Festival Operations and Safety: Otherside Festival

Background

Otherside Festival is an annual electronic music event held at Rock Farm Slane in County Meath, Ireland.

Following the success of the first edition in 2024, Bedlam Events re-engaged We Are OPS, as well as production experts at our sister agency The Fair, to support the second edition.

We were delighted to return to iconic venue to support this special event. And, with DJ Heartstring, Paige Tomlinson, Funk Assault and Max Dean amongst those gracing the line-up, the event was much anticipated by festival-goers too.

The 2025 version aimed to expand on the previous year’s groundwork, increasing capacity from 3,500 to 5,000 attendees and enhancing the experience with a larger big top and a newly introduced VIP area.

As with the previous year, our teams were requested to support predominantly in Health & Safety and Operational Planning services. Our role included consulting on and implementing updates to the event’s operational strategy and traffic management planning.

Challenges

  • New Elements: With the addition of a VIP area and larger infrastructure, our planning had to account for enhanced zoning, crowd control, and tailored access routes.
  • March Weather: Ireland in March isn’t known for reliable weather, making ground conditions and weatherproofing a priority.
  • Capacity Increase: A rise to 5,000 attendees meant reworking our ingress, traffic, and crowd modelling.
  • Transport Management: Similar to last year, all attendees arrived via vehicles – both private and official coaches. However, the volume was notably higher.
  • Single Access Point: The one-way access route required meticulous planning and active management to handle the added volume of production vehicles, pedestrians, and coaches.

Delivery

  • Event Director Role (Gold Command)
  • Health and Safety Advisor Role
  • Revised Capacity Modelling & Ingress Planning
  • Updated Traffic & Crowd Management Plans
  • VIP Zone Access Planning
  • Enhanced Coach Parking and Flow Logistics

Results

  • All 5,000 attendees were safely processed through ingress
  • The VIP area was successfully integrated without impacting main festival operations
  • The expanded infrastructure, including the larger big top, operated seamlessly
  • A brilliant collaboration between The Fair and We Are OPS made for a safe, efficient, and elevated festival experience
  • Once again, Bedlam Events were thrilled with the outcome and have asked We Are OPS and The Fair to continue supporting future events at Rock Farm, Slane

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