“Cooperative Crowding”: Mitigating Disasters and Saving Lives at Events

What turns a vibrant crowd into a deadly one—and how can we stop it from happening again? In this episode, Dr Mike Duignan speaks with crowd safety expert Dr Alison Hutton to unpack some of the most devastating crowd disasters, including Astroworld and the Love Parade. Through the lens of “cooperative crowding,” Alison explores how shared responsibility, environmental design, and real-time coordination can transform chaos into calm. Drawing on decades of experience in health, festivals, and emergency planning, she challenges the siloed thinking that undermines safety, and calls for new risk frameworks and stronger communication between organisers, medics, performers, and security. This conversation is essential for anyone working in events and festivals—where getting safety right isn’t just a legal duty, it’s a moral one. Learn how crowd psychology, pre-event planning, and creative risk management can help protect lives without crushing the spirit that makes live events so electrifying.