Rider - Main stage

Each year, a comprehensive risk assessment is carried out to determine the specific security measures required for each concert. 

This assessment remains dynamic and may be adjusted until the day of the show, based on any new or updated information.

We therefore encourage you to share with us any details or feedback that could inform and enhance this analysis.

If a high level of risk (classified as red) is identified, specific security measures will be implemented and discussed in advance with the artist’s designated security representative.

The security policy of Paléo Festival Nyon is based on the recommendations of the Yourope Event Safety Group (YES Group), a network of crowd safety and security experts coordinated by Pascal Viot, Security Director at Paléo. 

For over 20 years, the YES Group has promoted best practices across Europe and is now a widely recognized reference in event safety.

According to Swiss law, the promoter (Paléo Festival) has full legal responsibility for managing the safety and the security of the festival and must therefore guarantee the best security conditions for spectators. The promoter is responsible for the smooth running of the event and may be held liable to the competent authorities in the case an incident occurs.

Principles of Application of Paléo Festival’s Security Policy :

1. Specific security measures related to the artist will be discussed at the earliest opportunity with the festival’s stage security coordinator. 
2. We expect the artist’s security representative to share insights and experience from previous shows and to actively support the local security team. 
3. The artist’s security representative is expected to accept the terms of the festival’s security policy and may propose solutions only for issues they have previously observed. These proposals will be considered as suggestions and may be implemented by the stage security managers if deemed relevant, necessary, and compatible with the festival’s security policy. 
4. Paléo acknowledges that some artists — particularly international acts — may have high security expectations. While striving to meet these requests, Paléo is committed to maintaining the integrity and unique approach of its own security policy where appropriate. 
5. In all cases, Paléo remains legally responsible for the safety of all spectators on the festival site and must retain full control over the safety concept and measures implemented at the event. 
6. Paléo is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities as promoter by ensuring both effective security and a hospitable, attentive approach to the needs of the artist’s production. 

We expect artists and their representatives to familiarize themselves with the terms of this policy and to accept them.  For any questions or clarifications, the Festival teams remain available to assist you prior to your arrival on site.

Artist Safety Representatives can be assured that:

• The safety system implemented by Paléo provides all necessary guarantees for the artist to perform under optimal safety conditions.
• The festival maintains a clear coordination structure and operates with a qualified and experienced operational safety team.

Roles of implicated actors :

SECURITY & SAFETY DIRECTOR (Pascal Viot) :

The Festival’s Security Director is responsible for :

• the festival security policy and its updates; 
• the overall safety concept implemented on site; 
• the coordination with official authorities.

For each edition, he produces a risk assessment and defines the strategy to be implemented at the tactical and operational levels by the Festival’s Security Coordinator.

SECURITY COORDINATOR (Ivan Ripic) :

The Security Coordinator leads the entire security operation of the festival.

His responsibilities include:

• defining specific safety concepts;
• planning necessary staff reinforcements;
• coordinating concert security measures with the Heads of Technical Direction and Artistic Production.
• delegating the operational supervision of each stage to a dedicated Stage Security Manager.

STAGE SECURITY COORDINATOR (Alain Galois) 

The Stage Security Coordinator oversees the security setup surrounding the stages, including :

• front of stage,
• backstage access,
• artist security,
• spotters,
• medical staff.

He is responsible for the Showstop Procedure and remains in constant contact with the Artist’s representative and the Stage Operations Coordinator.

He is supported by the Stage Security Manager.

Contact : 
alain.galois@paleo.ch 
+41 79 217 52 28

PRODUCTION MANAGER (Dan Hauri) :

The Stage Operations Coordinator ensures the overall coordination of all activities happening on stage and guarantees the smooth running of concerts.

He is :

• the main point of contact for artists and their teams;
• working closely with the Production Management; 
• responsible for the Showstop Procedure, he maintains constant communication with the artist’s representative and the Stage Security Coordinator.

He is supported by the Venue Manager.

