The UK’s Safest Festivals

The Role of SIA-Licensed Staff in Festival Safety

Many of the factors assessed in this report—such as emergency response time, welfare tents, and mobile access—are supported by having trained personnel on the ground. Security staff are often the first responders to incidents, managing crowds, assisting with lost children, and handling emergencies before they escalate.

To work in these roles, professionals must hold a valid SIA licence. This ensures they’re equipped with the knowledge and training required for public safety, including first aid and conflict resolution. Without licensed security teams, many festivals would struggle to meet today’s high safety standards.

If you’re considering working at events like Glastonbury or Green Man Festival, Get Licensed can help you qualify through nationally recognised SIA training programmes.

Which of the UK’s Music Festivals Are the Safest to Attend?

1. The Great Escape Festival, Brighton - 9.27/10 safety score

The Great Escape Festival takes the top spot as the UK’s safest music festival, scoring an impressive 9.27 out of 10. Located in Brighton and holding 15,000 people, the festival takes place in May and focuses on promoting new music. Previous headliners include Myles Smith, Maisie Peters, Arlo Parks, The Last Dinner Party, and AJ Tracey.

Each year, two medical and welfare tents are erected at the site, equating to 7,500 people per tent. In the month the festival takes place, the average temperature in Brighton stands at 12.1℃ and receives an average of 51mm of rain. But the sun does still shine, and festival goers can enjoy an average of nine hours of sun.

There are no mentions of The Great Escape Festival being overcrowded or dangerous on Reddit or Google News, which is reassuring to anyone wanting to attend. However, if an incident occurs, attendees are likely to receive help from emergency services quickly, as Sussex police answer 95.10% of calls in under 10 seconds and Brighton police station is just 0.7 miles away. Four of the UK’s major mobile providers also have voice and data availability at the festival site.

2. Green Man Festival, Crickhowell - 8.69/10 safety score

Green Man Festival comes second with a safety score of 8.69/10. In 2025, the likes of Wet Leg, Wunderhorse, and CMAT will all be taking to the stage to headline the event. Green Man Festival can accommodate up to 100,000 people and takes place during August in Crickhowell, Wales.

Signal availability is strong at the festival, with EE, Three, O2, and Vodafone all being able to provide both voice and data signal. Crickhowell police station is located just 2.4 miles away from the festival site, and Dyfed-Powys police answer 92.20% of their calls in less than 10 seconds. Also, there are no references to overcrowding or dangerous incidents at Green Man Festival on Reddit or Google News.

With the event taking place in August, temperatures average at 14.5℃ in Crickhowell, meaning festival goers can enjoy a warm but pleasant climate. The location also gets an average of six sun hours per day and 92mm of rain throughout the month. There is also a medical and welfare tent at the festival for attendees who need assistance.

3. Moovin Festival, Stockport - 8.63/10 safety score

Moovin Festival is in third place, scoring 8.63 out of 10 for safety. The festival, which takes place in Stockport in June, has a maximum capacity of just 5,000 people, making it the smallest festival on the list, alongside Nozstock. The increasingly popular Ezra Collective will be performing this year, as well as Craig Charles and The Sugarhill Gang. Previous headliners include Groove Armada, Basement Jaxx, and Soul II Soul.

Throughout the month of June, Stockport receives an average of 89mm of rain and average temperatures of 14.1℃. The town also has over seven hours of sun per day, on average, which is promising for attendees of Moovin Festival. All four of the selected UK mobile providers supply both voice and data signal to the festival site, making it easy for visitors to communicate with their friends and family.

As well as the promise of good weather, festivalgoers can be reassured that the event is safe due to no mentions of the words ‘overcrowding’ or ‘dangerous’ on Reddit or Google News. Marple police station is also just 3.6 miles from the Moovin Festival site, and Greater Manchester police have quick response times, answering 89.20% of their calls in less than ten seconds.

Which Music Festivals in the UK Are Deemed the Least Safe?

