Latest news with #moshpit
The Independent
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Download Festival mosh-pit warning after hundreds of 999 calls
Metal fans heading to Download Festival this weekend have been urged to put their wearable tech in airplane mode when heading into a mosh pit to avoid making accidental 999 calls. Most weekends Leicestershire Police handle about 600 emergency calls, but when the three-day festival is underway at Donington Park, these calls rise by nearly 700. This is in part because when festival goers wearing tech such as smart watches jump into a mosh pit the devices assume they 'have been in a collision', Leicestershire Police warned. It causes a huge increase in calls, which puts call handlers under pressure and can take resources away from genuine emergencies. The police explained that each call has to be assessed and those who do make unwanted 999 calls are told to stay on the line to conform if they are safe. The force said: 'All those calls had to be assessed, with three outbound call attempts completed to ensure there is no threat, risk or harm, taking our contact handlers away from answering true emergency calls.' To avoid this from happening again, those attending the festival have been asked to put their smart watches on airplane mode before entering a mosh pit. Police request people answer 'callbacks from hidden numbers' to let them know you are safe and are 'switching on airplane mode or disabling emergency alerts on your wearable tech'. Download Festival, which is already underway, is expected to host about 75,000 rock fans, according to the organisers. The gates to the festival opened on Wednesday ahead of the three-day festival for fans to see acts including headliners Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn. The metal festival has seen several incidents in the past few years. In 2022, two men died at the festival after becoming unwell, one with a suspected cardiac arrest. Leicestershire Police said the man was taken to hospital on Saturday evening, when heavy metal band Iron Maiden were the headline act.
Sky News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Police issue mosh pit warning ahead of Download festival in Leicestershire this weekend
Police are warning rock fans at this weekend's Download festival about the potential for accidental calls while in the mosh pit. Leicestershire Police issued an alert ahead of the event at Donington Park, which begins on Friday. Posting on Facebook, the force said, in previous years, they received "a rise of nearly 700 extra 999 calls" caused by energetic dancing at Download. "The tech assumed that people in mosh pits had been in a collision, causing 999 contacts and abandoned 999 calls," said the post. Police have blamed mobiles and wearable gadgets featuring technology which alerts emergency services when it suspects there has been an accident. The technology can inadvertently activate when hardcore rock, heavy metal, or punk fans are involved in aggressive styles of dancing - sometimes called "thrashing", "slam dancing" or "pogoing". Certain iPhone and Apple Watch models operate a "crash detection" feature - turned on by default - which is designed to identify a severe car crash and connect people to emergency services. Even if people are unaware that the feature has been activated, the device will call the emergency services automatically after a 30-second countdown. Some Android mobiles operate a similar service called "car crash detection". "All those calls had to be assessed, with three outbound call attempts completed to ensure there is no threat, risk or harm, taking our contact handlers away from answering true emergency calls," police added. They recommended switching on airplane mode or disabling emergency alerts on wearable tech, as well as answering any callbacks so officers know fans are safe. Some of the reactions to the post included "don't mosh too hard" and "be wary of the mosh pit". But another user commented: "Avoid false alarms and allow police to focus on crime." Headline acts at Download are Green Day on Friday, Sleep Tolken on Saturday and Korn on Sunday.
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Download Festival revellers issued mosh pit warning
Leicestershire Police are urging Download Festival attendees to put wearable tech in airplane mode to avoid accidental 999 calls triggered by mosh pit activity. The festival typically causes a surge in emergency calls, with an increase of nearly 700 calls over a normal weekend due to devices misinterpreting mosh pit movements as collisions. Each accidental call requires assessment and follow-up, diverting resources from genuine emergencies. Attendees are asked to answer callbacks from hidden numbers to confirm their safety and disable emergency alerts on their devices. Download Festival, expected to host about 75,000 fans, has seen past incidents, including two deaths in 2022.
