Power to location: safe electrical connection at festival and stage
From construction board to distributor — how you get power forward without it becoming dangerous
On a theater, power is usually a permanent installation that you just plug into. On a festival site, in a tent, or at a location without fixed electricity, the picture is completely different: the power comes from a construction board, a generator, or a temporary main supply, and it is your responsibility to distribute it further safely to lighting, sound, and video.
§Who may do what
Installation of fixed electrical installations and connection to a main panel is reserved for authorized electrical installers. The rules are found today in the Installation Regulation, which in 2017 replaced the previous High Voltage Regulation. As a theatre, events and AV technician you typically distribute power from an already set up and approved panel with certified cables, extensions and distribution boxes – but you do not carry out the installation work on the main supply yourself.
- 01You may: distribute power from an approved panel with CEE equipment, use certified extension cables and distributors, check that HFI/HPFI relays work.
- 02Only an authorised electrician may: connect and change the fixed main installation, make interventions in the panel itself
- 03If you are in doubt about a connection, the answer is always to ask the responsible electrician — not to guess.
§Ground fault circuit interrupters are your safety net
Outdoors and in damp environments the risk of getting a shock from a fault is significantly greater than in a dry building. Therefore power supply on location must always go through an RCD or AFDD relay that automatically cuts the power if an earth fault current occurs—for example because a cable has been damaged by rainwater or a heavy object.
| Equipment. | Used for |
|---|---|
| Byggetavle/hovedtavle | Overarching distribution from the power source |
| CEE plugs and extension cords | Robust connection between panel and distributors |
| HFI/HPFI relay | Protects against shock on ground fault current |
| Generator | Power source where there is no fixed power |
§Plan the load before switching on
Add up your expected power consumption for light, sound and video and hold it against what the individual distribution circuit and main supply are sized for. Distribute heavy consumers — for example dimmers for heavy lamps — over several circuits instead of putting everything on one, so you avoid tripping breakers in the middle of a show.
§Cooperation rather than improvisation
For larger events there is often a fixed power supplier or a designated responsible electrician attached to the entire production. Your task as a technician is to know your part of the system well enough to use it correctly and recognize when something deviates from normal — not to take over tasks that belong to the authorized installer.