This case study examines the crisis that transpired during the AstroWorld Festival in Houston Texas in November of 2021. Leveraging the tenets of concert management, crisis management and herd mentality, this case highlights the myriad planning and prevention mistakes that resulted in the deaths of 10 people and injuries to countless more due to crowd crush. A thoughtful analysis of the issues identifies sparse and improperly trained security, crowds exceeding the planned for capacity, a lack of crowdsourcing protocol, and improperly prepared performing artists as the perfect storm that resulted in a deadly event. The case culminates with asking students to contemplate better preventative and reactive practices and create protocols that could help prevent issues like the one at the AstroWorld Festival from occurring in the future.
