Massive crowds bombarded The Big E, Boston Calling. How can they avoid a repeat?

Sweat slicked down backs, blended with the scent of fried food and livestock at The Big E, as fairgoers came to a slow halt in the dense crowd. The sea of strangers on Commonwealth Avenue felt unusually large, loud and still, and the air was hot and uncomfortable.

It was hard to move, and there didn’t seem to be an easy way out.

Multiple attendees of The Big E shared similar experiences this year after an all-time total attendance record of 1.6 million fairgoers was set during the annual 17-day run in September.

As one of the largest fairs in the U.S. and Canada, the 175-acre West Springfield event also broke its all-time single daily attendance record at 178,608 attendees on Sept. 21, and saw six other daily attendance record days this year.

The Big E now nears — or far surpasses — daily attendance numbers of the 375-acre The Great New York State Fair and the 277-acre Texas State Fair.

Even with the additional space in their venues, the other state fairs have added security measures like a constant monitoring of building capacity, real-time crowd control reaction and central public safety communication hubs.

Neither of those state fairs set capacity limits, as it’s uncommon for there to be capacity limits on outdoor spaces.

A lack of set capacity limits for large-space grounds “absolutely” creates an issue, said Bryan Martineau, CEO of BAM Public Safety.

But The Big E wasn’t Massachusetts’ only large-scale, outdoor entertainment event that drew backlash for crowd control and capacity concerns in 2024.

Boston Calling music festival guests described similar experiences of dangerous, crushing crowds on May 26, the sold-out third day of the event.

About 1 out of every 100 people suffered a medical issue in the at-least 40,000-person crowd who came that day to see major artists like Hozier, The Killers, Megan Thee Stallion and Chappell Roan, and TikTok was filled with attendees’ recounts in the days following.

Despite requests for comment, MassLive was unable to have a conversation with organizers of The Big E or Boston Calling on the perceived and actual safety of the events. MassLive had over a dozen reporters on the ground during The Big E and six across all three Boston Calling days.

A previous statement from The Big E read, “In preparation for these large crowds, Eastern States Exposition increased its security detail and worked closely with law enforcement and emergency service partners to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.”

The statement cited “only minor incidents” and just one arrest in the parking lot over its course — “an outstanding safety ratio given the high volume of attendees,” it read.

Boston Calling referred back to its previous statement from May that organizers would “work with public officials and our operations team to improve the experience, layout” and “create a better environment.”

These situations raise a broader question: How will Massachusetts ensure public safety at large-scale, outdoor events statewide? Concerns about dangerous crowd sizes are growing as attendance at events like The Big E and Boston Calling surge in the post-pandemic era.

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Capacity limits at The Big E

Lines inside the state house buildings can get long, especially for Connecticut’s lobster rolls or trying maple cremes in Vermont.

But there are limits to how many people can go inside.

State house building exhibition areas are each supposed to only allow between 320 to 390 people inside at a time. Overall, capacity limits at all buildings at The Big E is 27,385 total, according to town documents.

Fairgoers complained to MassLive that some buildings during the fair this past year were too busy to even get inside. The West Springfield mayor, William Reichelt, said to make a choice for yourself.

”If the buildings look busy and you’re uncomfortable by that, I would definitely say, ‘Don’t go in,’” Reichelt said.

But it’s also not The Big E’s responsibility to monitor those buildings — it’s up to the individual states, he claimed. He said the state houses “operate outside of The Big E, in a sense, where each state runs their own building.”

”I would put it back on the states to work on making sure that they aren’t overcrowded in those buildings … if that’s a concern, [the state houses] can definitely take action and work on their own counts of moving people in and out,” Reichelt said.

There is no capacity limit set for the overall 175-acre fairgrounds.

The mayor also said he’d hadn’t heard of capacity limits being common for outdoor spaces and wasn’t worried about them at the fair — but was worried about what people were saying.

”I think the TikTok that went around that showed that one section of the fair on Commonwealth Ave was misleading,” Reichelt said, in reference to the numerous videos on social media that showed gridlocked walkways.

A MassLive reporter was stuck in the foot traffic on Commonwealth Ave. during some of the congestion and was unable to move through the crowd due to certain roads being blocked off during the parade.

Through a Google Form created in September by MassLive, 116 Big E fairgoers said they had a negative experience with crowds. About half said “no,” they did not feel safe, out of 139 total responses, while multiple others documented the gridlocked walkways through social media videos.

The mayor, however, attended two different Saturdays and said while he did note overcrowding by the new Macho Taco stand and Wurst Haus, located at the start of Commonwealth Avenue, he felt it didn’t give a full picture of the fair.

”The rest of the fairgrounds, on any of those Saturdays, while certainly busy, was not to the same level as that one little section was,” Reichelt said. He added that he’s “certainly concerned” about fairgoers who voiced problems and “would love to work with them to resolve those concerns.”

”But at the same time, it’s a really busy fair, and I’m not sure what the expectation is when you go to a really busy fair these days, there’s really only so much that you can get people in different areas,” he said.

What are the security plans?

“There is a much different mentality now that people, after the surge of COVID, are trying to enjoy these events — now that they’re able to,” said Martineau.

