Let there be Skyglow—light pollution from a large outdoor music festival (Lollapalooza Berlin 2016)

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-05, Vol.14 (1), p.11725-11725, Article 11725
• Main Author: Jechow, Andreas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/766/930/2735; 704/158/858; 704/172/4081; Humanities and Social Sciences; Light; Light pollution; Light sources; multidisciplinary; Music festivals; Nighttime; Pollution; Rocks; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62448-7

Live music is often linked to elaborate light shows, particularly at large outdoor music festivals. However, artificial light at night is one form of environmental pollution, light pollution, and because outdoor festivals emit a substantial amount of artificial light into the environment, they are a potential source of light pollution. So far, no studies that quantified the impact of such festivals on urban light pollution and skyglow exist. Here, the light pollution produced by a major rock festival (Lollapalooza Berlin 2016 with 70,000 visitors per day in an urban park) was investigated with ground-based radiometry and night-time light data. A small night-sky radiometer installed near the main stages and a calibrated digital camera from a nearby observation spot inside of the park were used to quantify changes in night sky brightness and direct light emissions within the park. The impact of the music festival on the urban skyglow was indeed measurable. Zenith luminance increased locally by up to a factor of 8 and illuminance increased by about 50% at the observation spot within the park. The radiance detected by night-time satellite was also increased during the festival. This is the first time, that light pollution from such a major rock music event was quantified.