AC/DC concert Karlsruhe, August 2025

20,000 guests, but only 90 minutes time

  • approx. 20,000 guests to be moved
  • 100 articulated and solo buses
  • 14 Coordinators & project management team on site
  • 4 Park & Ride car park routes
  • 21 rally routes, 56 stops (from 50 towns and villages)

Requirements of the event

75,000 visitors, 20,000 passengers, 90 minutes. The 20,000 passengers had parked in four different car parks around the Rheinstetten exhibition grounds and had to be transported from the car parks to the grounds. After the concert, the 20,000 guests had to be brought back there reliably within 90 minutes. Parallel to this: a rally with 21 routes and 56 stops for individual travellers from the entire region.

Have you already thought about this in your event planning?

  • Real challenges that were solved at this concert.
Can 20,000 passengers be transported standing up at all?
Yes in regular service, but not automatically in special transport. RELAY applied for route licences for the four routes in advance so that passengers can also be transported standing up in articulated buses. Without this step, the 90-minute target would have been mathematically unachievable.
What do you do when all local bus capacities are already booked?
At the time of planning, the Karlsruhe transport company had already booked all available vehicles from local bus companies for the Messe Express. 100 articulated and solo buses were put together nationwide via the RELAY partner network. A strong network is not an advantage, it is a prerequisite.
How do you move 20,000 people in 90 minutes without the routes blocking each other?
Each of the four routes had its own coordinators at the car parks and on the site. In addition, there was a dedicated team that was exclusively responsible for pushing the buses, as well as a bus holding area in the immediate vicinity for rapid synchronisation. Without this separate replenishment team, the timing would collapse.
How does a rally guest find his bus again after the concert when 75,000 people leave the grounds at the same time?
The rally buses were positioned in such a way that they did not interfere with the car park routes. Each bus was placed in its departure position on arrival - a separate team was responsible for this. The rows were also numbered so that they could be found quickly.
What happens if the mobile phone network collapses at the end of the concert?
With 75,000 visitors, network overload is not a special case, but the basis for planning. The entire operation was designed for secure radio operation, independent of the mobile phone network. Coordinators, drivers and the operations centre remained reachable at all times.
Who talks to the traffic control centre in advance?
RELAY worked with the traffic planner in advance to discuss and coordinate the latticework and traffic routing. In addition, there were team meetings with the dispatchers of all bus partners to discuss the complex arrival and departure situation. What looks smooth on site is the result of weeks of prior coordination.
How do you allocate buses to their routes even in poor lighting conditions?
All articulated buses had the illuminated destination signage programmed in advance with all four routes. This meant that there were no incorrect placements when moving up. If it is seen on site that there is more demand on another route, the driver can quickly change the labelling himself.

Result & effect

  • 20,000 guests back to their vehicles in 90 minutes on four routes
  • Rallies with 21 routes and 56 stops carried out in parallel and without overlapping with the car park shuttle
  • Secure operation despite mobile phone failure thanks to radio infrastructure

„The organisation of the trips was implemented to our complete satisfaction. Communication with RELAY GmbH was flawless and solution-orientated at all times. We look forward to further projects with RELAY GmbH in the future.“

Marc Oßwald
Vaddi Concerts GmbH

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