December 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 62

M U S I C F E S T I VA L S

Marc Averette

The Ultra Music Festival, an annual electronic music festival held in Downtown Miami's
Bayfront Park, drew some 165,000 people
from 60 countries in 2017.

Vegas Strip's reputation as a live-music
destination, " writes Gerrick D. Kenned
in the Los Angeles Times, reinforcing Dr.
Wynn's remarks about festivalization.
While the Las Vegas Village is not a
public park, or even publicly owned, the
incident has ramifications for the security of large-scale open spaces, whether public or private. The gunman had
staked out two other locations first: one
elsewhere in Las Vegas and another from
a Chicago hotel overlooking the city's
signature Lollapalooza festival.
The tragedy highlighted the vulnerability of music festivals as a soft target. In
a world concerned with copycat crime,
these events should drive a more coordinated official response to these kinds of
threats at public gatherings in general,
and music festivals in parks, in particular.
The perversion of terrorist acts being
carried out at public parks, other gathering places and streets is even more disturbing because of the generally held perception about why public spaces exist: to be
places where we can gather in a carefree
way. Writing for the journal Pacific Standard, Hanif Abdurraqiboct says, " The
very things that make outdoor concerts so
special - freedom, escape, intimacy with
strangers - are the first things that the
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Parks & Recreation

terrorist tries to take away. "
Major music festivals are our society's
places of extraordinary community and
personal self-actualization, yet they have
also become the locus of the most devastating attacks of domestic and international terrorism. Cities are responding by describing the extent of their preparations to
address the risk, and the overall approach
has similar characteristics. First, there is
acknowledgment of the need for safety,
and that responsibility resides with the local police department. The city's response
must be a partnership based on multi-departmental and interagency cooperation:
there are several layers of security types.
In the wake of the October 31 Hudson
River Park vehicle assault, New York
City's chief and commissioner of police described a comprehensive security
program for major events that includes
counterterrorism snipers, heavy weapons
teams, rooftop and aerial observation,
uniformed and plain clothes police presence, off-duty officers, trained civilian
event staff, use of sand and barrier trucks,
integrated communications and other
measures that may not be so visible.
The magnitude of investment of both
public and private sector time and expense
for this type of effort is clearly a costly one.

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It makes the decision to stage a major event
another significant civic ethical decision,
balancing freedom to gather, safety and municipal fiscal responsibility. This places an additional hurdle before what might be called
discretionary private entertainment events,
such as music festivals (as well as sporting
and other events), and raises questions about
financial as well as other responsibilities.
How much of the burden of security cost
should be borne by the public sector, for
private sector events, especially those that
charge admission? Will the burden of security preparation response create pressure that
eventually drives major urban music festivals
out of cities and into more rural areas where
many others are held? Will the festivals be
any safer in rural contexts? And, what is the
effect on society of giving up certain simple
urban pleasures, such as the convenience of
enjoying music in our cities?
The New York Times' David Montgomery quotes Austin Police Chief
Brian Manley, " The department had reevaluated security plans after the Las
Vegas shooting to include additional resources and brought in state troopers to
work alongside Austin officers. I think
Las Vegas will make every city and every
agency re-evaluate security plans around
large events that draw large crowds. "
Fortunately, it is a tribute to the ideals
of our society that we continue to define
major urban gatherings as a public good,
one that is worthy of protection to prevent harm. The use of public parks for
music festivals and other major events
remains viable at this point. This is an
expression of our collective determination to weather external threats to our
well-being, adapt and continue to enjoy
our public spaces.
Eric Tamulonis is a Landscape Architect and Partner
at OLIN, and a board member of the City Parks
Alliance (etamulonis@theolinpartnership.com).
December 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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