As festivalgoers, one thing we have grown accustomed to is security, and as years go by security is becoming more strict. A security guard’s role at a festival is to keep things under control and the attendees and performers safe. Recently, though, information about questionable security practices have surfaced from the Moonrise Festival in Baltimore.
Attendees of the festival on August 6-7 claim to have experienced extortion, harassment, and theft by security throughout the festival. People turned to the Moonrise Festival event page to tell their stories. Attendees claim to have payed security guards up to $50 to stay in the festival if they were found smoking or possibly had drugs. If they could not provide the demanded amount, security became threatening.
There seemed to be two extremes when it came to security. People either experienced extreme searches, to the point where they felt violated, or security was unresponsive to serious situations, such as patrons becoming dehydrated and fainting. Many claims can be read online.
Moonrise Festival has responded to the festival goers’ claims saying the situation is under investigation. They are asking attendees to email securityissues@moonrisefestival.com about their experiences.
Security is an important part of the festival experience, so we trust and expect it to diplomatic and ethical. We hope the experience of festival goers in Baltimore will be addressed and is never repeated elsewhere.
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