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I went to Battersea Park Fireworks display on Saturday. What a f*ckup that was! Crowds upon crowds of people (50,000 estimated). Too many people. It was poorly staffed, poorly lit, no signage, uneven surfaces/curbs/steps all over the place, lack of barriers, no phone reception, power cuts. Massive uncontrolled queues for food stalls and bars, I didn’t even bother getting a beer as it took an hour to get a bratwurst! It was like nobody had considered that people might have to queue up for things!
It was an absolute disaster waiting to happen. Not the sort of place you’d want to be if something went wrong. I’ve been to many large events and it’s the worst I’ve seen by far. Closest thing I can compare it too is the Cheltenham racing festival except in a much smaller space, with no lights! I did quite enjoy the thrill of it in some ways and the fireworks were good but I couldn’t wait to get out!
Anyone else been to an event or in a situation where you felt you were (or actually were) in danger?
Reading about the deaths at the Travis Scott show in Houston, my son said the most frightened he had ever been was seeing TS here at a festival pre-Covid. People cramming into the front of the stage, those in the centre lifted off their feet and carried in every direction, one person going down would have led to disaster. Not instigated by TS, but it seems his fans just lost their sense of preservation and self-restraint.
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Dangerous Places. on 16:26 - Nov 8 with 5150 views
Was a LU station manager (like a couple others on here) for many years.
The fire suppression and evacuation systems in places like Bank and Victoria are the best in the world because of the KX fire.
One thing TfL get right is their safety legislation. That's why no one has died in a fire for 35 years despite 400km of track, nearly 300 stations, and 1.3billion journeys.
I'd be worried about what you are breathing in though!
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Dangerous Places. on 16:46 - Nov 8 with 5063 views
Yes, at an Eric B & Rakim gig at Radio City in New York in 1993.
There we metal detectors on the doors and guy in front of me dropped his shiv on the pavement as we were going in. The first warning sign.
The support act came on and were waving handguns on stage getting the crowd whipped up. I was one of only five or six white faces out of the however many thousand were in there and one of the rappers started picking on one of the fellas down the front.
Then a fight broke out beside me and I nearly got knocked over. The music/production/sound quality was shit, the atmosphere was menacing so I legged it.
Actually, thinking about it, a few years later I was at a quiet Norman Jay Sunday session on a small boat in Battersea. Nearby there was a large venue of some description and Beanie Man was over from Jamaica. Several hundred fans/post code rivals started to try to storm it and/or take each other on. What followed was 90 minutes of pitched battles. Utter carnage.
We just locked the doors and got on with the Good Times until it had blown over. Wouldn't have fancied my chances walking through it, though.
Was a LU station manager (like a couple others on here) for many years.
The fire suppression and evacuation systems in places like Bank and Victoria are the best in the world because of the KX fire.
One thing TfL get right is their safety legislation. That's why no one has died in a fire for 35 years despite 400km of track, nearly 300 stations, and 1.3billion journeys.
I'd be worried about what you are breathing in though!
I was on the tube network on the morning of 7/7 heading into London on the Piccadilly Line from Boston Manor. Got as far as South Kensington and tube staff immediately started to evacuate the trains and station. It was obvious something really bad had happened, but the tube staff were brilliant. No panic, clear instructions and they were last out.
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Dangerous Places. on 17:25 - Nov 8 with 4887 views
The best way to watch the Battersea Park fireworks is to avoid the park altogether and stand on the station platform. You see all the fireworks and avoid the crush which is what I did Saturday. I have no doubt you can watch it all from the other side of the river.
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Dangerous Places. on 17:34 - Nov 8 with 4849 views
The best way to watch the Battersea Park fireworks is to avoid the park altogether and stand on the station platform. You see all the fireworks and avoid the crush which is what I did Saturday. I have no doubt you can watch it all from the other side of the river.
Our local fireworks display was in our Recreation Ground. We moved house in January meaning it's just one street away. We were able to watch it from our garden.
OK, we missed the experience of being there, drinking a hot toddy, kids going on the inflatable slides and other rides but until things calm down (in general terms of crowd issues and C19) we'll stick with watching it from our garden until then.
In terms of dangerous places, for me it's probably been Kyrgyzstan. Elf & Safety doesn't exist there and what was described at the Battersea fireworks would probably be considered normal over there. We took our then 9 month old son to visit the theme park that my partner hadn't been to in 15-20 years and even she was shocked at how dilapidated it was. There were some rides that no way was I going to put my son or myself on. In fact, I don't think we went on any.
