‘Recipe for trouble’: Inside festival where banker died of ‘overdose’

Conditions at a Sydney festival where a young banker is believed to have overdosed have been exposed by a patron, sparking calls for change.

Tragedy struck at Sydney’s Transmission music festival on Saturday when a 26-year-old man died from a suspected MDMA overdose.

Conditions at Sydney’s Transmission music have been highlighted after the event was marred by tragedy over the weekend when 26-year-old Kieran Ngo died from a suspected MDMA overdose.

Mr Ngo, a senior lending associate at Commonwealth Bank, was one of at least a dozen others who were hospitalised, and six people were charged with drug supply offences.

But conditions at the festival were exposed on Tuesday after a listener called into 2GB Breakfast program to share their experience.

“I went along (to the festival) on Saturday night, and I’m not surprised. Security on entry was a joke. Inside was bloody hot – and only those lucky people with hand fans were able to stay cool inside.

“Bottles of water were extortionate … charging $5 or more. I don’t think there were enough police on hand. At about 9pm, I saw ambulance paramedics rushing someone out,” they said.

Kieran Ngo, 26, died hours after attending Transmission Festival at the Sydney Showground on Saturday.

The caller’s observations led host Ben Fordham to criticise the event, stating music festivals should be “forced” to offer free water.

“There was a big sign at the front of the event saying ‘Don’t push your limits, be responsible’ … if you’re taking a bad batch of MDMA, in a stinking hot venue, well that’s a recipe for trouble,” he said.

“People who go to these festivals pay eye-watering amounts of money. This particular one, they charge between $144 to $270 a ticket, and event organisers make a motser out of alcohol.

“The least they can do is provide free water. They should be forced to do so.”

Inside Sydney's Transmission dance festival. Picture: 2GB

‘Don’t push your limits, be responsible’. Picture: 2GB

Mr Ngo was taken to Bankstown Hospital early Sunday morning for a suspected drug overdose and later died.

A statement from NSW Police said, “About 3am on Sunday, officers from Bankstown Police Area Command were called to Bankstown Hospital to investigate the circumstances of the death of a 26-year-old man. Investigations are underway, and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.”

Commonwealth Bank expressed its sadness at the news of Mr Ngo’s death.

“We are shocked and saddened by the news of the death of our valued staff member, Kieran. He was a well-liked member of our team, and we pass on our condolences to his family and friends,” a spokeswoman said.

Kieran Ngo, 26, was remembered as ‘well-liked’ by his colleagues. Picture: Facebook

The festival, which was attended by over 18,000 people, was determined to be a high-risk event under the Music Festivals Act 2019.

Police were assisted by security officers, paramedics and medical professionals to provide a safe and secure environment.

Despite these efforts, at least 12 people were transported to hospitals for treatment related to drug use, with seven of those patients requiring intubation.

Six men were charged with drug supply offences, including a 23-year-old man from Oran Park who was found in possession of 253 MDMA tablets and was charged with supplying a prohibited drug. He was refused bail at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.

A 21-year-old man from Fairfield West was charged with supplying a prohibited drug and possessing a prohibited drug after he was allegedly found in possession of 149 MDMA tablets.

He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.

The other four men were issued Court Attendance Notices for supplying a prohibited drug and are due to appear in court at a later date.

Originally published as ‘Recipe for trouble’: Inside festival where banker died of ‘overdose’