How loud is a music festival?
Festival crowds are typically exposed to about 96 to 101 dBA while bands play. Dosimeters on festival-goers in Norway averaged 95.8 dBA during concerts at a festival following national limits and 101.4 dBA at one with no limits, and an Amsterdam earplug trial recorded 100 dBA over a 4.5-hour visit.
- Level
- 95.8–101.4 dBAA-weighted sound level
- Daily limit
- 11 min a dayNIOSH, at the loud end
- Versus conversation
- 4,074× energyabout 12.2× as loud
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. Equivalent A-weighted levels measured on festival-goers during concerts at two Norwegian festivals (one regulated, one not) and over a 4.5-hour visit to an outdoor festival in Amsterdam.
A randomised trial at an outdoor festival in Amsterdam in 2015 sent 51 volunteers in for 4.5 hours, half with earplugs. The time-averaged A-weighted level they experienced was 100 dBA. Temporary hearing threshold shifts appeared in 8% of ears in the earplug group compared with 42% of unprotected ears.
Regulation makes a measurable difference. At two Norwegian festivals, participants wearing noise dose meters heard a mean of 101.4 dBA during concerts at Hove, which had no sound limits, against 95.8 dBA at Øya, which had to follow the Norwegian guideline. At Hove, 47.7% of concert minutes were above 100 dBA.
Daily doses add up because festivals run for several days. In the Norwegian study one participant's busiest day corresponded to a 4-hour equivalent level of about 104.6 dBA.
How long is safe?
NIOSH recommends no more than 11 min a day at 101.4 dBA (40 min at 95.8). OSHA's legal limit is 1 h 39 min.
| Level | NIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule) | OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule) | UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached after | UK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95.8 dBA | 40 min | 3 h 35 min | 13 min | 40 min |
| 101.4 dBA | 11 min | 1 h 39 min | 3 min 29 s | 11 min |
Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.
Protecting your hearing
Earplugs work: in the Amsterdam trial temporary hearing loss was seen in 8% of ears with earplugs against 42% without. Take regular breaks away from the main stages, and give your ears quiet time between festival days.
Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.
Compared with sounds nearby
Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).
- Leaf blower (86.4–106 dBA): this has about 1.7× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Impact wrench (96–97 dBA): this has about 1.6× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Helicopter (97–105 dBA): it has about 1.7× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Pile driver (101 dBA max): it has about 1.7× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): this has about 4,074× its energy and sounds about 12.2× as loud.
Questions
Do earplugs actually help at festivals?
Yes. In a randomised trial at a 100 dBA festival, 8% of ears in the earplug group showed a temporary threshold shift compared with 42% of unprotected ears.
Are festivals with sound limits quieter?
In Norway, concerts at a festival following the national guideline averaged 95.8 dBA for participants, against 101.4 dBA at a festival with no limits.
Sources
- Effectiveness of Earplugs in Preventing Recreational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (2016). Supports: 100 dBA over 4.5 hours.
The time-averaged, equivalent A-weighted sound pressure level experienced was 100 dBA during the festival.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Effectiveness of Earplugs in Preventing Recreational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (2016). Supports: 8% vs 42% threshold shift.
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
Checked 2026-11-02. - Sound exposure during outdoor music festivals, Noise & Health (2016). Supports: dB_low 95.8, dB_high 101.4 dBA.
Hove had a mean equivalent sound pressure level during the concerts of 101.4 dBA, while Øya had 95.8 dBA.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Sound exposure during outdoor music festivals, Noise & Health (2016). Supports: 47.7% of minutes above 100 dBA.
At Hove 47.7% of the concert minutes were above 100 dBA, while at Øya it was 11.8%.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Sound exposure during outdoor music festivals, Noise & Health (2016). Supports: 104.6 dBA busiest day.
This corresponds to a 4-h equivalent level of approx. 104.6 dBA.
Checked 2026-11-02.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.