Germany’s WHOLE Festival faced a security alert and was evacuated following a threat to public safety. The festival took place from August 2 – 5 at Ferropolis, a lakeside island site in Gräfenhainichen, eastern Germany. This year’s line-up included Jennifer Cardini, Bored Lord, Peach, Octo Octa and more. The festival’s team received a message on the evening of August 3 that contained a criminally offensive threat, which led to the Beach Stage’s evacuation. Visitors were also informed that the area had to be evacuated for security reasons.
According to local police, at around 9:00 PM on August 3, they received a tip-off about a possible disturbance to public peace through threats of criminal offences in the Beach Stage area. “The police then cordoned off the area in question,” said a spokesperson. WHOLE said that when something like this comes in, the protocol is to evacuate the area. They also thanked their 3,500 festivalgoers affected by the evacuation for their grace during and after this protocol. Police have confirmed the evacuation went smoothly without any incident.
Pleased with the support and positive spirit of their visitors, who helped overcome this challenge and keep the party going, WHOLE reported no harm or breach of safety during the incident. Meanwhile, the police identified a 31-year-old suspicious person who was known to be on the event site and lives in Berlin. The suspect was interrogated, and an investigation has been initiated following the disturbance.
In social media statements, WHOLE assured their visitors that they, in cooperation with their security staff and local authorities, had verified the threat as fake. According to WHOLE, except for the disturbance to the programming, no harm or breach of safety occurred during this incident
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