Grounding and bonding outdoor stages

IN LIVE EVENT PRODUCTION, grounding and bonding aren’t always correctly understood, especially on event stages. When portable systems are assembled, the emphasis is typically on timing, and it’s not unusual for little attention to be paid to grounding and bonding the stage, even though codes and regulations require it and standards spell it out.

Festival Stage Image description: A multi-person band performs on a stage with a large crowd facing them. They are under a tent, with lights, instruments, and AV equipment surrounding them.

ANSI ES1.17 – 2025: Event Lighting & Electrical Safety, for example, indicates: All exposed metal parts of the event (scenery, staging, rigging, etc.) in proximity to the portable event electrical system that could reasonably become energized as the result of a fault must be properly bonded to the system to provide protection against electric shock from a ground fault or short circuit...

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