Reveller suffers suspected overdose on first day of pill testing trial at Beyond the Valley 2024

A man was taken to hospital after suffering a suspected overdose on the first day of Beyond the Valley festival where pill testing is being trialled for the first time in Victoria.

A man in his twenties has been hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose on the first day of the Beyond The Valley music festival.

Paramedics were called to the festival about 45km outside Geelong, where the first pill testing trial in Victoria is taking place, about 4.40pm on Saturday.

The man was rushed to Geelong University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

He was kept in hospital overnight and discharged on Sunday morning.

It is unclear at this stage whether the man took advantage of the anonymous free drug testing service prior to his suspected overdose.

The state government announced in November Beyond The Valley (BTV) would be the first of 10 Victorian music festivals to trial onsite pill testing.

There was good uptake for the service among partygoers on day one of the festival, the Herald Sun understands.

Concertgoers are seen entering the Beyond the Valley dance festival. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

During the trial up to 200 drug samples will be analysed for dangerous or toxic substances each day.

The service is operating across all four days of the festival, between 1pm and 7pm, with test results returned in approximately 30 minutes.

Victoria is the third state or territory, after Queensland and the ACT, to trial drug testing at festivals.

Aspiring DJ Antony Maugeri died from a suspected overdose while attending Pitch music festival near the Grampians earlier this year

NSW also announced it would be trialling pill testing from early 2025.

A government spokeswoman said the suspected overdose was a “timely reminder” of the need for pill testing at festivals.

“We are very pleased to hear the patient was discharged from hospital this morning and we wish him all the best in his recovery,” she said.

“This is a timely reminder that young people need a place to get real health advice at music festivals, without any judgement - that’s what pill testing is about.”

The drugs tested under the scheme on day one of the festival did not have any dangerous additional chemicals or ingredients, the Herald Sun understands.

The government spokeswoman said the point of the trial was not to tell people drugs were safe to take, but rather to reveal the true ingredients of drugs which are often cut with harmful chemicals.

Only 200 tests will be performed as part of the trial. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

“No one is ever told any illegal drug is safe, but they might get the advice they need that could save their life,” the spokeswoman said.

However, the opposition said the fact someone had ended up in hospital on day one of the trial indicated the government had “botched” the rollout of pill testing.

“Jacinta Allan promised parents their children would be safe at music festivals, and yet on day one of Labor’s pill testing pilot we’re already seeing the Premier fail to deliver on her promise,” shadow minister for mental health Emma Kealy said.

“Labor botched the rollout of the injecting room, now Victorians are seeing the same botched rollout of pill testing, and it’s young Victorians who are paying the price.”

Due to the anonymous nature of the trial it was difficult to confirm whether the man who suffered the suspected overdose had tested the drugs he is believed to have taken.

However, with a maximum of 200 tests performed out of about 35000 festival goers it is extremely unlikely the man who landed himself in hospital was one of those who used the service.

Social media posts from partiers at the festival revealed it had a prominent drug culture.

Many “doof sticks” which were held up by different groups of mates in the festival contained drug puns or references.

In a video posted to Tik Tok one group of lads had a sign proclaiming themselves to be “The Inketibles” while another video showed someone holding a banner depicting “Melania Bump”, a pun on the former and future First Lady.