Ensure your Summer Festivals are Safe, Fun and DBS Checked

Music festivals are legendary. They generate stories that stretch back over decades, with some becoming iconic for capturing a moment in time and pop culture or for standout performances. Woodstock amplified the voice of the civil rights movement in the US, while Worthy Farm in Glastonbury has become known around the world as, arguably, the biggest music festival in the world. 

Music festivals bring together thousands of people to unite and share a collective moment in time. Festival goers flock in order to get away from day-to-day routine, dressing for the occasion and going with the flow. Bringing many different types of people is more than just a logistical exercise in event management. It’s a test in looking after people’s safety and wellbeing – and that’s critical for organisers. 

Festival Safety

If you’ve ever organised an event of any size, you’ll know the effort it takes to get even a small number of people safely on and off site. However, looking after attendees at festivals and events can only be done comprehensively when their personal safety and wellbeing is also taken care of. 

Carrying out DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Checks on both staff and volunteers working your event or festival is a critical element of the planning that needs to be in place long before the doors open. Conducting DBS checks on festival staff and volunteers helps to create a safer, more secure experience for everyone, from festival goers to other staff members and the artists on stage.

Let’s examine why DBS checks could make the difference between a good event and an outstanding experience. 

1. Safeguard Your Festival Goers: The safety and security of festival goers is your number one priority. Event planners put staff and volunteers in place to look after attendees so that the event runs without hitch. Making sure that you’re recruiting a team that you can trust and that supports the safeguarding of the crowd is a must-do.  Conducting DBS checks on all staff and volunteers means that you’re mitigating against potential risks that could arise from the safeguarding of attendees. Both Standard DBS Checks and Enhanced DBS Checks help to identify individuals with criminal records, noting unspent convictions and highlighting the indivuduals that might pose a risk to vulnerable festival-goers, such as children and young people or vulnerable adults with disabilities. By making a DBS check mandatory for all staff and volunteers, you can help to build a secure environment and gain the trust of the attendees. 
2. Protect your Event’s Reputation: It might feel like the bigger the event, the stronger the reputation – and while that is true, it’s also just as important that local community events safeguard their reputation too. Festivals and events happen to great fanfare to ensure that they’re well attended. The flip side is also true; if there are any problems, your negative publicity will be amplified. Not only will carrying out DBS checks on staff and volunteers support safeguarding, but it also reinforces your values of creating a safe event. In turn, this adds to the festival’s professional approach and supports a positive reputation. Putting robust screening processes in place allows festivals and events to differentiate themselves from other events that may downgrade the importance of stringent safety measures. Paying attention to this level of due diligence drives the festival’s legitimacy and can even help to sell it as a safe and responsible – but rocking – festival. 
3. Licensing and Regulatory Compliance
   DBS checks may be required by the licensing and regulatory bodies that you’re working with. Many UK local authorities and licensing boards may stipulate that DBS checks are carried out in order to protect and ensure the safety and welfare of festival goers. Undertaking DBS checks on staff and volunteers helps to demonstrate compliance with licensing requirements and it can help to show willing when dealing with the licensing process. Failing to implement a programme of DBS Checks can severely negatively impact your chances of securing your license, which can not only bring legal implications along but cause reputational damage too.
4. Build Trust and Create a Better Experience
   Festivals and events don’t exist in isolation. While some maybe held remotely, like the desert-bound Burning Man festival, the impact of the movement of people is felt across communities and the local infrastructure. Carrying out DBS Checks and promoting the importance of good safety and security can go a long way to putting local minds at rest. In turn, this can have a good knock-on effect with local authorities as it means they aren’t having to broker peace between organisers and residents. This feeds into the overall ethos that surrounds your event and can help to smooth the path for communications with local police too. 

DBS checks for staff and volunteers at music festivals in the UK are a cornerstone of creating a safe space and welcoming environment where inclusivity and acceptance is supported by well-appointed staff and volunteers. Rather than an added extra, DBS checks for festival staff can make sure you don’t hit the wrong note.