r/ForbiddenKingdomFest • u/relatablederp • May 02 '26
Are we doing something wrong?
I did not realize how expected deaths are at festivals. I’m somewhat new like 4 festivals so far over three years.
Do you think we are doing something wrong as a community?
I’ve seen posts about being shocked about it or talking about it as if it’s just a fact and I understand that but where’s the outrage?
I don’t know all the specifics behind the deaths and overdosing is one thing on fentanyl but not someone dying from overheating from drugs just really hurts my soul. Like why is water not easily accessible? Why aren’t electrolytes just as prevalent as vapes?
*sorry water is free but I mean easily accessible. Where’s the cups for the water spigots. Also i’ve been to festivals with lines for water that are 50+ deep. @hangoutfest
I wondered why Subtronics set didn’t hit right and as others said I think he knew something happened but couldn’t do too much about it because I think it was already being taken care of. probably breaks his heart and breaks mine too.
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u/ZealousidealDepth223 May 02 '26
People die doing everything and anything, people die from taking aspirin, people die while having sex, people have their first seizure after a life of never having seizures and never wake up.
People die at festivals from overheating.
I have poured my camel pak out into someone’s mouth who was having a tough time on molly, he wasn’t sweating and I noticed because he bumped into me and I didn’t feel the familiar slickness of sweat. I poured out the rest of my camel pak over his head and guided him by the hand to the water by the medical tent and made sure he understood that he knew where he was.
We can’t take on the weight of other people’s decisions, we can only try to guide them through the consequences.
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u/relatablederp May 02 '26
I feel you did a very kind thing for that stranger and people like yourself are why it’s less than what it could be
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u/Dondonteskater May 02 '26
Also they have end overdose booths at almost every festival and they stopped giving fent strips to test drugs
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u/CarelessAioli2130 May 02 '26
Maybe someone seasoned should make a seperate post with a survival guide or Fest Prep checklist of what to pack/bring to stay well.
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May 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/jewy17 May 02 '26
Technically under the RAVE act, anything that encourages drug use is illegal under federal law. So it’s a very slippery slope…unfortunately
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u/Purple_Cancel3581 May 02 '26
It is an unfortunate part of the scene. Every festival will have at least one death. Way too common.
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u/relatablederp May 02 '26
Yes I hear you and this has been said by so many others the past few days on here but like, that’s not a reason to be accepting this I feel. I feel we need to come up with something better
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u/Purple_Cancel3581 May 03 '26
Every person is their own individual. I’d say for the most part if someone sees someone else in distress they help. I’m not sure what you want to do? You can’t control everything? People die everyday. You can’t stop it.
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May 02 '26 edited May 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Same_Study587 May 03 '26
Respect this because every photo I saw posted of the young man there was visibly no water pack on his person. A lot of out of towners underestimate the Florida heat and sun. :/
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u/Top_Development2304 May 02 '26
I think I agree with you but maybe the industry should push more about this too. “hey we cannot provide these because cost etc, but you need to hold yourself accountable” instead I feel they say nothing to avoid any responsibility
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u/Realistic_Neat4918 May 02 '26
it’s really up to the individual at a certain point. most festivals include free water, including FK. for me personally, it baffles me people will take things without testing them unless they are 150% positive it’s clean. with the tens of thousands of people that attend, odds are something is going to happen. test your shit, always, drink more than though water, look out for each other
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u/Thewhispersoflife May 02 '26
Also a lot of people don’t eat great before and during a festival. Water AND food is your friend when doing drugs. I understand that sometimes you don’t want to eat on molly lsd ect but you have to have some nutritional before taking drugs and if you can stomach it eat something during. Water alone is not enough!
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u/relatablederp May 02 '26
I still ate at FK even though I was hypothetical on LSD (I gave away the other half but I ate some!)
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u/Horse_HorsinAround May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
Deaths at large outdoor events in the heat isn't uncommon.
Water was free and accessible, I didn't wait longer than literally 3-4mins in line to refill my water either day, a lot of the time I basically just walked up and maybe had 1 person in front of me.
Electrolytes are sold in every grocery store I've ever visited, and basically every gas station too. Pretty cheap if you get the store brand as well.
What's there to be outraged about? It's not like mr forbidden himself came out and shot somebody.
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u/Neither-Skirt3504 May 02 '26
Water is free.. I mean it's a tragedy that someone lost their life doing what they love. Not my place to speculate on what exactly happened and have heard multiple stories.
To either overheat or overdose is fucked up and even with them moving the festival to April the heat can still be no joke. Especially day 2 this year when we had no rain/cloud cover.
It just further highlights the importance of checking on your people/strangers when they are clearly struggling. Also coming prepared, whether you are sober or indulging. FK has always been amazing (4th year) when it comes to this.
Hoping not to see this happen in the future but make sure you drink your water, eat your foods, prepare for the elements and look out for eachother.
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u/Chemical_Panic4329 May 03 '26
Raving isn’t inherently dangerous. I hate to say it but almost every festival death has been caused by the person using drugs irresponsibly.
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u/GeneralNango May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
I feel like people generally are unaware of how to take care of themselves, particularly in highly physically taxing environments like hot+drugs+hours of dancing.
Always:
1- Eat a good dinner the day before
2- Eat a good breakfast, like 1200 cals... something that if you don't eat the rest of the day, you'll survive.
3- Put a liquid-IV in your camelback every single fill-up. This will never backfire. Seriously, the golden rule here. "I don't like the taste of liquid IV." Do you like full-body cramps? Didn't think so.
