Headlines about dangerous crowds seem to be on the rise. Whether it’s a mass shooting, a crowd-crush stampede or a terrorist attack like the one in New Orleans on New Year’s Day 2025, such stories may make you wonder whether it’s wise to even set foot where lots of people are congregating. But while there’s an inherent risk to “joining the crowd,” large gatherings are a part of life, and avoiding them altogether would deprive you of many joys.
You can still go out in public, says personal-safety expert Tom Patire. Just keep a few things in mind to improve your chances of staying safe in a crowd…
It might seem like a silly question, but it gets at an important point in crowd management—whether or not your “crowd radar” goes up should depend more on density than sheer numbers. In other words, 12 people in an elevator are more of a crowd than 30 people scattered throughout a large ballroom.
An interesting aftereffect of the pandemic is that our crowd behaviors have changed in both good and bad ways.
On the plus side, we have a lingering, largely subconscious, reluctance to get too close to people. Result: Crowds are less voluntarily dense.
On the negative side…and unfortunately this is probably the more important effect…crowds are more antsy, more touchy and more downright angry than ever before. Result: People are more likely to push and shove (thanks especially to that revulsion they feel about getting too close to others)…more likely to start fights…and more likely to stampede just because someone has dropped a glass, vomited or passed out. A sudden crowd surge—the kind that can lead to trampling—is more likely when people are psychologically on edge.
Especially if they’re hot, exhausted, sore-footed, drunk or high, the same people who would normally smile and open a friendly conversation with you might want to fight you if you bump into them. They are unlikely to help you up if you fall in a stampede…and they will very much “follow the crowd” in the event of an emergency.
Be particularly wary of events that involve a lot of drinking, drug use, loud music, and laser and strobe lighting. All these factors deliberately alter your mental state, so no one there will be quite in their right mind.
Find out as much as you can about the venue in advance. Will it be outdoors? If so, what will the weather be like? You’ll want everyone in your party to be dressed appropriately so they’re comfortable enough to think clearly.
What kind of surface will it be on? Most surfaces where crowds gather tend to be slippery—gym floors, dance floors or flattened grass at outdoor events. Wear comfortable shoes that will grip whatever surface you’ll be standing on.
Bring enough liquid to stay hydrated. Crowds are naturally hot and dehydrating. If the ambient temperature is 75°F, it might be 90°F at the center of a crowd.
Before you get to the event, have a discussion with everyone who’ll be in your group. Pick a landmark that will be your rallying point when it’s time to go, and establish a time when you will meet there to leave.
Even if you have no intentions of splitting up, plan around the possibility that you’ll get separated. It’s not unusual for people to lose each other in crowds even when they’re only six to 10 feet away from one another.
Remember: It’s impossible to hear and be understood on a cell phone in most crowds, so design a “1, 2, 3” or “A, B, C” texting plan in case there’s an emergency. Examples: Texting just the number 1 means, “Are you okay?” Texting the number 2 means, “Meet at our rally point.” Texting the number 3 means “I can’t get there.”
Most people in crowds are aware of only a few exit points, but at a large event there typically are 10 or more. Plan to exit a different way than you came in. During a mass exit—especially if spooked by a gunshot or an explosion—our tunnel vision kicks in, and we go right to our subconscious memory and retrace our steps. That is where the human-stampede effect begins and injuries start. When you are at your final destination for viewing or seating, take a 360° look around and look not only at the closest exit but at the one with the easiest path. It may be a few more feet away, but with fewer people and obstacles, traveling to it may be the fastest and safest way.
Don’t ever place yourself or your group in the center of a crowd. That’s where the most trouble happens, and it’s also the hardest area to escape from. You always want to be at the edges of the crowd. This doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing a good view of a stage—often, side angles make for better viewing than being front and center.
Stay alert for signs that something isn’t right. Rather than petulantly thinking, Hey, why did he get to come in with a backpack when the rest of us were told they weren’t allowed? your thought should be, Someone got past security with a backpack. That could mean trouble. The drunk, the guy with the wild look in his eye who seems to be spoiling for a tussle, the man wearing a raincoat on a sunny day—don’t be afraid to listen to your gut and give them a wide berth. If you’re attending a street event: Take note of what the police have done to secure the area. Have they ensured that the place where the crowd has gathered is inaccessible to vehicles?
They never end well. We all like to think of ourselves as the level-headed ones, and we put the uglier crowd-related behaviors on other people. But we’re all susceptible to bad behaviors, especially if we feel that we’ve been insulted or encroached upon or that our loved ones are under threat. “Think more, talk less,” is good advice, as is, “When in doubt, get the hell out.” In other words, if you see things starting to go south, keep your mouth closed, and get yourself and your group out of the situation. You may have paid a lot for your tickets and someone might be spoiling your whole day, but taking an early exit is a far better outcome than the alternative.
If things begin to go bad, head for the exit you decided on if possible. If that exit is inaccessible, look for an alternative, but try to avoid using the same exit as the rest of the crowd. By staying at its edges, you can go against the grain and make an easier egress.
If you need to move through a lot of people: Line up your party with the largest people in front and back and the smaller ones in the middle. Hold onto each other, but walk in single file, like a train. Instead of trying to force your way between people, look for natural openings and snake your group through them.
