Parents left their children in the car while partying at a music festival. Emergency services had to break into the vehicle.
A shocking incident occurred at the “Immergut” music festival in Neustrelitz (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) on Friday night. According to a report from the Neustrelitz police station, a couple from Brandenburg left their children in a car in a parking lot while they were partying at the festival. A passerby discovered the small children in the locked vehicle shortly before two o’clock and immediately informed the police.
Neither father nor mother were present when the fire brigade arrived. After consulting the police, the firefighters broke the window to free the children from their terrible situation. After the rescue operation, the children were given medical treatment and calmed down on site.
During the course of the night, the police were able to track down the 60-year-old father. He stated that the mother had left the festival hours earlier and left the children in the car. It is still unclear how long the children were actually alone. The father claimed that he had only been away for a short time and had supervised the children until they fell asleep.
The consequences for the parents’ behavior were drastic. The festival organizer excluded the father and the police informed the responsible youth welfare office. Furthermore, criminal investigations were initiated for violation of the duty of care and upbringing. According to the police, the father was not under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
The festival describes itself on its website as a “child-friendly” festival, but also points out that “a festival is not a suitable place for (small) children.” Even though children under the age of eleven enjoy free entry, the organizer stipulates in the house rules that minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
Meanwhile, more and more music festivals are offering a children’s program. This is a real trend, says founder Julie Knörschild in the lifestyle magazine “Mit Vergnügen”. In 2015, she founded an agency that offers professional childcare at events.
Even though, as Knörschild says on her Instagram page, the agency had to abandon its event-focused business concept during the pandemic, many music festivals are taking childcare into their own hands. Parents who want to share their festival experience with their children can filter for suitable events on most major portals.
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