NSW Health is committed to continuing to work with music festival organisers and other stakeholders such as private medical providers to keep people safer at music festivals.
The NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Ambulance and local health districts (LHDs) are available to provide support and advice on harm reduction strategies and risk management approaches for all music festivals across NSW.
The NSW Ministry of Health can assess event and medical plans and provide advice to ensure they are in line with the Guidelines for music festival event organisers: Music festival harm reduction.
This includes providing advice on:
A safety management plan template can be found at Liquor & Gaming NSW - Music festival safety management plans.
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The Guidelines for music festival event organisers: Music festival harm reduction have been written to support event organisers to deliver safer music festivals. NSW Health will use the guidelines to assess festival event plans, including the safety management plan for subject music festivals under the Music Festivals Act 2019. The Guidelines include information regarding general health considerations, onsite medical service provision, emergency escalation protocols and harm reduction strategies.
The Guidelines are updated regularly to reflect current best practice and experience. Feedback on the Guidelines is welcomed and can be provided to MOH-musicfestivals@health.nsw.gov.au.
Music festival organisers and promoters play an important role in communicating harm reduction messages to patrons. Harm reduction messages can be delivered before, during and after events. These messages can be distributed using festival communication channels including social media platforms, websites and promotional material.
Harm reduction messages should encourage patrons to seek help early if they experience adverse effects from drug and alcohol use and advertise the presence and location of care spaces, harm reduction service and medical services.
Harm reduction messages may include:
Music festival organisers, venues, and peer-based harm reduction services can use the Stay OK toolkit, which contains digital creative assets and print-ready media to promote harm reduction messaging to NSW festivalgoers.
For more information about drugs and alcohol, visit YourRoom to get the facts.
NSW Health has developed a series of short harm reduction videos. These videos can be used by event organisers and promoters and we encourage you to share them on your social networks.
For further information on music festival safety for patrons please visit Your Room.
Patron information on rights and responsibilities at music festivals is available from the NSW Users and Aids Association and DanceWize NSW.
