WHO hearing guidelines implemented at major arts festival

December 2023 Goa, India: the Serendipity Arts Festival, India's largest multidisciplinary arts festival, became the first major event to implement WHO's "Global standard for safe listening venues and events". Credit: Adam Hill 2023

WHO estimates that over one billion young people globally are at risk of hearing loss due to avoidable recreational sound exposure. It's also now known that 40 percent of people aged between 12 and 35 in high and middle income countries are exposed to damaging sound levels in entertainment venues, and so in response to this public health issue, WHO developed the Global standard to reduce the risk of hearing loss in people visiting entertainment venues and events. Designed as a set of evidence based recommendations, the standard comprises six features an event or venue needs to implement to reach compliance. These features are designed to cover key areas of sound engineering, audio system design, venue design and training, and together aim to reduce the risk of hearing damage for audiences without compromising the entertainment experience.

WHO Global standard for safe listening venues and events

(1) Limiting average sound levels to 100 dB (LAeq, 15 min)
(2) Monitoring sound levels of the venue
(3) Optimizing venue acoustics and sound systems
(4) Making personal hearing protection available
(5) Access to quiet zones
(6) Provision of training and information to onsite staff

Intervention

While some of the six guidelines had already been implemented in different festivals, this was the first time the complete set of guidelines had been implemented in such a large event. Held over nine days in December 2023, the Serendipity Arts Festival brought together over 1 800 artists across twelve venues, captivating hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The festival was largely successful in its ambition: sound levels were actively monitored at all key venues; exceedances of the volume limit were infrequent, minor, and short lived; sound systems were generally of high quality and suitably deployed; and audience members had access to high fidelity earplugs, quiet spaces to rest their ears, and information about safe listening.

Coordinating the successful attempt was Nitya Iyer and Sukarn Khankriyal, managers of the Serendipity Arts Festival for the last eight years, with support from the WHO Ear and Hearing Care Programme, who organized for two safe listening audio and hearing experts to attend the Serendipity Arts Festival and pre event site visits. The experts, Dr Ian Wiggins and Dr Adam Hill, liaised with SAF staff to ensure that the features of the Global standard were achieved, and the event was compliant.

"We were really excited about being the first to attempt it…the festival has long had a history of inclusivity and accessibility… from the very beginning … not just because of rules or laws, but as people"

Nitya Iyer and Sukarn Khankriyal, Serendipity Arts Festival

Ian and Adam were sent by WHO to provide technical guidance, during both setup and operation of the festival to implement and check compliance with the 6 features of the guidelines.

"We basically just went down feature by feature of the WHO standard. We got to the end of the list, and he said OK, we can do that..."

Dr Adam Hill, University of Derby

Impact

The implementation of the guidelines, in such a large and wide ranging event confirms that the implementation of the standard is not only possible, but possible in small teams and large events. It demonstrates a path for other venues and events. It could also help governments develop regulations, along with safe listening awareness campaigns.

Khankriyal and Iyer are already thinking of more sound and accessibility improvements for next year's festival, with a focus on spreading more information during the festival as well as throughout the industry. They intend to spread the word on how to facilitate safe listening behaviours to both audiences and artists. With over a billion young people at risk of hearing loss because of unsafe listening practices, it is a good start.

"The fact that the WHO safe listening guidelines were successfully implemented on such a large scale, by such a small team, with such positive impact, is an enormous step forward. Safe listening can be a reality due to the hard work of everyone involved."

Dr Shelly Chadha, Technical Lead, WHO Ear and Hearing Care Programme

Case Insights

The guidelines did not impact audience experience

Most audience members did not notice the changes made, as it made no obvious difference to their festival experience, and for professionals the change was an improvement. Engineers, musicians, event organizers, and other professionals involved remarked that the sound had improved due to the changes. "A senior music producer told me that it was the best sound that he has ever kind of experienced in his performances." Iyer said.

It can be implemented on a large scale, remotely, by a small team

Whilst being one of the largest annual interdisciplinary cultural events in South Asia, the entire festival was managed by only 32 people, showing that implementation of the Global standard does not require substantial resources, only planning and a willingness to implement it.

Managers Nitya Iyer and Sukarn Khankriyal had the assistance of Ian Wiggins and Adam Hill. Ian, a key contributor to the creation of the global standard, worked to make sure it all ran smoothly. "Awareness has been gradually being raised as time's gone on...There was an accessible international outlook to their festival. So I think it suited what they were trying to do". Adam, an acoustics expert, worked closely with the festival's audio and sound production teams to prepare them for what compliance with the standard would entail, integrating sound measurement devices at each of the 12 venues of the festival. "The technical crew, they weren't quite sure what to make of it in the beginning. And I think once they realized that we're not there to be the noise police, everything was fine. Once installed, the monitoring system even allowed fully remote monitoring of sound levels.

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