Held in the Berkshire town of Henley-on-Thames, the Henley Festival has been entertaining music fans every year since 1982, making us of the marquees erected for the famous Henley Regatta and becoming known as the UK’s only ‘black tie festival’.
When the Henley festival returned to the banks of the Thames in 2025, so too did SAFECROWDS GROUP, full site-wide security for a two-week period for the second year running during the build-up, festival weekend and de-rig.
24/7 Security remit
The Henley Festival attracts around 25,000 people each year to enjoy performances from some A-list stars. The 2025 event included headline performances from Diana Ross, Rick Astley, and McFly and our brief was clear: to protect the festival site 24 hours a day.
Our role was not only keeping people safe and supporting a great visitor experience for festival goers, but also keeping the site secure throughout the build-up, festival days, and breakdown, protecting artists, staff, festival goers, equipment and food and beverage concessions.
The festival’s riverside location on the Thames, combined with multiple access points, car parks, concessions, and artist areas, created a complex security environment. SAFECROWDS GROUP was appointed as one of three security providers on site and was the only company to maintain a continuous 24-hour presence across the entire two-week operation. With this level of responsibility, the team played a critical role in overseeing the site at every stage, ensuring that nothing -people or equipment – was left unprotected at any point.
Complexity and collaboration
Working with the client to understand their requirements and assess the security risks, we developed a multi-layered security strategy. SIA-licensed door supervisors were stationed at main gates, while members of our team, including those holding Close Protection licences, safeguarded artist dressing rooms and stages. Canine security teams patrolled the festival perimeter, providing an additional layer of security and deterrence. Our experienced security teams were also strategically positioned at car parks, concessions, and backstage zones, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the entire festival footprint.
The operation was carefully coordinated. The SAFECROWDS GROUP team worked closely with the festival organisers to maintain effective communication, rapid incident response, and seamless coverage across the site, contributing to the smooth running of the festival, robust security and a great experience for festival goers.
Rory McGoldrick, CEO of SAFECROWDS GROUP, commented: “Henley Festival builds on our extensive experience a wide variety of music festivals, where our integrated approach to security and counter terrorism means that we can develop a plan that responds to the specific security requirements of each event and site.
“We were delighted to return to Henley Festival for another year and we’re looking forward to another busy festival season in 2026.”
