Survey Reveals How Prominent Substances Are at Music Festivals

It’s officially summer, which means it’s officially music festival season. These concerts are opportunities like no other to see your favorite artists all in the same place at once. They also offer an unmatchable environment to meet people with similar music tastes, and just let loose.

Music festivals are a sort of getaway for attendees. It offers them an escape from reality, and allows them to forget about all the stress of their daily lives. And if people are going to celebrate, they can be expected to go all out.

A recent survey revealed people’s drug and alcohol habits when it comes to music festivals—and it’s unsurprising how highly correlated the two are.

Most Attendees Use Drugs or Alcohol

In fact, a music festival attendee is far more likely to have used drugs and alcohol than they are to be sober—only 19 percent haven’t used substances. Men are slightly more likely than women to arrive drunk or high, but only about two percent more likely.

People are most likely to use drugs at rap/hip hop festivals, and most likely to drink at EDM/Electronic festivals. In these two genres, over 90 percent of attendees use drugs or alcohol. Pop festivals are the most G-rated, but still less than a quarter of participants use no substances.

Drug of Choice

Unsurprisingly, the most commonly used drug is marijuana, followed by cocaine and ecstasy. Given that pot is sometimes deemed the ‘easiest substance to obtain’, and is increasingly legal and accepted in society, this is a go-to for music lovers hoping to take their experience to the next level.

Whether marijuana is legal or not in the state, it’s probably still a violation of music festival policy. About one in four drug users will be caught by festival organizers—though they will likely only confiscate the drugs. However, they have the right to revoke the ticket, or even press criminal charges, both of which would put a severe damper on the festival mood. The average music festival ticket comes in at over $650, so this is no cheap mistake.

Which Festivals are the Most Drug-Filled?

According to both first-hand participants and witnesses, Firefly is the festival with the most drug and alcohol use. 83 percent of attendees have seen others using substances here compared to 63 percent at all music festivals. This popular festival is in one of the less popular festival locations of Dover, Delaware making it a tradition for many North East locals and music festival lovers alike.

The festival with the least substances takes place in late August nestled in the Nevada desert, Burning Man. Only half of the attendees witnessed others using drugs or alcohol at this event. This tamer event brings in less widely-known artists, which potentially explains the more behaved crowd.

Affecting Actions Beyond Substances

It’s no secret that these mind-altering substances can lead us to make some arguably regrettable decisions. Especially when surrounded by strangers in minimal clothing and ready to party, hookups aren’t out of the ordinary for this environment. They’re most common at Lollapalooza, where 23 percent of attendees under the influence find a partner. Additionally, men are nearly more than double as likely to hook-up at a musical festival.

Drugs and alcohol and music festivals seem to go hand in hand. For some reason, getting to a mind-altering state seems like a rite of passage while listening to a dream-worthy musical lineup. At the end of the day, it’s important to be safe—the consequences of getting caught are not worth an experience that would still be life-changing while sober.