Operations and Health & Safety: Houghton
Background
Houghton is a music & arts festival set in the Norfolk countryside, celebrated for its eclectic line-ups showcasing the best names on the electronic music scene.
The festival, curated by Fabric owner Craig Richards, invited over 200 artists to play for up to 10,000 attendees across the weekend, with non-stop 24 hour music running from Friday to Sunday.
Following the success of our services in 2022, OPS returned to support the Houghton team throughout the planning and live stages of the event - working closely with the organisers, local authorities and land owners to ensure compliance with Health and Safety and Licensing Laws. This involved producing detailed plans for the event, and providing 2 x Safety Advisors to cover this unique, non-stop live event.
Challenges
The festival ran 24/7 from Friday morning until Monday morning, meaning 2 x Safety Advisors were required to operate on alternate shifts to ensure constant cover.
Some of the festival’s smaller stages such as The Quarry and Terminus were extremely popular and experienced long queues all weekend, meaning capacity management was key.
Delivery
On site Health and Safety during build, live and break stages of the event (including 24 hour cover from Friday to Monday)
SAG Attendance
Event Safety Management Plan
Event Risk Assessment
Fire Risk Assessment
Results
Exceptional feedback from the client, who declared it “the best year yet”
Raving reviews from Mixmag, Dancewax, Skiddle and RA, as well as local press
10,000 festival goers were able to enjoy the event safely and smoothly