Based in New Hampshire since 2016, BAM Public Safety provides on-the-ground security measures, consulting services and safety courses.

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With the increase in how many people now choose to attend events in the region post-pandemic, Martineau said this year’s turnout at venues like The Big E and Boston Calling demonstrate how crowd control “has been a problem.”

“In anything that’s not a capped capacity, or in large-scale spaces, it’s hard to control how many people you have in that venue and even in one area … [it’s hard to] keep that accurate, if you’re not counting how many people leave, how many people come in,” Martineau said.

Boston Calling stated that the attendee count was several thousand below the official capacity. The festival did not disclose the actual capacity, despite requests from MassLive. Still, organizers acknowledged that people felt “uncomfortable and unsafe” during the event.

Organizers are the ones who need to be held accountable, Martineau said.

“[Organizers are] 100% liable for ensuring they have proper officials and the right security team for their event,” Martineau said.

The West Springfield Police Department gave MassLive insight into current security methods at The Big E. The West Springfield Fire Department did not respond to MassLive for comment on fair safety and capacity.

The local police department begins planning for the fair in March each year, according to West Springfield Police Sgt. Joe LaFrance. The department treats The Big E “as its own small city” in addition to West Springfield for its length, LaFrance said, and it initiates partnerships with Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and MEMA.

“Ensuring public safety during this event is no small task and it can’t be done without the dedicated first responders, dispatchers, civilian personnel and law enforcement partners,” LaFrance said.

For security on the grounds, West Springfield Police officers are assigned to walk or be stationed for patrol. Golf carts and ATVs are utilized for quick response, medical calls and other fairgoer aid, and detectives and Narcotis Unit officers monitor for criminal activity and assistance. Officers on bikes and motorcycles outside can also help internally, LaFrance said.

The fair has its own police station and fire station on the grounds, LaFrance said. The police station has a dispatch center and two cells for temporary confinement, and a command center that monitors the well-over 100 cameras on the property.

In addition, all gates for exit and entry are staffed by at least one police officer and “security personnel who greet the patrons, monitor the metal detectors and conduct searches if necessary,” LaFrance said. One cruiser patrols Gate 1 and 9 parking, staffing levels are increased for special events and concerts, and the grounds are staffed several days before and after The Big E begins and concludes.

The West Springfield mayor told MassLive the city also works with the State Fire Marshal and its drone to observe The Big E fairgrounds on the busiest days and the overall fair.

Fairgoers reported “a heavy public safety presence” and metal detectors, and overall good management by officers of pedestrians at the exit gates. Others said they saw multiple emergency workers and officers visibly patrolling through the grounds.

But this year, the efforts did not stop The Big E crowds from converging to a halt on the record-breaking Saturdays on Commonwealth Avenue and inside state houses — to the point where someone called 911 because a pizza vendor line blocked the entire outdoor walkway.

They did not stop crowds from repeating this during the Big Time Rush concert on Sept. 29, according to videos by fairgoers posted to TikTok.

And the Stanley family, people known to local police for their “created chaos” at the fair, were still able to start a minutes-long fight with vendors on Sept. 14 that resulted in multiple injuries and a ski shop to lose thousands of dollars in merchandise.

What’s the solution?

The possibility of security improvement at The Big E, and what that might look like, is on the minds of some in the West Springfield community.

Two solutions Reichelt mentioned were fair staff assigned to state house building doors to mitigate the flow of traffic, and changing the location of popular vendors — some precautions already considered at other massive state fairs around the United States.

In 2024, the Texas State Fair — one of the longest-running state fairs in the nation — saw 2.4 million attendees on its 277-acre grounds.

This year, organizers implemented the “State Fair Command.” This plan included a 24/7 monitoring of the grounds and a central hub for communication between each public safety partner and the State Fair.

“One of many positive outcomes brought by this new addition to the State Fair’s safety and security was the ability to see and react to crowds in real-time by deploying resources as needed,” a spokesperson for the Texas State Fair said.

On the 375-acre complex of the Great New York State Fair, there were about 870,000 fairgoers in 2024 — about 730,000 less than at The Big E, on a fairground with an extra 200 acres.

The large New York fair has continuous monitoring of building capacities as part of their security efforts. Organizers also coordinate with various agencies before concerts “to determine appropriate security measures based on estimated crowd sizes.”

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Other measures to be considered by The Big E and Boston Calling include multiple water stations and cooldown areas, which are “very vital” and would help with both heat and alcohol consumption, said Martineau. Proper ticket sale control for capped events like Boston Calling is necessary, he added.

One of the most important parts is crowd interaction with staff, Martineau said.

That way, information on issues involving crowds “can get back to officials who then say, ‘Hey, this area is getting a little dicey. Maybe we need three extra officers over here, or we need to cut off liquor for a little while,’ or whatever it may be,” he explained.

While the West Springfield mayor said he already had a conversation with The Big E this year on concerns about Commonwealth Avenue, he is happy to continue those conversations with organizers and fairgoers, and invited the public to reach out with their concerns.

“No concern is too small to let us know about … if there are concerns, [fairgoers should] certainly let us know, and we’ll certainly work with The Big E,” Reichelt said.

“We want to make sure everybody has a good time when they’re visiting our community,” he said.

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