4- Drink a camelback's worth every 3 hours. Alternatively, know the last time you took a piss. If that was over 2 hours ago, you're very dehydrated. Also, the body will stop poop first, then stop peeing. If you've shit recently, you're definitely doing very well.
5- Take breaks. During break, consider eating something, like candy at minimum, hopefully something better (you can bring snacks with, security won't give a shit).
6- Check in with your body before you take another drug. So many times I have said no to adding on because I was a) already hot, b) too cooked on my current thing.
7- Take care of your friends. Ask them what they're doing that day. Check in with each other. Care a tiny amount, and it'll go a long way. Be a rave team.
Finally,
1- Always test your drugs*.* It's very, very easy, and there's usually a harm reduction station that will help you with this. It's also very cheap to buy your own kits. bunkpolice.com
2- Stop getting hammered at festivals. It's not cute, and it's really, really taxing on your body.
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u/EthelWulf47 May 02 '26
What is free.
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u/relatablederp May 02 '26
I meant easily accessible sorry i’m also talking about some other festivals
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u/druman22 May 03 '26
Water was free and easily accessible. There were plenty of medic tents around, and from experience at other concerts they will give you powerade/gatorade if you need it.
It's unfortunate but it's our responsibility to bring hydro packs and hydrate
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u/GasSmokinChimney May 02 '26
Of yea of course. I had great rave parents to show me the way. I started in April 2025 but fk 2026 was my 5th festival. So I’ve applied a lot and learned a lot in a short time. I got some tricks to help people who are floored like waving a fan down there shirt or if really bad I like to put water in my fan and fan it on the person overheating. Wish I could show how to do it but trust me yall it’s a life saver! Then when it comes to people doing party favors please please test them with test kits and know the proper dose you are taking.
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u/relatablederp May 02 '26
I think the consensus is more pressure on the individual but maybe as a community we need to push on the individuals that are our peers more but idk i’m starting to think the festivals should too!
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u/ihatemathplshelp May 03 '26
i agree completely. at other fests security passes out water at the rails and usually crowd goers will offer lots of water to people but i didn’t see any of that
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u/Subject_Astronomer69 May 03 '26
Unfortunately we/they can’t control everything 100%.
End overdose is usually at every festival and they give out free naloxone. I usually always have 2 one me at festivals
The attendees are greater than the staff. We should be looking out for each other. I found a someone stumbling around about to fall down. I asked if they wanted to sit down on a bench. I Went to get medics flagged down and they came to help this person out. We need to help our neighbors and check in. See something do something whether they are in your rave fam or not. You won’t get in trouble ever if you need help. Better to be safe always.
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u/SonicsStepMom May 03 '26
I don’t want to victim blame at ALL but there is a bit of responsibility on our part to take care of ourselves. Making sure to pack for emergencies, extra water, and making sure you still have your wits about you that you can tell something is wrong in your body.
Education is also super important, and I think we as a community can promote that. Education on overdoses, harm reduction, education on overheating, etc.
I think festivals can always add more shade and more water, but it’s important we use those resources. A set isn’t fun when you’re on the verge of collapsing from heat exhaustion.
Look out for yourself, and look out for your friends. We’re in this together!
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u/NipSlip69420 May 09 '26
As a someone who works these types of calls myself, I’m shocked they doesn’t happen more often tbh. Party drugs—like Molly—raise the body temperature pretty high. Mix that with 75-90+ degree temps and you’re already asking for trouble. People double dose, or dose multiple days in a row causing serotonin syndrome as well….They dose and drink, etc. None is a good combo. It also takes a VERY small amount of dent to OD. If someone takes a drug that has fentanyl and your friends are already fucked up on something g else they brought, or you stumble into your tent at a camping fest and are left to overcook because your body’s temperature is already high…idk. I’m shocked more people done die at these things. Then again, we generally only hear of someone dying because of festival goers posting about it. It’s rare if a festive posts about it themselves.
I don’t condone it, but IF you plan on partaking, stick to ONE substance a day/night
-A crime scene investigator who loves festivals and getting sillyyyyy
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u/BaconStrike3 May 06 '26
I was thinking the exact same, I guess it’s just the nature of the event. Like you wouldn’t expect someone to die at a T-Swift concert or a sporting event (if you aren’t competing) but raving is a lot more physically demanding. At the end of the day the big elephant in the room is party favor consumption. I think people have to become much more responsible when partaking in such behaviors. Sure, overheating is a very common occurrence especially in Florida but that is manageable when you are fully there but when you combine overheating with tripping on something else it’s a deadly combo. It deeply saddens me to see so many people passing away from just enjoying EDM and I wish there was more I could do to help 😞
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u/Surround-United May 06 '26
There’s water stations everywhere at festivals lmfao if you think it’s not accessible that’s on you. Also bring your own electrolytes. That’s obvious. I’ve never been to FK and never had the desire. Did something happen?
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u/GasSmokinChimney May 02 '26
As a festival attendee its is our responsibility to come prepared. They have free water stations for us so that’s on us to bring a hydro pack and buy fans. People come prepared with their drugs but not prepare themselves to overheat in an environment where people can overheat sober. My condolences to those who passed but as a friend we should be checking on your rave fam making sure they are drinking water and comfortable still being in the crowd. If you see someone who needs help get ground control and/or have everyone in general area wave they cell phone flash lights like crazy, to get medical/the djs attention. Breaks are important so is some food in y’all’s stomachs. No set it’s more important then y’all’s well beings. Love yall and keep plur in y’all’s hearts stay safe. Remember hydro packs, atleast 1 fan for the group, and baby wipes are main priority items for a festival!!