA, which has a responsibility for checking criminal records and immigration status of door supervisors, CCTV operators and security staff were themselves employed without being checked. The agency had already faced claims that thousands of static security guards, including some at the Houses of Parliament, had not passed immigration checks.

Inaugral UK Festivals Conference and UK Festival Awards held on 30th October 2008
It was standing room only at the inaugural UK Festivals Conference which preceded the UK Festival Awards as delegates packed into the Gibson Guitar Showrooms in London's West End. The event was promoted by www.virtualfestivals.com, Yourope, Bucks New University, IQ and www.agreenerfestival.com .

AIF Launch Scheme To Tackle Festival Crime
· AIF Announces Formation Of Security Task Force · Drive To Identify And Combat Organised Gangs · First AIF Initiative · Scheme To Be Extended To Non-Members

Final Greener Festival Awards announced- thirteen more festivals pick up the eco-award
Eight English festivals including The Big Chill, Bestival, Summer Sundae Weekender, Shambala, Reading, Leeds and End of the Road and Waveform along with Scotland's Hydro Connect, Ireland's Electric Picnic, Portugal's Boom, Southbound in Australia and the Rothbury Festival in the USA have joined the illustrious list of winners for the 2008 Greener Festival Award. All of the award winners were praised by organisers www.agreenerfestival.com for their efforts to promote environmentally friendly music festivals.

UK Festival Awards nominations out
The UK Festival Awards, which take place at the O2 Indigo, have announced their list of final nominations. The showcase event for UK and European festivals takes place on the 30th October and will be preceeded with the first ever UK Festival Conference, presented by the UK Festival Awards team, Virtual Festivals, A Greener Festival, Buckinghamshire New University and Yourope, the European festival organisers association and will be held at the Gibson Guitar Studios in central London. And the nominees are ....

Another catastrophe as 168 die in temple stampede in Jodhpur
Thousands of pilgrims, allegedly panicked by false rumors of a bomb, stampeded at a Hindu temple in Jodhpur, western India on tuesday, killing at least 168 people. Television footage showed dozens of bodies lying on the sidewalk, while nearby frantic people tried to revive unconscious devotees, slapping their faces and pressing on their chests.

43 dead as fire engulfs Chinese disco
At least 43 revellers died as a fire caused by fireworks swept through a Chinese nightclub, causing a mass stampede for exits.

Sound Advice - Make Some Noise!
Back in July, the HSE launched www.soundadvice.info , the entertainment industry's very own guide to the Control of Noise at Work regulations. Its popularity means that it is currently rated as the number 1 noise-related website by Noise Bulletin (out of 45...we never knew there were so many). The HSE is keen to spread the word further so if you have a site and would be kind enough to add a link, please do so.

At least 21 dead as Ramadan cash handout triggers stampede
At least 21 people have been crushed to death in eastern Indonesia after a charity event hosted by a wealthy family turned into a stampede, officials have said.

Noel Gallagher Assualted on Stage
Noel Gallagher was assaulted whilst perfomring at the Virgin Festival in Toronto. A man - called Daniel Sullivan, apparently - ran on stage and pushed him over. CMU Daily Click on title for full article and link to footage

Police use Licensing Act to cancel Babyshambles Festival night
For the first time in the UK the police have used Section 160 (orders to close premises in an area experiencing disorder) of the Licensing Act 2003 to get a live performance stopped. from www.musiclawupdates.com

Door supervisors to use handcuffs in Carlise
Door supervisors working for a Carlisle security firm will be allowed to use handcuffs to restrain troublemakers at clubs and pubs before police arrive at incidents.

145 dead in temple festival stampede
At least 30 children were amongst the estimated 145 pilgrims who were killed in a stampede yesterday (3rd August) at a Himalyan shrine in Northern India, apparently sparked off by rumours of a landslide.

Loud music prompts more drinking
On top of recent research that says certain types of music can increase the risk of violence in bars and clubs, a French study has shown that turning up the volume on the music can speed up the drinking at the bar. Researchers found loud music correlated with increased alcohol consumption and shortened the amount of time it took for bar patrons to empty their glasses:

Lasers blind fans at Russian festival, law suits follow
CMU Daily reports that at least twelve, and possibly as many as thirty people were blinded at a festival in Russia earlier this month after lasers were reflected into their eyes.

T-in-the-Park stabbing clouds spectacular success whilst two die at Norweigian Festival
A festival-goer viciously stabbed at T-in-the-Park is making "good progress" in hospital. Police report that the 22 year old man was attacked by two males after going to the aid of a female friend who had been accosted by the two.

12 Dead after Mexico City nightclub raid
Nine teenagers and three police officers are dead after police raided the News Divine nightclub in Mexico City as students celebrated the end of the school year.

New association for independent festivals launched
A group of independent festivals in the UK, headed up by the 25,000 capacity Bestival and the 40,000 capacity Creamfields, have set up the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).

18 year old dies at Rock Ness
An 18 year old man was found dead at the Rock Ness Music Festival on Saturday 7 June.

Great White settlement muddies the water on legal liabilities
The news that US radio conglomerate Clear Channel will pay $22 million into the “Great White” victims fund sends out worrying signals to media ‘co-promoters’ and others involved in the promotion of music events in the USA and elsewhere.

Bucks students become the first in the country to gain the Live Event Safety Passport.
The Production Services Association ran the first ever Events Safety Passport at a UK university on 1st May at Buckinghamshire New University.

Bucks students become the first
in the country to gain the Live Event Safety Passport.

Bucks students become the first
in the country to gain the Live Event Safety Passport.

Recorded music formats should be greener
48.5% of music fans would prefer to buy their CD’s in sustainable packaging rather than in the traditional plastic case.  These are the initial findings of the latest survey carried out by Buckinghamshire New University on behalf of the cross music industry initiative Julie’s Bicycle.

Festival and Stadia Certificate a Roaring Success
The Certificate in Festival, Stadia and venue Safety held at the Centre for Crowd Management and Security Studies in High Wycombe were an unqualified success.

Music Fans Want Green Events
Over 80% think noise, waste and traffic have a negative impact. Big rise in CO2 awareness at festivals. 48% would pay more for greener events. 36% say green is important when buying a ticket. The initial findings of research conducted by the Centre on behalf of music industry campaign group Agreenerfestival.com just published…

Buckinghamshire New University unveils MOJO Barriers Education & Training Centre
Friday 14 December 2007, saw the official opening of the Mojo Barriers Education & Training Centre, part of the Centre for Crowd Management & Security Studies at Buckinghamshire New University.