After receiving reaction in 2024 finished unsafe conditionscrowd control and capacity issues, Calling from Boston officials revealed plans for improvements about six months before the annual event in May.
“We’re back at Harvard May 23-25, 2025, and we’ve been working hard to enhance your experience and improve the value of your ticket,” Boston Calling social media posts on Jan. 2 read.
A new site map, more water stations and a reorganization of the stages at the Harvard Athletic Complex were among several announced updates to the three-day live music event.
The changes came after the assistants experiences described of dangerous and overwhelming crowds that even security could not break up during the performances on May 26, 2024, the third day of the sold-out event.
About 1 in 100 people suffered a medical problem in at least 40,000 people audience that came that day to see major artists like Hozier, The Killers, Megan Thee Stallion and Chappell Roan – all of which were scheduled back-to-back on the adjacent green and red stage.
“There was nowhere to go…everybody was like they’d moved in a wave, and all I could think was, ‘Oh my god, there’d be some sort of panic, we’d be trampled ” said Sunday assistant. Samantha Baron previously told MassLive.
In May, Boston Calling organizers said they would “work with public officials and our operations team to improve the experience, design” and “create a better environment.”
On Thursday, music festival organizers gave a glimpse of what they hope will improve attendee experiences in 2025.
A new map, merging of scenarios and water stations
A new site layout map was unveiled Thursday morning at the Harvard Athletic Complex.
The new map of the Boston Calling Music Festival was unveiled on January 2, 2025. Image of the Boston Calling Music FestivalBoston Calling Music Festival
An important difference to note was the merging of the Happy Valley Red Stage and the Green Stage into one.
“We’ve invested in a world-class revolving stage system to provide better views, more room to move around and an improved video/audio experience for everyone,” organizers wrote on social media.
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Last year, the biggest acts of the festival were presented on the green and red stages, located side by side at the back of the complex with almost 40,000 attendees.
Chappell Roan’s performance began with a melee on the Green Stage at 4.05pm on Sunday, during which the young artist it attracted one of its largest audiences at the time. Crowd conditions only got worse when Megan Thee Stallion took the green stage at 6:25 p.m.
The crowd then tried to move Hozier onto the adjacent red stage at 7:35 p.m.
As attendees tried to maneuver quickly between the side-by-side stages, people were pushing and body-slamming, attendees told MassLive.
People then rushed to the green stage at 9.10pm to see The Killers.
And with the big line-up of major artists at the end of the day, the large crowd was difficult to manage.
It was nearly impossible to walk through the crowds while the performers were on stage, and some attendees said they couldn’t get to the restrooms or entertainment areas during the concerts.
Of the 412 people who suffered medical problems Sunday, some had to be lifted by onlookers in the crowd and through doors to get to safety for help, MassLive reporters at the Chappell Roan concert witnessed.
While it’s still unclear what a “rotating stage system” will entail, the new map shows just three stages instead of the venue’s usual four, and no stages are side-by-side.
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More water stations
Last year, Boston Calling attendees said yes cannot access free water stationslocated at the front of the venue, due to the congestion of the venue.
More than half of the concert’s medical problems occurred on the third day, and a Boston EMS spokesperson told MassLive that the heat played a “significant role” in the medical encounters.
Boston Calling’s new map showed at least three new water stations in “comfort zones” highlighted in purple, located near stages throughout the venue.
“We’ve added more water stations throughout the festival to keep you hydrated all weekend long,” read a Boston Calling social media post.
Bryan Martineau, public safety expert he told MassLive in Decemberr that multiple water stations and cooling areas are “very vital” to the safety of the large-scale premises.
Return of the indoor track
When Boston Calling first moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex from City Hall Square in 2017, there was a covered area of the venue called the “comedy club arena,” according to a Boston.com video.
“On your left when you first enter [to Boston Calling]we have the ‘Comedy Club’ or the ‘Comedy Arena,’ which is a fancy little indoor place that has a lot of tables and a bit of a disco vibe,” a Boston.com reporter said in the 2017 Facebook video .
This year, indoor space will return, Boston Calling announced. It will also feature “special indoor programming” to be announced in the future.
“Take a break and enjoy an air-conditioned space to relax and unwind over the weekend,” the post read.
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Reduction in ticket prices
Attending Boston Calling for just one day costs nearly $200, which can add up quickly for multi-day attendees.
“Bring those costs down,” read the Boston Calling post.
“Many ticket types will decline (!!) by 2025,” the post said.
last year, ticket prices started at just under $200 for one-day general assistance, and just under $400 for three-day general assistance.
Here are scenes from Boston Calling on Sunday, May 26.Sebastian Restrepo
General admission gave guests access to all musical acts, more than 30 food, beverage and other vendors, art exhibits and a 100-foot Ferris wheel.
Enhanced General Admission and VIP tickets cost between $100 and $600 more. This allowed guests varying degrees of seating and shade, free water and soft drinks, dedicated concert viewing areas, and various other amenities.
The most expensive ticket on sale was the three-day Platinum at $2,899. This gave guests exclusive front-stage viewing on the Green Stage and an air-conditioned Platinum lounge with access to bathrooms. They also received free bar drinks, small meals throughout the day, a special festival ticket and daily gift, free on-site parking and a dedicated shop.
Boston Calling has not announced any acts for 2025 as of Thursday. Last year’s events were announced on January 9, 2024.