ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL, which opens on 12 September, published a dedicated lightning and evacuation protocol on 9 September.
According to the organisers, if a lightning warning is issued for the area and a thunderstorm cloud is expected to approach, performances will be temporarily suspended as a safety measure. Areas protected by lightning conductors have been set up on site, and staff will direct the audience towards them.
Three main shelter zones have been named: the stands and covered sections of Fukuda Denshi Arena, the designated lightning shelter area at HUNGRY FIELD, and the protected side of the HILLSIDE STAGE. The organisers warn specifically that tents are not safe during lightning, and that trees and waterlogged ground should be avoided.
From a business perspective this is a strong example of festival safety communication becoming a guest experience and reputation factor in its own right. Real-time meteorology, crowd management, digital alerting and on-site infrastructure increasingly form an integrated service market.
Summary
ROCK IN JAPAN, which opens this weekend, has published a detailed lightning protocol: performances will be suspended if necessary and the audience directed to three designated shelter areas.