Frequency festival ends with calm departure and positive assessment

Thousands of visitors left the FM4 Frequency Festival in St. Pölten on Sunday after three days of concerts, parties and some severe weather. ORF reported that the departure was calm, with emergency services recording few incidents overall.

The festival officially ended during the night into Sunday after around 100 artists had performed. By Sunday afternoon, most of the stages had already been dismantled. Organiser Harry Jenner said the dismantling was proceeding according to plan.

Part of Friday evening’s programme was cancelled because of the weather. Jenner said most visitors had responded with understanding, adding that safety had taken priority in the strong winds.

Police report few incidents

Police recorded four cases of sexual harassment, two cases of resisting state authority, a single-digit number of assaults and a small number of thefts between Thursday and Sunday.

Franz Bäuchler, commander of the St. Pölten city police, said the final figures were not yet available because some visitors traditionally file reports only after returning home. He expected a low double-digit number of offences, compared with around 300 in previous years. He also said so-called tent-slashing gangs were no longer present and praised the festival audience.

Nearly 1,300 medical treatments

The Red Cross reported 1,296 medical treatments from the start of the festival on Thursday until Sunday morning. Sixty-eight people were taken to hospital. Most patients had minor injuries, circulation problems or other issues typically seen at large events.

A total of 384 ambulance and emergency paramedics, 13 emergency doctors and 46 other staff worked around 10,000 hours. Red Cross officials said the festival had passed calmly and praised visitors who sought medical assistance early.

Traffic eased after the night-time departure

Many visitors began their journeys home during the night into Sunday. The Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club said traffic was heavy between about 1.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. before easing. Traffic was also busy on several roads on Sunday morning, but officials described the departure as civilised.

Breakdown crews handled around 120 incidents, mostly involving lost car keys and flat batteries. Some vehicles also had weather-related brake problems or damaged tyres.

In one potentially dangerous incident, a vehicle battery exploded after its owners repeatedly tried to provide a jump-start themselves. The breakdown service said there had been a risk of battery acid hitting someone in the face. Staff flushed the engine and replaced the battery, allowing the visitors to continue their journey.

Next Frequency scheduled for August 2027

The festival will return from August 19 to 21, 2027. The next edition is scheduled to feature the rappers Cro and Tokio Hotel.