A music festival at the weekend triggered high numbers of complaints from local residents because an unusual weather phenomenon acted as a ‘sound mirror’, a council has claimed.

Haarlem council received at least 50 complaints relating to noise from the Awakenings festival, which was held at Spaarnwoude in the neighbouring municipality of Haarlemmermeer.

One resident, Ariel Weinberger, said he could clearly hear the music from 8km (5 miles) away even through triple glazing while wearing noise cancelling headphones.

Speaking of backyards, mine is 8 km from the festival. I hear the music loud and clear through triple glazing and noise cancelling headphones. They can reduce the volume and still have fun, without us having to suffer? You live in a country where “noise pollution” is a thing.

— Ariel Weinberger (@arielweinberger) May 14, 2023

The council said it regretted the disturbance, but the event and the site complied with noise regulations. It said the problem was made worse by a temperature inversion which reflected the sound across a wider area than normal.

A temperature inversion occurs when a layer of warm air rises from the ground, trapping cooler air beneath it, with the result that the temperature rises at higher altitudes. The warmer air also acts as a blanket that reflects sound waves, spreading them over a wider area.

“We understand very well that this answer doesn’t solve much, but for the moment there is nothing more we can do,” the council said.

Er wordt veel geluidsoverlast ervaren van Awakenings. Het festival voldoet aan de geluidsnormen, maar door de weersomstandigheden draagt het geluid veel verder dan normaal. Meer info op: https://t.co/GH0WtXD11P

— Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied (@ODNZKG) May 14, 2023