Los Angeles Starts Festival Task Force

Say what?! Are festivals really getting their own music festival task force?

The excessive drug use at festivals is a secret to no one really. Over the past few years there have been a series of instances where people have been physically harmed as a result of drug use. The most recent one being the horrifying case of two deaths at HARD Summer festival last month.

Seems like the Los Angeles County have had enough and they have approved an Electronic Music Task Force, which will be dealing exclusively with making sure that festival attendees are safe.

The need for instant actions has been well realised and such are already being taken. Meant to take place on September 10, HARD Presents: A Night at Fairplex has already been cancelled, while HARD Day of the Dead, is having it’s capacity reduced by a whole 25 000 people, coming down from 65 000 to 40 000. The promoters will be required to install additional cooling stations and hire extra security.

A motion has been brought forward by LA County Mayor Michael Antonovich alongside LA Country Supervisor Hilda Solis. Solis clearly stated that the health and safety of festival attendees is their number one concern:

I want to emphasise that our efforts around this motion, above all, are about the health and safety of those attending these events.

The task force is specifically designed to “develop recommendations for enforceable health and safety measures and procedures, that would be required for all electronic music festivals on County-owned property”

LA Country have also made it extremely clear that a ban on electronic music festivals is not far out of the question as well, saying:

Ultimately, in the interest of public safety, a ban of electronic music festivals at County-owned properties remains a possibility that will continue to be evaluated.

Read the full motion here.

Do you think it’s finally time for such serious measures? Perhaps, if you so need drugs to enjoy the music, you’re just at the wrong event.

Photo Credit: Rukes