NSW Police are investigating the death of a man and six drug-related hospitalisations following a techno/trance music festival over the weekend.
On Saturday night, emergency services responded to reports of multiple medical emergencies at the Dreamstate festival at Sydney Olympic Park.
It comes days after the NSW Health Department issued a public warning about “multiple high-dose MDMA (ecstasy) tablets in circulation... found to contain higher doses than usually expected.”
Festival
The Dreamstate festival took place on Saturday, when temperatures in Sydney reached well above 30 degrees.
At about 11:30pm, emergency services responded to reports of several medical emergencies at the event.
A man was pronounced dead at the scene. Six others were taken to hospital, with two requiring urgent medical transfers.
One person remains in critical condition.
Health warnings
In 2025, the NSW Government introduced a 12-month pill testing trial at selected music festivals, following recommendations from the state’s 2024 Drug Summit.
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However, the Dreamstate music festival was not part of the NSW drug checking trial.
Last week, the NSW Health Department issued a warning about high-dose MDMA tablets detected at multiple music festivals across the state during the summer period. Some of these tablets were found to contain synthetic stimulants.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre urged festivalgoers “to be aware and vigilant”. It warned that hot environments “also increase the risk of harm from MDMA.”
In a statement following Saturday’s death, NSW Health said a range of harm-reduction measures were in place at Dreamstate, including support and health workers as well as specialist medical teams.
“The manner and cause of death will be investigated and determined by the Coroner,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.
Political responses
In a radio interview with 2GB, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park described the incidents as an “absolute tragedy.”
He added that they serve “as a sober reminder that no level of illicit drug use is safe.”
Shadow Health Minister Sarah Mitchell called for greater public discussion around recent festival overdoses.
“These incidents need to be talked about openly, because honest conversation is one of the most effective ways to educate people about the risks of illicit drug use,” Mitchell said.
