Mitigation of the Sound Impact of Outdoor Concerts through Computational Simulations and Solutions for Community Acoustic Comfort

Outdoor concerts have become increasingly common, bringing cultural and economic benefits, but also challenges related to their acoustic impact on surrounding communities. Acoustic comfort is essential for quality of life, and mitigating noise generated by musical events remains a significant challenge. This study presents a combination of computational simulations and field measurements to assess sound propagation during a musical event held in Colombo/PR, with the goal of informing improvements for the 2025 edition. The main focus was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the sound impact on the São Rafael Arcanjo Hospital, located near the event site. Solutions such as repositioning the stage, installing acoustic barriers, and analyzing sound directivity were simulated using IMMI software, based on the ISO 9613-2:2024 standard. Field measurements were also conducted to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. The results indicated a reduction in noise levels at the hospital compared to the 2024 edition, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, even though some were not implemented due to budget constraints. The study demonstrates that it is feasible to hold outdoor events with appropriate acoustic planning, highlighting the importance of targeted studies to ensure community acoustic comfort.