Three people were injured when a temporary grandstand collapsed at the Red Hot Summer Tour in Coolangatta on Sunday afternoon, with on-site medical staff assessing 18 patients in total.
The seating, set up on a section of beach at the sold-out festival, buckled about 2.30pm during a performance by Boom Crash Opera. One person used their own transport to go to hospital with a reported ankle injury. A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said the service was not called to respond to the initial incident, but paramedics later attended two people with back pain.
Queensland Police were called to a reported "industrial incident" at the festival site on Marine Parade about 2.50pm but were no longer involved in the situation, a spokesperson said.
The Red Hot Summer Tour is a national festival playing in Coolangatta, Ballarat, Mornington, Brisbane, Melbourne and Glenelg. Australian Crawl and Men At Work headlined the Gold Coast show, with support from Birds of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe and others.
One of the event's organisers addressed the crowd after the incident. "The people sitting in that grandstand, I hope everyone's OK because, let me tell you, I was standing stage-right and I watched that happen and my heart just sank," he said. "I've got no words for the way I felt for those people who are going through that traumatic experience." He promised every person in the grandstand would be fully refunded by Ticketmaster.
The event was paused during the incident and people were evacuated from the stand. Organisers apologised to fans. The event will continue as planned that night.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The collapse raises questions about the safety of temporary seating structures at large public events, particularly when erected on uneven surfaces such as sand.
- The incident disrupted a sold-out festival, affecting thousands of attendees and prompting an evacuation and refunds.
- Authorities may review regulations for temporary event infrastructure on beaches, potentially affecting future coastal festivals.
Background
Temporary grandstands are commonly used at outdoor festivals to provide seating for large crowds. They are required to meet structural safety standards, but incidents sometimes occur due to poor installation, weather or ground conditions. The Red Hot Summer Tour is a travelling festival that has been running for several years, featuring Australian rock acts.
What to Watch
- Whether Queensland's workplace safety regulator investigates the collapse and releases findings.
- Any further medical reports from the injured attendees, including the two seen by paramedics for back pain.
- The response from event organisers and Ticketmaster regarding refunds and future safety measures on tour stops.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedA grandstand collapsed at the sold-out Red Hot Summer Tour in Coolangatta on Sunday afternoon.WA Today - Latest News: “Three people have been injured after a grandstand collapsed at a sold-out music festival in Coolangatta on Sunday afternoon.”
- SupportedThree people were injured in the collapse.WA Today - Latest News: “Three people have been injured after a grandstand collapsed at a sold-out music festival in Coolangatta on Sunday afternoon.”
- SupportedTemporary seating on a section of beach buckled during a Boom Crash Opera performance.WA Today - Latest News: “The temporary seating – set up on a section of beach for the Red Hot Summer Tour – buckled about 2.30pm during a performance by Boom Crash Opera.”
- SupportedAn organiser promised full refunds to everyone who was in the grandstand.WA Today - Latest News: “One of the event’s organisers addressed the crowd after the incident, expressing his concerns for the people who were in the grandstand and promising them full refunds.”
- SupportedOn-site staff from 1300 Medics assessed 18 patients injured in the incident.WA Today - Latest News: “On-site staff from 1300 Medics assessed 18 patients injured in the incident.”
- SupportedOne person used their own transport to go to hospital for a reported ankle injury.WA Today - Latest News: “One person used their own transport to go to hospital for a reported ankle injury.”
- SupportedA Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics attended two people with back pain later in the afternoon.WA Today - Latest News: “A spokesperson for Queensland Ambulance Service said while they weren’t called to respond to the initial incident, paramedics attended two people with back pain later in the afternoon.”
- SupportedA Queensland police spokesperson said police were called to a reported industrial incident at the Marine Parade festival site about 2.50pm and were no longer involved.WA Today - Latest News: “A spokesperson for Queensland police confirmed they were called to a reported “industrial incident” at the festival site on Marine Parade about 2.50 pm, but were no longer involved in the situation.”
- SupportedThe organiser said: “The people sitting in that grandstand, I hope everyone’s OK because, let me tell you, I was standing stage-right and I watched that happen and my heart just sank,”WA Today - Latest News: ““The people sitting in that grandstand, I hope everyone’s OK because, let me tell you, I was standing stage-right and I watched that happen and my heart just sank,””
- SupportedThe organiser said: “I’ve got no words for the way I felt for those people who are going through that traumatic experience.”WA Today - Latest News: ““I’ve got no words for the way I felt for those people who are going through that traumatic experience.”
- SupportedThe organiser said: “Every single person who was in that grandstand will be fully refunded their ticket by Ticketmaster.”WA Today - Latest News: ““Every single person who was in that grandstand will be fully refunded their ticket by Ticketmaster.””
- SupportedThe event was paused during the incident, people were evacuated from the stand, and it was to continue as planned that night.WA Today - Latest News: “The event was paused during the incident and people were evacuated from the stand. It will continue as planned tonight.”