Contact : 
dan.hauri@paleo.ch
+41 79 210 88 02

ARTIST’S SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE 

An artist representative will be designated to :

• discuss the implementation of this procedure with the Stage Safety Coordinator and Stage Operations Coordinator;
• inform the artist and their crew of the possibility of an incident and of the need to activate safety measures, up to and including stopping the concert and communicating with the audience if such a situation arises.

AAA Festival Access (Head of festival / Crisis Management) - No restrictions for ♣ :

Daniel Rossellat – Mario Fossati – Pascal Viot – Ivan Ripic - Christophe Pilet – Dany Hassenstein – Nicolas Vuilleumier – David Franklin – Nick Sandoz – Bastien Bento. 

Members of the Paléo Festival management team wearing a ♣-marked badge (11 people) must have full access to all festival zones at all times, including the stage, even without an artist’s pass.

If an artist wishes to restrict access to the stage during their concert, they may request it either during the Security Meeting or in advance during pre-event communications.

To implement this request, the artist must provide 32 access passes (stickers, wristbands, or tour artist passes) no later than 1 hour before the show, directly to the Venue Manager.

Required access passes (32 total):

• 4 Festival Production 
• 1 Head of Stage Operations 
• 1 Venue Manager 
• 1 Hospitality manager 
• 3 stage manager 
• 1 RF Coordinator 
• 2 security manager 
• 1 stage supplier rep 
• 1 construction manager 
• 1 MC 
• 1 iMag Coordinator 
• 4 sound crew + 1 RF Coordinator 
• 6 light crew 
• 4 riggers 
• 1 electrician 

NB: Stagehands are not included but may be called up by venue or stage manager on your cue.

No access restriction will be approved outside of these conditions.

Please note that access to the stage may be restricted no earlier than 15 minutes before the concert, and the restriction must be lifted no later than 15 minutes after the end of the show. 

Please also note that, on rare occasions, other artists may carry out their load-in or load-out in the backstage areas during this restriction period.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: 

Please note that in case of emergency Paléo Festival will reclaim all control of the stage area and artist’s own credentials will no longer be valid.

Concerts involve specific risks, and due to the potential severity of their consequences, Paléo Festival aims to clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and procedures to follow in the event of an emergency related to crowd behavior.

The objective is to ensure that concerts take place as planned, under the safest possible conditions for both the audience and the artist, and to prevent any crowd‑related incident.

In certain hazardous situations, it may be necessary to:

• communicate with the artists during the performance, asking them to reduce the intensity of the show, or, in more serious cases, to stop the concert immediately until the situation returns to acceptable safety conditions.

Depending on the circumstances, two levels of measures may be activated: Show Break (pause) or Show Stop (immediate stop). 

The decision to initiate either procedure will be made jointly (majority vote among the three) between:

• the Artist’s Representative,
• the Stage Safety Coordinator,
• the Stage Operations Coordinator. 

The Stage Security and Operations Coordinators at Paléo Festival are experienced event safety professionals, holding multiple specialized qualifications in the field, and certified as Showstop Managers by Crowd Safety and Pink Bows (CPD & IIRSM accredited – 2025). Their expertise is further strengthened by specific training in managing emergency situations during a concert. 

They work closely with the artist representatives designated as co-decision-makers to activate the Show Stop procedure if necessary.

To ensure they can be quickly and clearly identified, they wear a distinctive Show Break / Show Stop badge, visibly displayed at all times during the concert.

SHOW BREAK – PAUSE PROCEDURE (YELLOW CARD)

Situation: medium‑level emergency requiring a safety message to the crowd between two songs.

1. An emergency meeting will be held on stage between the designated decision-makers. 
2. At the end of the current song, a safety announcement will be made to the crowd by the artist (or the stage announcer) following the instructions of the Stage Security Manager. 
3. Based on the assessment of the three decision-makers, the concert will either resume or be permanently stopped

SHOW STOP – IMMEDIATE STOP PROCEDURE 

Situation : severe emergency requiring the immediate interruption of the concert due to a major incident (e.g. major fall in the crowd, serious incident, risk of injury)

1. An emergency meeting will be held between the designated decision-makers. 
2. The artist will immediately leave the stage. 
3. Emergency lighting will be activated, the concert sound will be cut, and only the announcer’s microphone will remain active. 
4. The announcer will address the audience, providing instructions and information about the situation and the appropriate behavior. 
5. An emergency message tailored to the situation will be displayed on the giant screens. 
6. Based on the assessment of the three decision-makers, the concert may be permanently stopped.

