Pill testing will continue at a number of festivals this year.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Victorian state government announced the four local events that the mobile pill testing trial will take place at – Hardmission Festival (February 8th), Pitch Music and Arts Festival (March 7th-11th), Ultra Music Festival (April 12th) and The Warehouse Project (April 25th).
The news comes after the “highly successful” launch of Victoria’s first pill testing service at Beyond the Valley last month.
According to the government, over 700 people used the service – the majority in their late teens or early twenties – and staff tested more than 600 samples.
For more than 70% of patrons who used the service at the new year’s festival reported that it was the first time they had ever “had an open, judgment-free discussion about drug and alcohol safety with a health professional”.
Nearly 40% of punters said they would use a smaller amount of their drugs following their discussion with a healthcare worker at the service, while one in six people intended to discard their drugs after having them tested.
The service was introduced after a notable spike in drug harm in 2024, with nine people who attended the Hardmission Festival reported to be “critically unwell” an one death related to a suspected overdose at Pitch Music and Arts Festival.
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“Following a spike in drug harm last festival season, this service is more important than ever – it offers a sensible health-led approach that will save the lives of young Victorian festivalgoers,” Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said on Thursday.
“The results from Beyond the Valley speak for themselves: pill testing does not encourage people to use drugs. It allows people to see what’s really in their substances and make informed health decisions.”
The news comes after NSW State Premier Chris Minns also announced a 12-month trial for pill testing at local festivals earlier this month.
Minns said that the trial has a clear purpose: “To reduce harm and save lives. No parent wants to be given the news that something has happened to their child at a music festival, and that they are now in an emergency department or worse.”