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Dangerous Places. on 18:04 - Nov 8 with 4730 views
In the tunnel of Finsbury Park Tube Station 1982 about 11pm, just as the Exploited fans left the Rainbow, and The Jam fans were just leaving Michael Sobel Sports Centre just up the road
The Exploited had just finished their encore with "Fcuk a Mod"
[Post edited 8 Nov 2021 18:34]
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Dangerous Places. on 18:33 - Nov 8 with 4622 views
The Golden Farmer pub in Bracknell fireworks display 2009 was pretty lethal. The easy task of setting rockets up to shoot upwards to a couple of drunk locals in charge of lighting the fuse became a scene from platoon. Women and children diving behind the pub garden tables for cover.
Turns out Hounslow high Street at 2 in the morning is pretty dangerous for a lad with a grade 2 haircut. Who'd of thought it..!? Feltham also quite stabby about that same time of night. We're talking over 20 years ago now though.
Occasional providers of half decent House music.
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Dangerous Places. on 18:33 - Nov 8 with 4628 views
Reading about the deaths at the Travis Scott show in Houston, my son said the most frightened he had ever been was seeing TS here at a festival pre-Covid. People cramming into the front of the stage, those in the centre lifted off their feet and carried in every direction, one person going down would have led to disaster. Not instigated by TS, but it seems his fans just lost their sense of preservation and self-restraint.
Unfortunately it is very much instigated by Travis Scott and I say that as someone who wanted to see him live until this weekend.
His live shows have built a cult following for being very lively with groups of people rushing security to get in, rushing the stage etc and he actively encourages this behaviour. He even has a couple of convictions for incitement.
Tragic what happened on Friday, particularly when you see the ages of those who died. And completely avoidable. The event organisers will take their fair share of the blame as will Travis Scott.
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Dangerous Places. on 18:39 - Nov 8 with 4599 views
The Golden Farmer pub in Bracknell fireworks display 2009 was pretty lethal. The easy task of setting rockets up to shoot upwards to a couple of drunk locals in charge of lighting the fuse became a scene from platoon. Women and children diving behind the pub garden tables for cover.
Turns out Hounslow high Street at 2 in the morning is pretty dangerous for a lad with a grade 2 haircut. Who'd of thought it..!? Feltham also quite stabby about that same time of night. We're talking over 20 years ago now though.
Back in the 80’s someone walked in there and threw a gallon of oil over the barmaid Maggie, someone went in with a sawn off shotgun and the piste de resistance was someone tried chopping the bar up with a chainsaw.
favourite cheese mature Cheddar. FFS there is no such thing as the EPL
But I have two pals who had a great time. They got there at opening and went straight to a stage that was in a boat cos they wanted to see all the DJs in there. Whilst the place was falling apart outside, they had no phone reception, raving away, having the time of their life. When the music got pulled they had no idea what was happening and remarked it was like leaving a bunker into a nuclear apocalypse
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Dangerous Places. on 18:52 - Nov 8 with 4540 views
Back in the 80’s someone walked in there and threw a gallon of oil over the barmaid Maggie, someone went in with a sawn off shotgun and the piste de resistance was someone tried chopping the bar up with a chainsaw.
Yeh. My next door neighbours family all drink in there so we decided to go with them and take the kids to see the fireworks. Was actually a good night in the end. I prefer The Green Man up the road these days though. The William Twig and the Newton Pippin are also places you probably shouldn't take your kids when gunpowder is being lit.
[Post edited 8 Nov 2021 18:56]
Occasional providers of half decent House music.
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Dangerous Places. on 18:56 - Nov 8 with 4519 views
Driving into and suddenly discovering I had driven into the 'wrong part of town' In Mamphis. (terrifying btw). 1968, the whole of NATO was put on alert due to the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, after being positioned in the feild the sudden realsisation that this could/might turn into an invasion of the West slowly started to sink in, not good times and nobody was joking anymore, just a horrible feeling. Getting out of Oakwell the year they got promoted to the Prem, we battered them on the pitch and their fans were absolute bastards afterwards.
My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.
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Dangerous Places. on 19:38 - Nov 8 with 4357 views
My first trip to Florida was in July 81,and we hired a people carrier to get to our hotel.Unfortunately the driver took a wrong turn and we ended up in Liberty City just after the riots there. It does put the wind up you to see the locals sitting on their cars packing handguns in their socks.They named the Xbox game well.
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Dangerous Places. on 20:38 - Nov 8 with 4209 views
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