1. Boomtown Festival, Winchester - 5.82/10 safety score

Boomtown Festival is the least safe music festival in the UK, according to our data, earning a safety score of just 5.82 out of 10. The event takes place in August in Winchester and has a capacity of 66,000 people. Headliners this year include Sean Paul, Nova Twins, Koffee, Hybrid Minds, and Boney M.

Because Boomtown Festival occurs in the height of summer, temperatures reach 16.7℃ on average, with almost eight hours of sun each day. Despite this, Winchester only receives an average of 70mm of rain in August. The festival has two medical and welfare tents, equating to 33,000 people per tent.

Across Reddit and Google News, there were 40 mentions of Boomtown Festival being overcrowded or dangerous, including stories relating to dehydration and heat exhaustion due to long queues. However, Winchester police station is only 4.1 miles from the festival site and Hampshire police answer 93.80% of their calls within 10 seconds. Four of the UK’s major mobile providers can also supply strong mobile signal at the festival site.

2. Creamfields Festival, Liverpool - 5.94/10 safety score

Creamfields Festival follows closely behind with a safety score of 5.94 out of 10. Some huge names are scheduled to perform at the event this year, including Camelphat, Chase and Status, David Guetta, Duke Dumont, and Gorgon City. Located in Daresbury, Cheshire, Creamfields Festival takes place in August and holds up to 70,000 people.

There are 26 references to the event being deemed overcrowded or dangerous across Reddit and Google News, with many stories relating to last year’s severe weather due to Storm Lillian. However, assistance won’t have been too far away as the nearest police station (Warrington) is only 3.5 miles from the festival site, and Cheshire police answer 90.50% of their calls in less than 10 seconds.

There are just two medical and welfare tents at Creamfields Festival, meaning each tent serves 35,000 people. In August, Daresbury has average temperatures of 15.9℃, 105mm of rain, and around seven and a half hours of sun each day. Festivalgoers will be glad to know that they can have secure access to voice and data signal through four of the UK’s major mobile providers.

3. Download Festival, Derby - 6.20/10 safety score

Download Festival places third, scoring 6.20 out of 10 for safety. The event, which takes place in Derby in June, hosts up to 75,000 people. Green Day are one of this year’s massive headliners, with Fall Out Boy, Metallica, Bring Me The Horizon, Slipknot, and Iron Maiden all having previously performed there.

Temperatures average at 14.5℃ in Derby throughout June, with over seven and a half hours of sun each day. The city also receives an average of 71mm of rain during the month of the festival. Just like Boomtown and Creamfields, Download Festival also has strong voice and data signal for attendees.

Across Reddit and Google News, there are over 24 mentions of the festival being deemed overcrowded or dangerous, with some stories relating to the ankle-deep mud caused by heavy rainfall in previous years. Donington police station is just 2.7 miles from the festival site, and Derbyshire police answer 86.20% of their calls within 10 seconds. There are two medical and welfare tents at the event, equating to 37,500 people per tent.

Which UK Music Festival Has Experienced the Most Arrests Since 2022?

1. Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum - 4.65 arrests per 1,000 people

Over the last three years, a total of 93 arrests were made at Belladrum Festival. With a capacity of 20,000, this equates to 4.65 arrests per 1,000 people. The number of arrests made each year are fairly similar, with 31 being made in 2022, 29 being made in 2023, and 33 being made in 2024. Drug offences were the most common (43 offences), followed by violence against the person (14 offences), harassment (8 offences), and theft (4 offences).

2. Creamfields Festival, Daresbury - 1.46 arrests per 1,000 people

Creamfields Festival places second, with 1.46 arrests per 1,000 people and 102 arrests in total. The highest number of arrests were made in 2022 (38 arrests), closely followed by 2024 (37 arrests), and 2023 (27 arrests). The most common offence by far was drug offences, with 86 being made in total. An arrest for a sexual offence was made in 2022, but no arrests of this nature were made in the following years.

