Crowd surfing describes the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person during a concert, transferring the person from one part of the venue to another. The “crowd surfer” is passed above everyone’s heads, with everyone’s hands supporting the person’s weight.
At most concerts and festivals the crowd surfer will be passed towards a barrier in front of the stage by the crowd, where they will be pulled off and put onto their feet by the security stewards.
Then, they will be sent back to the side or rear of the crowd at the end of the barrier or they may be ejected from the venue (depending on the policy enforced).
In 2000, at the Roskilde Festival, nine people died and several were wounded because they were trampled during a Pearl Jam concert.
[1]Since then, crowd surfing has been made illegal at most festivals and concerts in Europe, but not so in the U.S., and patrons can, in theory, be ejected from the venue for partaking in the act. This is usually written on the small-print of festival tickets.
Supporters of crowd surfing say that by standing in the mosh pit patrons should expect such behavior as part of a rock show and by standing more towards the side or rear of the venue they can easily avoid such behavior.
Such people also state that serious injuries caused by crowd surfing are extremely rare. It is true that the majority of injuries caused by crowd surfing are only mild bruising, which occurs in any mosh pit without crowd surfing.
Supporters will also argue that most crowd surfers are considerate and will wear soft shoes such as trainers, and refrain from wearing jackets in order to minimize injuries, and that it is common mosh pit etiquette to pick up anyone who has fallen over.
Also at larger events, such as festivals, crowd surfing can be used as a means of transporting individuals out of the crowd. On occasion, individuals may wish to leave the event because of any given reason, but there can be too many people bringing other people in. Therefore, some people use crowd surfing as a means to get out.
Sign at the 2004 Reading Festival