Stampedes, trampling and late headliners: All the chaos that went down at Wireless

Wireless festival is facing criticism online following mass disorganisation and a lack of crowd control over the weekend. On the last day of the festival, that took place in Finsbury Park, North London, fans complained that there were stampedes, shoving and dangerous crowds.

People stampeded the entrance to the festival

Footage has emerged online of fans stampeding the entrance and the temporary gates that had been put up around the festival in an attempt to get in. In an effort to control the crowd, police officers and security guards attempted to funnel the masses through a narrow entrance, which resulted in people having to climb up gates to avoid being trampled by the large crowd, the Daily Mail reported.

The Met Police eventually stopped people from entering the festival entirely, including those who had tickets, which led to frustration among attendees.

Attendees pushed at the fences surrounding the festival in desperate attempts to get in after the event organisers refused to open the gates. Footage shared online by those at the festival shows people pushing over the metal detectors at security check points, with staff struggling to keep them upright.

Security were unable to control the crowds

Dangerous mosh pits and shoving was also observed within the festival. Videos show people urinating in the crowd, hair extensions being thrown and inadequate access to water, with staff handing out small cups of water into the crowd that could not reach those stuck in the middle.

Disabled attendees did not have sufficient access

The event was also criticised by festival goers with disabilities, Lexi, who uses a wheelchair, told BBC Newsbeat that she found the event “sad and upsetting”. She described “bad pathways and flooring” and a wheelchair ramp which she was unable to use as “it didn’t have grip”. Once in the venue, she was unable to see the stage as a tree was obscuring her view.

The headliners were then late

Attendees then detailed further disappointment online after artists such as Lil Durk were late for their sets. The headliner, rap star Nicki Minaj was 40 minutes late for her set, meaning that due to the noise curfew, her performance was significantly cut short. Screens at the festival read: “Nicki Minaj is running late. Curfew is 9.30pm. Back soon with further updates.”

Upon leaving the festival, fans were greeted with more dangerous crowds, as masses of people attempted to get into Finsbury Park underground station at once. Underground staff closed the barriers to the station, with people queueing and pushing outside in an attempt to get in.

@a.boujie I think after yesterdays experiance of Wireless dont think i will ever go again😭 thought i was gonna loose a leg the way everyone collapsed onto me to the floor and a girl holding onto my hair for support like uhhh😭den loosing half my stuff👍🏾#fyp #fy #wirelessfestival #wireless ♬ original sound – AB🤍

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police force said issues with entering the venue began at around 3pm, when “a small number” of people tried to get through an entrance to Wireless Festival while others were queueing.

They added: “As a result of this, security staff put in place a brief hold on people being admitted to the event to ensure the safe flow of people into the site.

“This caused a large crowd to form in the area around the site. Officers assisted security staff with managing the crowd to keep people safe.

“We continue to work closely with the event organiser and other partners to prevent further disruption and we thank people attending for their patience, particularly in the hot weather.”

The Tab has contacted Wireless festival for a comment.

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