In the ongoing debate on whether cell phones should be allowed on the dance floor, one festival has taken an extreme stand against your mobile devices. The FLY Open Air Festival which is taking place this weekend in Edinburgh UK, has placed a ban on cell phones from its Boiler Room Stage. Attendees will not be able to use their devices while in the venue.
While many people believe it should be up to the individual on whether they want to use their phones, others think it’s a total distractment. Seeing hundreds of phones up in the air, all recording and taking photos can dampen the mood in any environment. On the other hand, recordings and photographs taken at an event, offers the ability to relive the moment. All in all, FLY Open Air’s goal is to have attendees be in the moment.
Those attending the two day festival this year, will have to abide by the ban when entering the Boiler Room venue. Before entering the stage, attendees will be handed a Yondr phone case. The case will secure their phone, making it unaccessible until they tap the case on a device when leaving. It’s an interesting design but opens up the concern for safety if there were ever an emergency. The locked cases would make it impossible to call for help if there were ever an emergency in the venue.
All in all, if festival-goers aren’t interested in locking their devices away, they can avoid the stage entirely. If all goes well, it’s possible that the ban could extend to more than just one stage next year. We’re sure some will even attempt to sneak their phones in without locking them in the provided cases as well. Let us know if you are for or against the ban of cell phones from music events.
