A popular electronic music festival in Toronto is following in the footsteps of other large scale music events, allowing their guests to carry opioid overdose antidote Naloxone.
VELD Music Festival, organized by Toronto-based hospitality company INK Entertainment, announced several new safety measures Friday primed for the sixth annual event.
Among those, the two-day festival vows to have a “strong medical presence” and a team capable of implementing “state-of-the-art progressive methods” in the event of on-site emergencies.
The standout, though, is INK’s decision to allow attendees to bring their own opioid overdose antidote kit, Naloxone.
The life-saving drug is available in two methods – by nasal spray or in an injectable form – and is capable of reversing the effects of an overdose caused by deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil.
Last week, the WayHome Music and Arts Festival reversed a policy that would have banned attendees from bringing naloxone kits following backlash from ticketholders and music fans alike.
Festival organizers said it wasn’t necessary for attendees to bring their own injectable naloxone kits because on-site medical staff would be equipped with the antidote.
The Oro Mendonte, Ont. festival kneeled to the criticism a few days later, saying attendees could bring their own nasal spray version of the antidote – called Narcan – or trade in their injectable kit for a spray upon admission.
Fiona Bang, INK Entertainment's public relations manager, told CTV News Toronto on Friday that organizers have yet to decide what version of the antidote will be permitted but that a decision is likely to be publicized early next week.
Safety of women and water supply
For the first time, VELD Music Festival will provide a space designated exclusively for women.
The move echoes decisions made by several other summer music festivals -- such as Montreal’s Osheaga and Michigan’s Electric Forest -- aimed at curbing incidents of harassment and sexual assault targeting women.
INK Entertainment says the space will be guarded by an all-female security staff.
The festival also plans on providing additional shaded areas for guests with either a general admission or VIP pass.
Extra water stations will be set up around the grounds to “ensure festival goers stay hydrated,” the release says.
At its 2014 event, two VELD festgoers died and 13 others fell ill. A Toronto police investigation concluded that both victims died as a result of ingesting recreational drugs they had bought on-site.
In the wake of the tragedy, some health officials suggested that overheating and dehydration played a role in the deaths.
“The safety and well-being of our patrons continues to be a top priority for us when developing the safety and harm reduction protocols for our events,” Jamil Kamal, director of risk management at INK, said in the news release.
“We look forward to sharing our added knowledge and experience with our peers in the music festival industry to contribute to the positive impact on harm reduction in the community.”
INK says members of TRIP! Project, a local harm reduction initiative, will also be on site to provide peer-to-peer counselling and crisis intervention.
VELD Music Festival will take place on August 5 and 6 at Downsview Park in North York and will feature artists Future, Zedd, Migos, Tiesto and Major Lazer.