3. Wilderness Festival, Charlbury - 1.20 arrests per 1,000 people

Wilderness Festival, located in Charlbury in Oxfordshire, is in third place. Despite only 12 arrests being made at the event over the last three years, the festival’s small capacity of 10,000 means it has one of the highest rates at 1.20 arrests per 1,000 people. Four arrests were made each year, though no details of the offences made have been released.

How to Survive Festival Season as a Security Guard

Whether you’re working at a large or small-scale music festival, as a security guard, your priority is keeping all guests and staff safe. Although this can be challenging sometimes, particularly if you come across rowdy festivalgoers.

With this in mind, here are some top tips on how you can achieve your job as a festival security guard:

1. Familiarise yourself with the layout of the festival

As a security guard, you must know all the essential locations at a festival, such as first aid and welfare tents, emergency exits, and designated security checkpoints. By familiarising yourself with the layout, you can quickly respond to incidents.

2. Stay alert and vigilant

Although it might be tempting to get lost in the music, you must stay alert when working at a festival. Any suspicious activity or antisocial behaviour should be spotted before it becomes a health and safety hazard. This might include dealing with fights in the crowds, attempts to tamper with equipment, or excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol.

3. Remain professional

As a security guard, you should always handle incidents calmly and professionally to avoid escalating issues. You should also appear friendly and approachable so that festivalgoers can trust you and feel comfortable asking you for assistance.

4. Ensure you’re fit, healthy, and well-rested

Being responsible for safety and security at a festival can be demanding. You might be required to work long shifts, so it’s important that you take regular breaks when possible, stay hydrated, eat regularly, and get plenty of rest between shifts. By doing this, you’ll be able to fulfil your duties and keep festival attendees safe.

5. Know the protocols for dealing with missing or lost children

If you’re working at a family-friendly festival, it’s important to know the protocols for dealing with children who have been separated from their guardians. This is a scary and worrying experience for the child and their guardian, so you must know how to reunite them as soon as possible. For example, how should you relay the situation to the rest of the security team? Are there any designated locations for reuniting families? How long should you remain in the same location for?

Why Festival Safety Depends on Qualified Security Staff

Music festivals attract tens of thousands of attendees, making safety a top priority. As this report shows, events with faster emergency response, better facilities, and less overcrowding are generally rated safer. But there’s another factor behind the scenes—trained security professionals.

At Get Licensed, we help prepare the UK's frontline festival staff through SIA door supervisor training and security guard training. These qualifications ensure guards are trained in emergency response, conflict management, and safeguarding—skills that directly improve festival safety scores like those in this report.

Whether you're an event organiser or looking to join a festival security team, investing in proper training is essential. Explore our full range of SIA security courses to get started.

Methodology

We began by creating a seed list of some of the UK’s biggest music festivals, using sources such as Ticketmaster, eFestivals, TimeOut, and Music Festival Wizard. Next, we used various sites, such as BBC, IQ Mag, HMV and Canvas Co, to gather the capacity for each festival.

We then collected the number of medical and welfare tents at each festival, using their official site maps, before calculating the number of people per tent. Next, we used Climate Data to collect the average temperature, sun hours, and rainfall for each festival’s location during the month the event takes place.

Following that, we used Ofcom’s mobile and broadband checker to discover whether four major mobile providers (EE, Three, O2, and Vodafone) can provide mobile and data signal at each festival. Next, we used Reddit to gather the number of mentions of the word ‘overcrowded’ in each festival’s main subreddit.

We also used Google Maps to discover the distance to the nearest police station from each festival’s site and Police.uk to gather the percentage of calls answered in under 10 seconds by each festival’s relevant police force. We then turned to Google News to discover the number of articles for each festival that mentioned it being overcrowded or dangerous.

Finally, we gave each of the eleven factors a normalised score out of 10 before taking an average across all factors to form our safety score.

The number of arrests at each festival was obtained by a Freedom of Information request through WhatDoTheyKnow.

¹ https://www.aiforg.com/blog-database/gc9fpavl8fi3b5vn6v0sd2pcb0d6qc#:~:text=New%20AIF%20data%20shows%20there,less%20than%20500%20in%202023