Boston Calling Organizers Promise 'Better Environment' After Overcrowding Complaints

Boston Calling organizers addressed the complaints regarding the overcrowding issues at the festival.

On Tuesday, May 28, Boston Calling's official Instagram page explained that the attendees' count was "several thousand" below the venue's capacity while also promising to promote a better environment for all in the next iterations of the event.

"The safety and well-being of our fans, artists, guests and staff is paramount," the statement continued. "We will continue to work with public officials and our operations team to improve the experience, layout, and ultimately create a better environment for everyone."

Boston Calling welcomed Ed Sheeran, Luke Hemmings, Chappell Roan, Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion and more at the Harvard Athletic Complex.

While the organizers made clarifications about the venue's capacity, fans and attendees dismissed it.

"I've been to every single Boston Calling, and I've never seen the festival more crowded than it was on Sunday, which was the only day that sold out," the Kevin Slane review read, referring to the crowd when Roan started performing. "The number I heard from a few different festival sources was 40,000 people (compared to only 16,000 on Saturday), but it felt like even more than that."

One also commented on Instagram, "i think the biggest issue as having so many popular performers in one day. chappel roan, megan thee stallion, hozier and the killers are arguably all the same degree (or close to) of popular and should have closed out different days so the crowds weren't as intense. i had a good time but i saw a lot of people in distress."

They also urged Boston Calling organizers to take accountability as people were not safe during the festival.

Amid the issues, Boston.com hailed The Killers' performance as the Best Set after the group performed hits like "Somebody Told Me," "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "All These Things That I've Done."

Meanwhile, Boston Calling has since updated its website to express the organizers' gratitude to fans as they began their countdown for the 2025 event. It also added a Lost & Found tab for the attendees who lost items during the festival. The post-festival Lost & Found pick-up occurred on Monday, May 27.