Note: This procedure would only be applied in the event of a serious incident (which has never occurred at Paléo Festival to date). However, considering incidents at other festivals, such situations must be anticipated.

Any intentional crowd movement initiated by the artist that pushes spectators from the back towards the stage and may cause serious injury will result in an immediate concert stop under the defined procedure.

The concert will resume only if no injuries have occurred, and the artist agrees not to encourage such crowd movement again.
 

A security meeting will be held on the day of the concert between: the Artist’s Representative, the Stage Operations Coordinator and the Stage Safety Coordinator.

Subjects to be discussed

• Reminder of the Paléo Security Policy;
• Presentation of the stage safety setup;
• Specific requests regarding dressing room surveillance;
• Possible restricted access to the stage;
• Artist behaviour during the concert (e.g., going into the pit, into the crowd, etc.);
• Use of photo and video camera in the crowd;
• Behaviour to adopt in case of an intrusion on stage during the concert; 
• Show Stop Procedure – direct communication with the artist;
• Nomination of the artist’s representative for the Stop Show procedure;
• Criteria for stopping a concert and decision making process.

The Artist’s Representative is expected to demonstrate an open and transparent attitude and provide all relevant information regarding the show.

At the end of the meeting, a document will be signed confirming :

• that the security meeting took place,
• and that both parties agree on the points discussed.

If the Paléo representatives cannot rely on the full cooperation of the Artist’s Security Representative, a meeting will be convened immediately between :

• the Artist’s Manager,
• the Paléo Head of Production & Booking,
• the Paléo Security & Safety director.

Objective: To re-explain the Festival's security policy and obtain the support of all parties involved.

The role of the stage speaker (announcer) is a key component of Paléo Festival’s communication strategy with the crowd.  Whenever possible, Paléo wishes for a stage speaker to introduce the Artist’s performance just before stage time. Details (content, duration, etc.) will be discussed with the venue manager on showday.

The speaker does more than simply introduce the artists; they also :

• help create a positive and trusting relationship between the festival and the spectators, encouraging confidence and a sense of care;
• become, in case of a show stop procedure or special situation, the primary and trusted voice guiding the audience on the safety instructions to follow.

For these reasons, the presence of the speaker and their role in introducing each artist before every performance are an integral part of the festival’s global safety policy.

This approach ensures that strong, clear and reliable communication with the audience is maintained at all times – especially during critical situations – and is therefore non‑negotiable. 

Giant screens placed on the sides of the stage will be used to transmit information messages to the crowd in case of emergency situations. 

Screens are also positioned in order to transmit live footage of the scenes. For security reasons, all artists must accept this recording for internal use only. These recordings may not be used by the artist as pre-recorded content.

Some concerts attract large concentrations of people at the front of the stage, particularly among younger spectators. To avoid exposing spectators to too much pressure, information messages are displayed on the giant screens to warn the audience of the risk and encourage them to enjoy the show from less dense areas.

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Some concerts may generate significant crowd movement (pogo, mosh pits, wall of death, etc.). To reduce the risk associated with these movements, a specific message is shown to inform the audience and encourage spectators who prefer calmer environments to move to safer zones.

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Crowd surfing is strictly prohibited at Paléo Festival. A clear message is shown on the giant screens before the concerts. Any crowd surfers will be firmly warned by security staff before being sent back into the crowd.

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Between concerts, and if necessary, an evacuation plan may also be displayed on the giant screens.

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Crowd observation : 

For any concert identified as high‑risk, two security agents will :

• be positioned stationary at the sides of the stage (wing areas),
• observe the crowd throughout the show,
• immediately report any issue to the Stage Security Manager and the front-of-stage (pit) team.

