Between June and August 2014, at least five young adults died while attending Canadian music festivals, and many more individuals were treated on site or admitted to hospital. It is suspected that use of alcohol or drugs or both might have been a contributing factor in these deaths and illnesses. However, there are no consistent national or provincial guidelines aimed at preventing or responding to drug- and alcohol-related harms at these events. To discuss how to prevent drug- and alcohol-related harms at Canadian music festivals, a national meeting of diverse stakeholders with expertise in health promotion and harm reduction, toxicology, substance use epidemiology, pre-hospital and emergency care, law enforcement, festival production, event security services, and policy and permitting was held in January 2015.
