"[Coroner Ingrid] Giles commended the free and confidential pill testing trial under way in Victoria, describing it as a vital part of the state’s overall harm reduction strategy.

'Drug checking or pill testing services at outdoor music festivals were found to be associated with people using reduced dose sizes of drugs and being more likely to dispose of potentially dangerous drugs', she found."

#MelissaDavey, 2026

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/28/sniffer-dogs-bag-searches-festivals-drug-danger

We have this at many #festivals in NZ.

#drugs

@rms

A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo on Wednesday, showcasing 210 ice and snow sculptures across three venues. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/sapporo-snow-festival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sapporo #hokkaido #snow #tourism #festivals

#Barcelona, #Spain
Atzeries the fire beast sets off its flying sparks during the Foguerons festival that celebrates Saint Antony.

Photograph: Matthias Oesterle/Shutterstock

#photography
#festivals

Funding for arts and music festivals really does trickle down, to artists and other creative workers (including yours truly). Here's a taste of the physical artwork that catalyses the vibe at Twisted Frequency.

(1/2)

#festivals #MusicFestivals #TwistedFrequency

A UNESCO intergovernmental committee has decided to add six items from Japan, including the Murakami Festival in the city of Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, to the U.N. agency's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/12/japan/japan-unesco-intangible-cultural-heritage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #unesco #festivals

Dang, I passed by the #Øyafestivalen site on the way home today and it made me realise that 'festival season' is quickly approaching in #Oslo. 👯

From pop #music to #jazz, from #arts and #film festivals to stand-up #comedy -- there are so many #festivals happening throughout August that I tried to list a few on the @HvaSkjer account.

https://oslo.town/@HvaSkjer

10 days after appearing in court for #terrorism charges, and 2 days before their #Glastonbury performance, which still faces threats of being cancelled (as other #festivals have done) and/or removed from #BBC broadcast, #Kneecap have just cocreated and released a video: "we are not the story", proceeding to illustrate the legal definition of #genocide with testimonies from medical staff and #Palestinian casualties in #Gaza. ✊🏽#Repost #retoot #boycott #divest #bds

https://stopthegenocide.info/

10 days after appearing in court for #terrorism charges, and 2 days before their #Glastonbury performance, which still faces threats of being cancelled (as other #festivals have done) and/or removed from #BBC broadcast, #Kneecap have just cocreated and released a video: "we are not the story", proceeding to illustrate the legal definition of #genocide with testimonies from medical staff and #Palestinian casualties in #Gaza. ✊🏽#Repost #retoot #boycott #divest #bds

https://stopthegenocide.info/

Massive Attack prove 98% emission reduction possible

[Read on Ethical Revolution]

In August last year Massive Attack staged a ‘proof of concept’ one-day festival in Bristol to show that low carbon festivals are doable. I was lucky enough to attend the event and I wrote an extensive report on it at the time.

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Research has now released the findings from analysing the festival’s emissions, showing that it produced an incredible 98% decrease in power emissions from comparable shows.

Vegan food, incentives to travel by rail and a fleet of electric vehicles reduced catering and haulage emissions by 89% and 70% respectively.

The report also showed that 5% of attendees opted to fly to the festival and in doing so they generated 64% of the event’s overall greenhouse gases.

[Via Ethical Revolution]

#Bristol #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #ClimateResearch #ElectricVehicles #festivals #MassiveAttack #music #vegan