We Are FSTVL Crowd Crush — Incident Report
Crowd Incident · Entrance Management

We Are FSTVLCrowd Crush

A structured summary of the reported crowd crush, surge and queueing incident at We Are FSTVL on 25 May 2019.

Date25 May 2019
LocationUpminster, Essex
Reported Injuries5 minor
FatalitiesNone reported
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Incident Overview

What happened

Reports say festivalgoers queued for up to about three to three-and-a-half hours in hot conditions while entering We Are FSTVL.

Multiple sources link the delays to wristband problems or technical difficulties at the wristband exchange.

Witness reports described people fainting, vomiting, collapsing and being trampled as barriers were pushed through or thrown.

Location Details

Damyns Hall Aerodrome

Venue: We Are FSTVL / Damyns Hall Aerodrome.

Address: Aveley Road, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2TN.

Location wording: Sources also describe the location as Upminster, east London or East London. The verified locality is Upminster, Essex / east London.

Check uncertainty →

Key Facts

Reported impact

0
Incident year
3–3.5h
Reported queue time
0
Minor injuries stated by organiser
0
Fatalities reported

Chronology

How the incident developed

Saturday 25 May 2019
Festivalgoers entered We Are FSTVL during hot conditions at Damyns Hall Aerodrome.
Entry delays build
Sources describe long queues, with some reports placing wait times at about three to three-and-a-half hours.
Crowd surge / crush
Witnesses described people fainting, collapsing, vomiting and being trampled as barriers were pushed through or thrown.
Aftermath
Organisers apologised, said five customers sustained minor injuries, and later said changes were made for the next day.

Reported Drivers

Operational themes

🎟️
Wristband problems
Several sources link delays to wristband exchange issues or technical problems.
☀️
Hot conditions
Reports described long waits in direct sun and claims of dehydration and fainting.
🚧
Barrier failure pressure
Witness accounts described barriers being pushed through or thrown during the surge.
🧾
Follow-up review
Local reporting says council and police reviewed entry and security processes with organisers.
⚠️ Verification NoteThe exact number of people who fainted, collapsed, vomited, became dehydrated or were trampled was not verified in the reviewed material.

Disputed Details

What the sources do not fully agree on

The core incident is consistently reported, but some details vary between sources.

Disputed Detail
Number of injured

The clearest official count located in the research was five minor injuries, but at least one report used a lower figure.

Organiser statement

Carried by The Guardian and TheFestivals: five customers sustained minor injuries and were treated on site before rejoining the festival.

The Sun

Reported that four fans were injured in the stampede, while also carrying organiser wording that five customers sustained minor injuries.

Witness reports also describe fainting, vomiting, collapsing and trampling, but those accounts do not establish a verified official injury total.

Clarification
Whether injuries were serious

The organiser and police wording are not necessarily contradictory. They describe different parts of the same picture.

Organiser statement

Five customers had minor injuries.

Metropolitan Police statement

Police were not aware of any serious injury.

One gives a count and severity level. The other addresses the absence of known serious injury.

Not Verified

Unverified Details

These details were not confirmed by a directly accessible official or reliable source in the research pass.

Collapse count
Exact number of people who fainted or collapsed.
Medical symptoms
Exact number of people who vomited or were dehydrated.
Trampling
Exact number of people trampled in the surge.
Fatality detail
Any fatality figure beyond “no fatalities reported in the sources reviewed”.
Police source
A directly accessible official Metropolitan Police standalone statement page for this incident.
BBC source
A directly accessible BBC Newsbeat page during the research pass.

Source Material

References

Reference cards below summarise the news, website, social media and official-location material used in the incident note.

01
The Guardian · News Article
Music fans at We Are FSTVL collapse in east London heat
26 May 2019
Reports queues of up to three hours in heat at We Are FSTVL in Upminster. Witnesses described people collapsing, vomiting, being trampled, and a barrier injuring a woman. Includes organiser statement that five customers sustained minor injuries and were treated on site.
Visit Source →
02
The Standard · News Article
Organisers apologise after festival-goers are hurt in crush caused by ticketing glitch
26 May 2019
Reports that organisers apologised after five people were hurt in a crush linked to a ticketing or wristband problem at We Are FSTVL.
Visit Source →
03
The Independent · News Article
We Are FSTVL: London festivalgoers ‘collapse’ after queuing for three hours in the sun
27 May 2019
Reports queues of more than three hours, witness claims of dehydration and injuries, and quotes the Metropolitan Police saying they were not aware of any serious injury.
Visit Source →
04
Resident Advisor · News Article
Ravers crushed in stampede at London’s We Are FSTVL
27 May 2019
Reports numerous people collapsed or were injured after a stampede at the entrance. States people queued up to three-and-a-half hours in hot conditions and identifies the site as Damyns Hall Aerodrome.
Visit Source →
05
Business Insider · News Article
People are comparing a London concert to Fyre Festival after attendees 'collapsed'
26 May 2019
Reports allegations that attendees collapsed from dehydration and describes organiser acknowledgement on Twitter of entry delays.
Visit Source →
06
The Sun · News Article
Thousands of desperate festival-goers storm entrance to We Are FSTVAL
26 May 2019
Reports gate-storming after long queues without water. Says four fans were injured, while also reproducing organiser wording that five customers sustained minor injuries.
Visit Source →
07
The Sun · News Article
Woman, 30, thought she was 'going to die' when ...
27 May 2019
Follow-up report referenced in search results. States a woman suffered a leg injury in the crush and reproduces organiser follow-up wording.
Visit Source →
08
NME · Magazine Article
We Are FSTVL apologise after people 'collapse' and 'vomit' queuing for hours
28 May 2019
Reports organisers apologised after people were said to have collapsed and vomited while queuing for hours. Includes police wording that there was no awareness of serious injury.
Visit Source →
09
TheFestivals.uk · Website Article
Updated: Video shows We Are FSTVL crowd surge as people 'faint' in long queues
26 May 2019; updated 27 May 2019
Reports crowd surge footage, witness accounts of fainting, lack of water, and unsafe crowding. Reproduces police and organiser statements.
Visit Source →
10
CMU Daily · Website Article
We Are FSTVL apologises for queues, This Is Tomorrow cancels Foals mid-set
28 May 2019
Summarises the incident, saying queues were reportedly due to wristband supply issues and that people broke through barriers onto the Damyns Hall Aerodrome site.
Visit Source →
11
Upminster and Cranham Residents’ Association · Website Article
Update on incident on Saturday at We Are FSTVL
2019
States that the council and police reviewed entry and security processes with the organiser after the Saturday incident.
Visit Source →
12
London Borough of Havering · Official Page
Application for a new premises licence - We Are FSTVL 2017 at Damyns Hall Aerodrome
Decision page for 2017 licence
Official local authority page identifying the premises as Damyns Hall Aerodrome, Aveley Road, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2TN.
Visit Source →
13
@wearefstvl / We Are FSTVL · Social Media Post
Official festival post apologising for entry delays
25 May 2019
Official festival account apologised for the delay in getting in and said gates would stay open until everyone was let in.
Visit Source →
14
@alicebeaden · Social Media Post
Witness post describing unsafe crowd surge in queue
25 May 2019
Public post saying people were surging forward in a two-hour queue in direct sunlight and calling the situation unsafe.
Visit Source →
15
@rachmcqueen · Social Media Post
Witness post saying nine people fainted in the queue
25 May 2019
Public post saying the author had witnessed nine people faint in the queue. Treated as witness evidence, not an official casualty total.
Visit Source →

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