Inside the control room keeping Homegrown punters safe
Saturday, 14 March 2026
While thousands enjoyed the music at Homegrown in Claudelands, a sophisticated security operation was working behind the scenes to keep the festival running smoothly.
More than 300 security guards, dozens of cameras and a drone were used to monitor crowds across the site, with a central control room overseeing the entire operation.
Homegrown chief executive Andrew Tuck said the aim was simple: keep festival-goers safe.
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“There are 300 security guards here and they’re specialists in certain areas,” Tuck said.
“They’re here to keep everybody safe and look after them.”
In addition to security guards on the ground, cameras and a drone hovered above Claudelands Oval, allowing staff to quickly respond to incidents.
“Any incidents, we can put a camera over it just to make sure our people are safe and we can see what support we require,” Tuck said.
The drone is also used to monitor crowd flow.
“We can zoom in and check our bar lines and make sure the queues are flowing correctly. We can look at toilet queues and traffic flow.”
Footage gathered during the festival is later used to improve the event.
“There might be a bit of a jam here or something not quite working there, and then we make it better again.”
While the crowds are watching the stage, Tuck spends the festival inside the control room.
Security staff, first responders and traffic controllers monitor live camera feeds across several large screens, including thermal imaging cameras.
“We care about how things work, and by having all the intel you can help yourself get better and better, year on year.”
Tuck said the system operates like an emergency response centre.
“We’re making sure people leaving the festival are getting home safely and that nothing untoward is happening.”
“If you’re walking to your car, you’ll be safe.”
Teams are also on standby to respond quickly if incidents occur.
“If it’s nothing, everyone stands down. If something is there, then we’re able to deal with the situation relatively quickly.”
Tuck said the festival’s strong security presence was intentional.
“I have children and a partner. I’d want somebody to look after them like this, so we look after people the way I’d want my own family looked after.”