Live Industry Flares Up

Live Nation, Bestival and industry body UK Music have lent their support to MP Nigel Adams’ bid to introduce controls over flares and fireworks at concerts and festivals.

Adams is the Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on music and is seeking to ban the carrying or use of flares, fireworks and smoke bombs by audience members at live music events with an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill. This will not prevent artists and promoters from using onstage pyrotechnics.

Bestival co-founder Rob da Bank (pictured) commented: “As the promoter of a 50,000-capacity festival, audience safety is always at the forefront of event planning, and we would like to see our fans offered the same protection as those attending sporting events. There are increasingly more incidents and the time is right for the Government to act and support organisers in minimising risk and providing a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone attending”.

There were 255 incidents involving flares and fireworks at music events in 2014, in comparison to three at football grounds in the same period. The use of such pyrotechnics is illegal at football matches.