Organizers promised to “ultimately create a better environment for everyone” in the future
Boston Calling has responded to complains that certain areas of the festival seemed overcrowded this weekend. In a statement released on Tuesday, the festival assured attendees that while the official count was “several thousand” below capacity, they’d work to make sure people feel safe in the future.
“We deeply appreciate the audience, staff, and performers who make Boston Calling possible, and want to acknowledge feedback from Sunday,” the statement read. “While attendee count was several thousand below the official capacity rating of the site, we never want anyone to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at the show.”
“The safety and well-being of our fans, artists, guests and staff is paramount,” the statement continued. “We will continue to work with public officials and our operations team to improve the experience, layout, and ultimately create a better environment for everyone.”
Boston Calling was hosted over Memorial Day weekend at the Harvard Athletic Complex. It featured performances from the Killers, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, Chappell Roan, Reneé Rapp, and Luke Hemmings.
A Boston.com review of the festival noticed an over-filled crowd for Roan’s performance on the main stage. “I’ve been to every single Boston Calling, and I’ve never seen the festival more crowded than it was on Sunday, which was the only day that sold out,” read the Kevin Slane review. “The number I heard from a few different festival sources was 40,000 people (compared to only 16,000 on Saturday), but it felt like even more than that.”
One tweet from an attendee described the festival’s Sunday event as “ridiculously unsafe,” while some Instagram comments described it as an “absolute disaster.”
