How Harm Reduction Is Transforming the Music Scene—The Tools and Organizations to Know for Overdose Prevention This Festival Season

By: Camila Molina

While no one wants to explicitly acknowledge that their venue or festival is a site of drug use, festivals are spaces for new experiences — for young concertgoers, this includes music, culture and food. Objectively, those experiences sometimes also include experimenting with so-called “party drugs,” including but not limited to MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and cannabis. As music festival season approaches, key safety measures are crucial. While most attendees are reminded to stay hydrated, an often-overlooked yet critical resource is harm reduction — an evidence-based approach to preventing overdose. Many people assume harm reduction isn’t relevant to them because they’re not regular drug users, when in reality, harm reduction is for anyone who wants to reduce the risk of things like overdose for themselves and the people around them. To stay safe, here are some resources you can check out — both in preparation for festival season and at the events themselves.

Harm Reduction Booths: On-Site Education and Naloxone Distribution

In a recent interview with HAZZE Magazine, Ingela Travers-Hayward, one of the co-founders of This Must Be The Place — a festival-based overdose prevention initiative — pushed back on common misconceptions. “Our data tells us that over 60 percent of festival attendees identify as special occasion substance users,” said Travers-Hayward. “That's been something that all the other organizations I've talked to have mentioned — the concern that people don't think that harm reduction applies to them because they're only using [substances] on special occasions.” Fentanyl laced in other substances cannot be detected by smell, sight or taste, and even just two milligrams can be lethal. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, and it's now set to be available at many upcoming major music festivals and is currently legal for anyone to carry and administer. Alixe Dittmore, the Housing and Shelter Capacity Building Coordinator for the National Harm Reduction Coalition, told HAZZE Magazine that carrying naloxone is essential — even if you think you’ll never need it. “I hope you just have it, and you never have to use it. But I would much rather folks be equipped because if you think responding to an overdose is traumatic,” said Dittmore. “What's even more traumatic is watching someone overdose and calling 911 and [...] thinking that you can't do anything."

Staying as safe as possible while using drugs also relies heavily on education. Drug-related health risks aren’t just about fentanyl contamination; they also involve key safety factors, such as dosing and other critical precautions. Sharing this information in a clear, accessible way remains a core goal of harm reduction organizations. During our interview, Dittmore highlights how DanceSafe, an influential harm reduction organization within the music scene that pioneered many life-saving approaches, achieves this through unique health communication strategies. For example, she describes how their pamphlets often feature bright, eye-catching graphics on the front, while the back provides crucial safety information on topics like dosing. This information is also available on their website. One such example is a colorful “Cocaine” graphic, which presents clear, evidence-based safety information, including warnings like: “Be careful! The risk of cardiovascular injury with cocaine is significantly higher than other stimulants. High or frequent doses of cocaine can damage the heart and blood vessels, causing strokes, aneurysms, and heart attacks.” Overall, the goal of many harm reduction booths is to make the information less intimidating for both people who want to engage in abstinence and those who are using drugs. “Many people who are going to shows, it's like their first time using a drug, or it's kind of the only time that they might use drugs,” said Dittmore. 

No Harm-Reduction Booth? Bring Your Own Naloxone!

Despite the reality that people are using drugs at festivals, there has historically been hesitation from some venues to have harm reduction on site due to liability concerns. Acceptance varies widely, often depending on local politics and regional attitudes. So, what happens when harm reduction groups aren’t welcomed? J.P. Kennedy, who co-founded Musicians for Overdose Prevention, shared with HAZZE Magazine that sometimes the most effective strategy is the most direct — walking into the crowd with naloxone in hand and showing people how to use it on the spot. “Every music venue should have it, and I’m gonna walk it in,” said Kennedy. 

While Musicians for Overdose Prevention implements these life-saving initiatives at several events, it’s impossible to be everywhere. That’s where bringing your own naloxone comes in. Naloxone is now available over the counter at many pharmacies; however, the cost can still be a barrier. There are resources like End Overdose that help make it more accessible. During an interview with HAZZE Magazine, Maddie Ward, director of operations at End Overdose, shared that their headquarters offers free online training, and after completing it, they’ll ship naloxone anywhere in the U.S. for just the cost of shipping. Moreover, for college students, many universities now offer ways to access free naloxone. Universities like NYU, USC, UNC, UCLA, and Rutgers offer free naloxone through various campus programs. Ward explained that a key part of End Overdose’s outreach happens through its nationwide chapter program, which is mostly based on college campuses and focused on distributing naloxone.

Fentanyl Testing Strips: Key Info and Safety Tips

Another crucial resource in harm reduction and overdose prevention is drug testing strips, including fentanyl test strips. Yet, access to this life-saving tool remains a challenge at festivals and music venues due to a range of barriers — from legal restrictions in some states to widespread misinformation and lingering stigma. You can consult your state's health department or local harm reduction organizations to learn about the availability of free fentanyl test strips in your area. If you're a college student, you can check whether your university’s health center offers testing strips, as many do. Students can also check whether their campus has an End Overdose chapter, as the organization provides free fentanyl test strips and other resources, according to director of operations Maddie Ward.

If you're purchasing your own drug-checking devices, it is crucial to research which tools are proven to be effective and which ones are not. Dittmore warns about the potential rise of unreliable drug-checking devices, stating, “There is no such thing as a drug checking keychain that works […] I've been seeing that a lot. People saying we are able to do all of these drug tests, like in this little one unit thing. No, you're not.” 

Even when reliable testing strips are available, many people don’t realize they need it. Dittmore with NHRC recalls this firsthand, stating: “I used to be big into going to shows and like festivals, and I would do drug checking there, and people would be like, ‘I don't need my drugs checked. Like, I'm just getting molly’ and I'm like, ‘cool, let's do a reagent test’ and then it's popping up positive for meth.” 

There is still progress to be made in ensuring the safety of festival-goers and the music scene as a whole, but getting resources from organizations like DanceSafe, End Overdose, Musicians for Overdose Prevention, NHRC and This Must Be The Place can create safer experiences at music festivals. Learning how to stay safe — whether by finding these organizations at a booth, obtaining testing kits and naloxone in advance, testing substances beforehand, or carrying naloxone to help others in the crowd — can make a difference.