According to nme.com, more safety oversight and protocols have been announced for Electric Forest 2023, following the shooting at Washington’s Beyond Wonderland festival.
The incident took place at the Gorge Amphitheater on June 17 where the police were called and alerted of an “active shooter” on the Beyond Wonderland festival grounds. The shooting resulted in the death of two attendees and left others injured. The second day of the festival was later cancelled.
Yesterday Electric Forest went on Twitter to announce they have added more security and protocols for upcoming events.
“We want to reassure you that HQ works year-round with large-scale event security professionals including Michigan State Police, and local law enforcement agencies, and FBI, to provide a safe environment for our patrons, staff, and artists.”
“In addition, we will have specialized Festival K9 Units on site. These highly trained dogs and their skilled handlers have undergone rigorous training in firearm detection amidst a large crowd and in challenging environmental conditions.”
Also Electric Forest organizers explained that they are going to place the new protocols on June 22. The 2023 installment will run until June 25 and the event will feature the acts ODESZA, Illenium, Zeds Dead, Above & Beyond and The String Cheese Incident.
Both Washington’s Beyond Wonderland and Michigan’s Electric Forest dance festivals are produced in collaboration with Insomniac Events. Yesterday founder and CEO of the company Pasquale Rotella issued a statement about the tragic events in Washington and explained why the festival remained open following the shooting.
“On behalf of the entire Insomniac family, we extend our heartfelt thoughts and condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the victims. The loss of two lives, as well as the injuries sustained by others, is an incredibly heartbreaking tragedy. We made the decision to keep the festival open at the request of law enforcement once it became evident that there was no ongoing threat to the safety of attendees.”
Rotella adds: “This was also done to ensure that the majority of attendees stayed away from the campground area where the incident took place. Our staff worked in close coordination with local authorities to secure the area, while also preserving it for investigators to conduct their work in a smaller, isolated section.”
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