The Dangers of Festivals and Concerts

Now that events and activities are starting to open back up after COVID, festivals and concerts are popping up again. Everyone had been on lockdown for what seemed like forever, and now they are ready to get out and party. Unfortunately, with that partying, along comes drugs and alcohol.

In the music festival world, drugs and alcohol are highly prevalent. To prevent music goers from taking drugs laced with deadly drugs, there are third-party companies that will sneak testing kits into festivals to sell the kits.

Those who attend concerts and who use drugs often fell the drugs will enhance the experience or help them feel the music. While some use it to relax or reduce social anxiety, some want to increase their energy. These drugs combined with music festivals can be a deadly combination. The top three substances at music festivals are alcohol, marijuana, and hallucinogens. The fourth most common is MDMA/Molly/Ecstasy.

With alcohol and most drugs, there is a tendency to become dehydrated, and a person may not realize they are dehydrated. If you are dancing around and using vast amounts of energy at once, you can become dehydrated and can get overheated. When these two things mix, you can pass out and even die. Knowing the signs and symptoms of different drugs and how they can impact you is essential.

Music festivals and concerts do supply water but have been known to charge a lot for it or run out, leading to severe circumstances. The most recent case of this is Fyre Music Festival in 2017. There were issues from security, to food and water, to accommodations. Another music festival where things took a terrible turn was the 1969 Woodstock, where food and water quickly ran out. Two people died, and in total, 5162 medical incidents were reported.

“There have been at least 25 confirmed drug-related deaths nationwide since 2006 among people who went to raves organized by Los Angeles-area companies.”

 

When a person has been at a festival all day in the sun, on drugs, with a limited amount of water, it can lead to a dangerous situation. According to the Los Angeles Times, “There have been at least 25 confirmed drug-related deaths nationwide since 2006 among people who went to raves organized by Los Angeles-area companies.” This is only one example and does not take into account all the other festivals that happen around the country each year. There are music festivals all over the world.

Before entering a music festival or concert, you must go through security. Some security checks include pat-downs, bag checks, and wands used to ensure no guns, drugs, or alcohol are brought in. People are very creative and have become inventive on how to get things in. There are now fake tampons that hold tubes to fill with alcohol, wrapped to look like a tampon. Also, depending on what people bring in, they can easily get past these screenings.

Music festivals are fun and should be enjoyed, but experimenting with drugs and not taking care of yourself could land you in the hospital because of dehydration or overdose. Therefore, it’s essential to know the signs and symptoms of different drugs when used. If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, it is vital to get help before it’s too late.

Sources:

• https://www.pe.com/2017/04/23/this-group-smuggles-drug-testing-kits-into-coachella/
• https://time.com/4764559/fyre-festival-music-worst-failures/
• http://festivalandeventproduction.com/event-guides/security-guide/
• https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hard-day-of-the-dead-20160920-snap-story.html