Music festival attendee ‘dies in hospital’ after event closed early due to heat

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21 hours ago

The music festival is a popular event in Margate each year (Picture: UKNIP)

A major music festival in Kent was shut down early this afternoon due to a serious medical emergency, forcing thousands of attendees to evacuate the venue. The Margate Drum & Bass Festival, hosted at the iconic Dreamland amusement park, was cut short just after 5.30pm ??? hours before its scheduled 10.30pm finish ??? amid rising temperatures and mounting health concerns. In an announcement over the venue???s public address system, organisers confirmed that the event had to close entirely due to ???a medical emergency??? and requested the 7,000-strong crowd to leave calmly and safely. Attendees were informed that full refunds would be issued. ???It???s completely out of our hands, it???s due to people needing medical assistance. They???re inundated,??? a steward was heard telling the crowd. Emergency Response While an official statement from emergency services is still awaited, multiple ambulances and medics were reportedly at the scene treating people affected by the heat and other possible medical issues. Temperatures in Margate peaked at 28??C, with forecasts suggesting highs of 34??C in the coming days. A festivalgoer told KentOnline: ???Mozey came on and said everyone has to go. There were a few angry people, but most were calm ??? just confused.??? Dreamland Statement and Safety Measures Dreamland took to social media shortly after the shutdown to say: ???Sorry guys, it was just too hot today so we had to close early. Get home safely.??? The festival, open only to over-18s, had beefed up safety measures after the tragic death of 17-year-old Emily Stokes at last year???s event. Emily???s family said she died after being spiked and collapsing after the 2024 show, then known as ???Worried About Henry.??? The event was rebranded and stricter licensing conditions were introduced. These included: Enhanced drug checks Zero tolerance drug policy Increased paramedic presence No re-entry policy Mandatory age verification Star-Studded Line-Up Disrupted The — The music festival is a popular event in Margate each year (Picture: UKNIP)

A 21-year-old attendee at Margate Drum and Bass Festival in Dreamland has reportedly died after being taken to the hospital yesterday.

Dreamland shut down suddenly yesterday around 6.30 pm, hours before the scheduled end time, because organisers said it was ‘just too hot’.

News of the young man taking ill spread quickly yesterday, and was confirmed when Kent Police said they were aware of a ‘medical incident’ at the festival.

South East Coast Ambulance Service said they took the ill person to the hospital, but his death is only now being reported.

He has not been identified.

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Kent Online reported that local councillors were sent a note last night, reading: ‘Very sadly, a 21-year-old man was taken by blue light services from Dreamland and died at QEQM (Hospital).

An emergency response was seen near the venue (Picture: UKNIP)

‘We understand that medical advisers approved the medical provisions set up by Dreamland for this event, but of course, police will carry out a proper investigation. We are not intending to speculate until we have the results of that.’

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