A 23-Year-Old Man Has Died After a Chaotic Weekend of Cancelled Festivals and Extreme Heat

Celebrations across Victoria including Melbourne’s annual Pitch Music & Arts Festival and Moomba Parade were forced to cancel and be called off early over the weekend after severe forecasted heat, extreme fire warnings, and the death of a 23-year-old man at Pitch.

Festivals struggled in the lead-up to, and over, the Victorian long weekend as they told attendees to reconsider travel or leave bushfire risk areas early. Large portions of the state are experiencing exceptionally high temperatures close to 40 degrees, and organisers of Pitch made the move on Saturday morning, after the Country Fire Authority (CFA) forecasted an extreme fire danger rating, to advise “the safest option for those who are already on site is to leave the site tonight or early in the morning.” 

“If you are arriving on Saturday,” said a statement, “we recommend delaying your arrival until further notice.”

Buses into the festival were also shut down, with some artists announcing on social media that their set had been cancelled. But Pitch organisers confirmed later that afternoon the festival would continue with its music programming from 6PM after consulting with the CFA, Victoria Police and other members of the Emergency Management teams. 

“At the time of writing, there are no active fires in the region and we wish to reassure you that those who are on site have access to ample shade, cooling misting fans, food and water,” said a statement on social media.

“We are diligently following the guidance of relevant authorities to prioritise the safety of our community and have a full team of emergency services including medical, police and on-site fire response who are on call throughout the event.”

In the early hours of Sunday morning a 23-year-old man was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition before being pronounced dead. The cause of his death is still to be determined. Paramedics were also called to two other incidents involving a male in his 20s and a male in his 30s. Both were taken to hospital in stable condition.

In a statement following the death, organisers wrote that they were “deeply saddened” by the tragedy, and were “devastated that this occurred at an event where community has been a driving force over the last seven years.”

The remainder of the festival was cancelled on Sunday after the CFA declared a second total fire ban for the area.

The death, a suspected overdose, led Victorian Greens drug harm reduction spokesperson Aiv Puglielli to call once again for regulated pill testing across the state.

“Even with pure MDMA we’ve seen how extreme heat can deal a deadly blow,” they said. “So with untested drugs circulating, this was truly a disaster waiting to happen.” 

Many ticket holders and loved ones of attendees have criticised the organisers over mixed messaging on social media and for asking attendees to follow CFA advice by reconsidering travel to the festival but allowing the festival’s programming to continue. Many have called for refunds and reparations over the cancellation.

Pitch festival attendee Jonathan Seagar told 3AW’s Tom Elliott said the event was “very chaotic to say the least.”

“The water and the cooling systems and ice were pretty scarce around the camp sites, but in the events section of the festival there was help and water available. But the problem really lied in the campsite, it was far away from all of that, a 10-20 minute walk for some people in extreme heat.”

Melbourne’s 70th Moomba Parade was also cancelled due to extreme weather, which organisers have said was a “very difficult decision”. 

“Unlike other Moomba events where there’s good access to shade, water and cooling measures, parade participants are required to spend several hours outdoors in hot, heavy costumes – putting them at greater risk,” they said.

Several other festivals like Golden Plains in Meredith continued despite the weather.

Temperatures are expected to remain hot in northern districts of Victoria until Wednesday and Thursday when the heat is predicted to slowly drop down to the March average.

Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.

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