Suspected mass overdose at Sydney music festival leaves one dead

One man has died, and six more were hospitalised in a suspected mass overdose at a trance and techno festival in Sydney, Australia, over the weekend.

According to local police, several people in attendance at Dreamstate Festival suffered medical episodes and were rushed to a nearby hospital on Saturday, February 7, at around 11:30PM.

Two “urgent medical transfers” and three “non-urgent transfers” were made to a nearby hospital, with police now investigating a possible mass overdose.

A 40-year-old man who is yet to be identified died following a cardiac arrest. He was suspected of having taken a substance, though it’s currently unclear what it was.

Speaking about the tragic incident, Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy, John Graham, said that there were no drug testing facilities at the festival.

“It is a reminder that pill testing that has been going on has allowed information from health to be distributed to people across the state," he said (via ABC News). "We really want to get the word out about the dangers here."

On Tuesday, February 3, ahead of Dreamstate taking place, the New South Wales Ministry of Health (NSW) issued a warning about high-strength MDMA in circulation, with some tested pills also found to contain synthetic adulterants.

A spokesperson for NSW Health said that “a range of harm reduction initiatives are in place at festivals, including support and health promotion workers, health messaging, free chilled water, misting fans, chill-out spaces and well-equipped medical services.”

Dreamstate Festival took place at The Dome in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday, before moving to Melbourne on Sunday, February 8, holding its “biggest Australian shows ever”. The festival has yet to release a statement.

For information on how to protect yourself from super-strength ecstasy, click here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X