Last year, Smukfest faced significant crowding issues among participants, a challenge the festival is now addressing with the help of artificial intelligence. In just 56 minutes, all 30,000 general admission tickets for this year’s festival were sold out, despite a reduction in capacity by 1,000 attendees from last year. This decision was made to create a more enjoyable experience for festival-goers, explains Thomas Rydahl, the festival’s head of security.
Despite the reduced capacity last year, reports emerged of heavy congestion during performances by popular artists such as Nik & Jay and The Minds of 99. This prompted Smukfest to implement changes specifically around the Bøgescenen (Beech Stage), the largest stage at the festival. The adjustments include relocating bars, improving spatial distribution behind the stage, and altering queue directions, all aimed at contributing to a safer and more comfortable experience.
Smukfest has also integrated advanced technology in the form of artificial intelligence to better understand and manage crowds. Using AI, the festival creates heatmaps based on anonymously collected data from cameras, which allows for analysis on how closely people are gathered in specific areas. This data assists organizers in predicting audience patterns and optimizing space utilization.
According to Thomas Rydahl, this technology has rapidly become an indispensable part of festival planning. “With a couple of years of experience with artificial intelligence, we can now predict and simulate guest behavior with high precision. We know which areas will fill up and how people move,” he states.
The official music program at Smukfest began on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, where thousands of enthusiastic festival-goers look forward to what is hoped to be a more spacious and secure experience.