They are specifically trained to identify and report dangerous crowd behavior (e.g., mass movements, audience members falling, fights, crowd surfing, etc.).  

For safety reasons, an additional video observation system (3 cameras) is installed to monitor the audience. The two operators managing these cameras will communicate with the security managers whenever a problem is identified.

This video monitoring is strictly preventive, with the sole purpose of identifying potentially dangerous situations more quickly.

Use and protection of recorded footage :

• Recordings are kept only for documentation purposes.
• They include no sound and no images of the stage, only footage of the crowd in front of the stages.
• Their use fully complies with all legal requirements regarding video surveillance and personal data protection.
• Access to these recordings is strictly limited to authorized and specifically designated personnel within the Paléo organization.

Note: monitoring screen displaying the observation camera feeds will be available on stage for the Show Stop decision-makers, allowing them to better assess the situation in real time.
 

In addition to the regular medical and nursing teams stationed at the festival infirmaries, special measures are implemented to ensure audience safety during concerts. The following means are deployed for all concerts :

• Pit : 2 nurses + 2 first‑aid responders + 1 supervisor
• A doctor specifically dedicated to concerts is also present at the first aid station positioned on the side of each stage.
• For concerts identified as high‑risk (red color on the risk assessment), an ambulance with 2 paramedics is pre‑positioned near the stage for quick assistance if necessary.
• For artists requiring non‑confidential medical attention, a medical consultation can be arranged backstage.
• The entire medical setup can be reinforced at any time if circumstances require additional resources.

For any specific medical needs related to technical teams or artists – such as oxygen, specific medication, or other equipment – please send your request as early as possible.

The Vaud Cantonal Police, which has jurisdiction over the Paléo Festival site, does not provide police escorts for transporting artists to the festival as a matter of policy.

According to the Swiss Federal Police, the current terrorist threat level in Switzerland is moderate, with no specific indications targeting festivals or major public events.

Consequently, no high-level security protocols are required by the federal government.

However, Paléo Festival implements a safety system that exceeds the expectations of Swiss authorities, based on international standards and best practices.

Every effort is made to ensure the highest possible safety conditions for artists, staff, and the audience.

Some details about our resources:

• A team of 1,500 trained collaborators assigned to hospitality and security roles during the festival.
• Professional supervision at the highest level of expertise.
• 430 official agents (police, firefighters, private security, border guards, etc.),
• Bag checks at entry points upon request, including inspections of personal items brought on site.

Paléo emphasizes its full responsibility for the overall safety management of the festival and is committed to maintaining a serious, proportionate and effective safety framework.

Since January 1, 2023, Switzerland has adopted the European Union regulations on drones, which set safety standards for the manufacture, certification and operation of unmanned aircraft (more info here).

This implies :

• Registration and flight license are required for all remote pilots and operators (except for drones under 250 g that carry no camera, sensor, or data‑collection device).
• Pilots must follow a training course and pass an exam to obtain a Remote Pilot Competency Certificate (EU‑issued certificates are valid in Switzerland).
• Drones operating in the “open” category are not allowed to fly over crowds, regardless of their weight. According to the EU definition, a gathering of people is not defined by a specific number of people but is linked to the possibility for an individual in the group to move in order to avoid the consequences of an out-of-control drone.

Paléo Festival strictly prohibits any drone flight (regardless of weight or type) over the festival perimeter, as stated in its official regulations. 

Exceptions, justified by specific organizational, safety, site planning, or promotional needs, must be formally approved by the Paléo Festival Safety Coordination team.

Accordingly, any use of a drone for scenic purposes by the artist’s production is subject to prior approval from the Paléo Festival Safety Coordination.

Contact will be established a few weeks before the performance to define the conditions under which an exceptional authorization may be granted, in compliance with the safety protocol agreed between the Festival and the competent authorities (Cantonal Police and the Federal Office of Civil Aviation).

If such exceptional authorization is granted, the artist’s production agrees to fully comply with the protocol and adhere to the relevant safety measures. 

At any time, the Paléo Festival's Safety Coordination can refuse take-off authorization or ask the pilot to land his drone without delay for safety reasons.