What Exactly Happened at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Texas?

Trigger warning: this article discusses death and violence.

If you’ve been on TikTok recently or have been keeping up to date with much of the news over the weekend, you may have heard about the devastating incident that happened at Travis Scott’s Astroworld event in Texas on Saturday.

During the opening performance at around 9:15 PM local time, a “mass casualty event” occurred that left eight people dead and hundreds of others with injuries.

In case you’ve struggled to keep up with what happened or are worried about attending festivals in your future, here’s a quick explainer on what exactly occurred and how you can keep yourself safe at concerts and festivals.

What happened at Astroworld during Travis’ performance?

Just moments after Travis entered the stage to start his performance, excited crowds at the event started to sway and compress towards the stage in an effort to get closer to the rapper.

According to eyewitness accounts, people were pressed up against each other, making it almost impossible to breathe in the crowd.

Instagram user @diabloxantiago took to the social media platform to share his experience.

Warning: this video contains explicit language.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by @diabloxantiago

“As soon as Travis Scott started… the whole crowd started raging… everybody just screaming ‘help! help! help!'” he stated in the video.

“I’m helping people, I’m pulling people out, and it just felt like literally, we were in f*****’ hell, bro. It felt like we was in a concert in hell. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t see. Just imagine all the people they gonna find tonight who was in that crowd who nobody could see, nobody could hear, who passed out.

“In the VIP section there was so many bodies laid out, people were getting pulled out who [had] fainted. People were trying to [perform] CPR. They were literally turning black and blue. I never seen death in my f*****’ life, bro. Just by me alone it was probably like, 10 f*****’ people laid out dead. Once the medics tried to help them, they wasn’t responding, they’d move to the next person. There was nothing that they could do.”

As per Sky News, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña explained that the crowd began to move towards the stage and it caused mass panic.

“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” he said.

“People started to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic."

Another attendee claimed on Twitter that “when the timer hit 10 minutes before the concert started, people started pushing so hard that I could not move my arms, and my chest was being squished to the point where I could not breathe”.

“About 30 seconds before the concert started, a girl next to me was trying to get back too. She was crying and screaming her vocal cords out to people to get out of the way, but the concert started, and no one would listen.”

According to the New York Post, at least 300 people were treated in a field hospital on scene and 17 others were transported to hospital, with 11 suffering cardiac arrest.

All of the eight attendees that lost their lives were under the age of 30, the youngest victim was just 14 years old.

How did this happen?

While it isn’t yet clear how the crowds at the event became uncontrollable to security, footage posted of concertgoers earlier that day shows the lengths that people were going to, to get into the event and get a front standing position.

In some footage, people can be seen breaking down security fences, climbing over fences, and running straight past security and bag check areas.

Local news reporter Mycah Hatfield posted footage of people running past security booths and described the activity as a “stampede,” saying that some were “trampled” by the hysteria.

There was also footage of concertgoers scrambling to reach the merch booths, as well as picking up security fences and throwing them.

The two-day event was expecting 50,000 ticketed attendees but based on the footage alone, it’s unclear how many people were actually in attendance as many people jumped fences and ran past security without tickets.

What was Travis’ response?

In a statement posted to Twitter, Travis said that he was “absolutely devastated by what took place last night.”

“My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.

“Houston P[olice] D[epartment] has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”

“I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need,” he added.

“Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”

Despite his response, Travis has received a lot of online backlash for not immediately stopping the concert when attendees pleaded for help, and continuing to sing while passed out attendees were being carried out by medical professionals.

Warning: this video may be distressing for some viewers.

Another #disturbing video- Travis Scott continues to sing as he watched a unconscious fan at #ASTROFEST #AstroWorld2021 #Festival- At least 11 killed and 300+ injured.

#panic #injuries #Houston #ASTROWORLDFest #TravisScott #AstroWorld #Houston #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/ZGH7zhCApi

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) November 6, 2021

Travis' girlfriend Kylie Jenner has also experienced online backlash after she posted positive images of the event that clearly show emergency vehicles trying to get through the crowd.

There is footage of two attendees jumping up onto the cameraman platform and screaming for help that people had died, but their pleas go ignored.

Warning: this video may be distressing for some viewers.

Now, Travis Scott and Astroworld organisers are being sued for at least $1 million over gross negligence.

As Billboard reports, a petition was filed on Saturday in the Harris County District Court by Astroworld attendee Manuel Souza.

“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” wrote Souza’s attorney.

“Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviours."

How can you stay safe at events from here on out?

While there isn’t much that attendees of the Astroworld event could have done to prevent this incident from occurring, there are some precautions you can take to avoid injuring yourself or others when going to your next festival or concert.

Here are a few simple tips:

• Always dress for the weather and bring sunscreen and a hat if it’s during the day.
• Stay hydrated and either bring or buy a bottle of water.
• Avoid pushing, shoving, or running into other people.
• Be aware of your surroundings and do your best to remove yourself from any potentially dangerous situations.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, especially if you are under the legal age and don’t take any illegal drugs.
• Know where your nearest exits are, especially a route to leave the crowd from.
• Learn the venue map.
• Have a buddy system with a friend or a trusted adult so that you can look out for each other.
• Make sure to take a break if you are overwhelmed, feeling unwell or getting too hot.
• Bring earplugs in case the music gets too loud.
• Make sure your phone is charged in case of an emergency.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Header Image: Instagram (@KylieJenner)