Following news of three fatalities at this year’s HARD Summer, a number of festival goers have stepped forward to report the organizational inadequacies they witnessed at the event. It doesn’t bode well for the festival brand, who experienced two deaths at last year’s outing as well.
Attendees at HARD have reported poor conditions on behalf of the festival promoters, including improper handling of the entry lines, which left many people waiting inordinate amounts of time in long lines with no shade or water. One festival goer, Sevag Dekermenjian, described the entry situation as such:
There were no metal guard rails dividing each individual line! This caused a cluster outside with everyone pushed into what seemed like one massive line. People were being pushed and trampled, and no rails meant that anyone could cut and also switch “lines” back an forth to get ahead, screwing up absolutely everything.
There are also reports that the free water stations were insufficient for the sheer volume of people present, especially considering the high temperatures over the last weekend.
Dekermenjian also commented on the poor planning regarding exiting the festival:
Once in the tunnels, it was a miserable hell. People were overheating, those who needed water looked like thy were dying, and we couldn’t breathe from the heat and body odor. We were constantly being pushed from behind but could only waddle like penguins forward.
While many of those who attended the festival have taken to social media to vent about its conditions, there are reports that HARD Summer’s Instagram account is removing comments and blocking users who have complained about the poor planning.
The details surrounding HARD Summer 2016 are still developing, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted with more information as it becomes available.