Hush to Boom home

Concerts and festivals: how to protect your hearing

Concerts often average around 100 dBA, where NIOSH’s daily limit is 15 minutes. Earplugs made for music keep the sound clear and cut the risk sharply.

How loud gigs are

WhereLevelMeasured
Rock concert99.8–108 dBAin the audience; HSE figure at 3 m from the band
Music festival95.8–101.4 dBAworn by festival-goers (personal dosimeters)
Nightclub94–112.4 dBAon the dance floor and in the venue
Symphony orchestra86–102 dBA3 m
Drum kit93.4–109.9 dBAat the drummer's ears (2 cm from the ear canal)

At 100 dBA, NIOSH’s recommended daily limit is 15 min; at 105 dBA it is under 5 minutes1. The WHO’s 2022 global standard for safe listening venues and events sets a maximum average sound level of 100 decibels2, so a gig run to that standard still gives you a full NIOSH day’s dose in a quarter of an hour.

Earplugs work, even for one night

In a randomised trial at an Amsterdam music festival (2015, 51 adults, 4.5-hour visit, average level 100 dBA), a temporary threshold shift at 3-4 kHz occurred in 8% of ears with earplugs versus 42% without. New tinnitus after the festival affected 12% of the earplug group versus 40% of the unprotected group.3

Which earplugs

Foam earplugs give a lot of protection when rolled and pushed in properly, but they muffle high frequencies more than low ones, so music sounds dull. Musicians’ or “filtered” earplugs reduce all frequencies more evenly, by a smaller, fixed amount, so the music keeps its balance4. A filter of about 20 dB that really delivers 15 dB brings a 100 dBA room down to about 85 dBA at your ear, where NIOSH allows a full 8 hours.

Without earplugs

  • Stand well back from the speakers; the level drops quickly with distance.
  • Take breaks outside the main room.
  • If your ears ring afterwards, give them quiet for a day or two. Ringing that lasts, or muffled hearing, is a reason to see an audiologist.

Check how your night adds up with the noise dose calculator.

Questions

Do earplugs ruin the music?

Foam plugs muffle it. Filtered musicians’ earplugs lower the volume more evenly, so the music sounds like the same mix, just quieter.

Is ringing after a concert normal?

It is common, and it is a sign of overexposure. It usually fades within a day or two; if it does not, see an audiologist.

Sources

  1. NIOSH's recommended exposure limit (REL) is 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average with a 3 dB exchange rate: every 3 dB louder halves the allowed time (88 dBA 4 h, 91 dBA 2 h, 94 dBA 1 h, 97 dBA 30 min, 100 dBA 15 min). No exposure should exceed 140 dBA.
    • Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Noise Exposure, Revised Criteria 1998 (DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 98-126), NIOSH / CDC (CDC Stacks).The REL is 85 decibels, A-weighted, as an 8-hr time-weighted average (85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA). Exposures at and above this level are considered hazardous.In accordance with Section 1.1.l, the REL for an 8-hr work shift is a TWA of 85 dBA using a 3-decibel (dB) exchange rate.88 4 – – 114 – – 3591 2 – – 117 – – 1894 1 – – 120 – – 997 – 30 – 123 – – 4100 – 15 – 126 – – 285 8 – – 111 – 1 1180 25 24 – 106 – 3 45Exposure to continuous, varying, intermittent, or impulsive noise shall not exceed 140 dBA.The generally accepted ceiling limit of 140 dB peak SPL for impulsive noise is based on a report by Kryter et al. [1966].With a 40-year lifetime exposure at the 85-dBA REL, the excess risk of developing occupational NIHL is 8%—considerably lower than the 25% excess risk at the 90-dBA permissible exposure limit (PEL)Checked 2026-11-02.
    • About Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention, NIOSH / CDC.NIOSH established a recommended exposure limit (REL) of 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) averaged over an eight-hour workday.For each 3 dBA increase in noise level, NIOSH recommends reducing the exposure duration by half.Checked 2026-11-02.
  2. The WHO-ITU safe listening standard (H.870, 2019) has devices track a weekly 'sound allowance' against a reference of 80 dB for 40 hours a week for adults and 75 dB for 40 hours a week for children. WHO says over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from unsafe listening, and its 2022 Global Standard for Safe Listening Venues and Events sets a maximum average sound level of 100 decibels.
    • Safe listening devices and systems: a WHO-ITU standard, World Health Organization.Mode 1 for adults: 80 dB for 40 hours per week.Mode 2 for children: 75 dB for 40 hours per week.Dosimetry function: The personal audio device will include software that tracks the level and duration of the user’s exposure to sound as a percentage used of a reference exposure, also known as a user’s “sound allowance”.Checked 2026-11-02.
    • Deafness and hearing loss: Safe listening (Q&A), World Health Organization.For example, you can safely listen to a sound level of 80dB for up to 40 hours a week. If the sound level is 90dB, the safe listening time reduces to four hours per week.Checked 2026-11-02.
    • New WHO-ITU standard aims to prevent hearing loss among 1.1 billion young people, World Health Organization.Nearly 50% of people aged 12-35 years – or 1.1 billion young people – are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices.Checked 2026-11-02.
    • Make Listening Safe, World Health Organization.More than 1 billion young people (12–35 years old) are at risk of hearing loss due to recreational exposure to loud sound.Checked 2026-11-02.
    • WHO releases new standard to tackle rising threat of hearing loss, World Health Organization.(1) a maximum average sound level of 100 decibelsChecked 2026-11-02.
    • Deafness and hearing loss (fact sheet), World Health Organization.Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.Checked 2026-11-02.
  3. In a randomised trial at an Amsterdam music festival (2015, 51 adults, 4.5-hour visit, average level 100 dBA), a temporary threshold shift at 3-4 kHz occurred in 8% of ears with earplugs versus 42% without. New tinnitus after the festival affected 12% of the earplug group versus 40% of the unprotected group.
    • Effectiveness of Earplugs in Preventing Recreational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: A Randomized Clinical Trial (Ramakers et al., JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2016), JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (PubMed abstract).The time-averaged, equivalent A-weighted sound pressure level experienced was 100 dBA during the festival.A TTS over frequencies at 3 and 4 kHz after exposure was seen in 4 of 50 ears (8%) in the earplug group compared with 22 of 52 ears (42%) in the unprotected group (P < .001).The relative risk for a TTS after exposure was 5.3 (95% CI, 2.0-14.3) for the unprotected group vs the earplug group. The number needed to treat with earplugs for preventing 1 TTS was 2.9.Newly induced tinnitus following sound exposure occurred in 3 of the 25 participants (12%) in the earplug group vs 10 of 25 (40%) in the unprotected groupParticipants were randomly assigned to a group using earplugs or an unprotected group during a 4½-hour festival visit.Checked 2026-11-02.
  4. Ordinary foam plugs cut high frequencies much more than low ones (for example 25 dB at 125 Hz but almost 40 dB at 4 kHz), which muffles music. 'Flat' or 'uniform attenuation' musicians' earplugs reduce levels almost equally across frequencies; custom-moulded versions take filters of, for example, 9, 15 or 25 dB. Etymotic's ER20XS is sold as a 20 dB equal-reduction earplug.

General information, not medical advice. For any concern about your hearing or a child’s, see an audiologist or doctor.