1 Dead, 6 Others Hospitalized After Suffering 'Medical Episodes' at Popular Music Festival
- - 1 Dead, 6 Others Hospitalized After Suffering 'Medical Episodes' at Popular Music Festival
Escher WalcottFebruary 8, 2026 at 7:28 AM
0
Dreamstate festival in Sydney, Australia
Dreamstate Australia/Instagram
A man in his 40s died while attending Dreamstate in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, Feb. 7
Six others were hospitalized after suffering "medical episodes" at the music festival, according to New South Wales Police
The possibility of a mass drug overdose is being considered as police investigate the incidents
A man is dead and six others are in the hospital after attending a music festival in Australia.
At around 11:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Feb. 7, officers attached to South West Metropolitan Region were patrolling the Dreamstate event at Sydney Olympic Park when several attendees "suffered medical episodes,” the New South Wales (NSW) Police confirmed to PEOPLE.
A man in his 40s died at the scene, while six other people were hospitalized. One person remains in a critical condition, said the NSW Police.
The deceased man has not yet been formally identified. A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Dreamstate festival in Sydney
Dreamstate Australia/Instagram
“A crime scene has been established, and police commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the NSW Police told PEOPLE.
The man is believed to have died after suffering a cardiac arrest due to a suspected drug overdose at the festival, according to 9News Australia.
A possible mass overdose at the festival is being considered amid the police's investigation into the incidents, the outlet reported.
The Dreamstate festival is an annual techno and trance music event that takes place over two days in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The event organizer shared a warning from VIC Health on their Instagram Stories during the festival, saying that, "high-dose MDMA capsules and pills are circulating in Victoria."
The Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy, John Graham, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that “there was no trial pill-testing facility available at the event.”
He added that a “safety action plan was in place” at the festival, following government rules.
A NSW Health spokesperon told ABC, "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.”
PEOPLE has contacted the festival’s promoter Symbiotic and NSW Health for further comment.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
