Having had some personal experience in hugely dense crowds (like the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party[1]) it does indeed feel exactly like being carried along in

Having had some personal experience in hugely dense crowds (like the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party[1]) it does indeed feel exactly like being carried along in a shoulders-deep irresistible flow of people. There were actually perceptible currents & flows, areas of turbulence around obstacles, and many other things that suggest they behave something like a fluid. Resistance is, as explained elsewhere, extremely challenging. The sheer force of a column of people and lack of any sort of feedback means it's quite dangerous and uncomfortable. A friend and I had to rescue several people who'd fallen and were struggling to get back up, or who were being forced into obstacles. The solution was to surround them and form a sort of rugby-huddle that left enough space in the middle for them to get back up or catch their breath. They might have better crowd management measures these recent years, but I haven't been tempted to go back on new years. [1] http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/000/264/Packed_Street_Party_-_credit_Chris_Watt_gallery_detail.jpg?1411140230 http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/assets/000/000/264/Pack...