Overview

• Emergency call volumes have nearly doubled from around 600 on a typical weekend to about 1,300 during Download Festival sessions due to device false alarms.
• Crash detection features on certain smart watches and smartphones automatically dial 999 after sensing a collision, which energetic mosh pit activity can falsely register.
• Officers are advising festival-goers to enable airplane mode or disable emergency alerts on wearable technology before entering the mosh pit.
• Attendees who receive accidental callbacks from hidden numbers are asked to answer to confirm their safety and free up resources for genuine emergencies.
• Download Festival is hosting an estimated 75,000 to 130,000 rock and metal fans at Donington Park this weekend, with headliners including Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn.