Between the Beats
Reflections on a DanceWize NSW Summer Festival Season
Friday, 20 March, 2026
The music was loud, the crowds were sweaty, and somewhere in the thick of it all, near the medical tent, in the middle of a mosh pit, or crouched beside someone on the grass, there were the wolves.
DanceWize NSW have just wrapped up another summer festival season, and boy was it a big one.
From Soma and Hypersonic in November, Good Things and EPIK in December, Lost Paradise over the New Year, and on to HTID, Meltdown and Laneway later in January (to name a few), the DanceWize NSW team showed up, consistently, caringly, and without judgement, to make sure festivalgoers had the support they needed to get through the night safely.
As the season winds down and the team takes a well-earned breather, we asked some of the crew to reflect on what it's been like out there on the ground.
Who are the Wolves?
DanceWize NSW is a NUAA program funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. Operating at music festivals across the state, the program delivers peer-based drug and alcohol harm reduction through crowd care, education, roving support, and dedicated care spaces.
But beyond those purple vests is something harder to quantify: a huge community of people who genuinely care.
The team this season ranged from brand-new Key Peer Educators (KPEs) working their very first shifts, through to veterans who have been part of the program for many years.
They come from all walks of life. Healthcare workers, students, nurses in training, youth advocates, hospitality staff, all united by lived experience of festival culture and a shared belief in the power of non-judgemental peer support.
Take Akif, who outside of DanceWize NSW works at Kirketon Road Centre, is studying nursing, and advocates for youth mental health.
Or Charlotte, who joined while completing her Diploma of Community Services, partly for the practical experience and partly, as she puts it honestly, because she was "bored of going to festivals solo."
Or Sean, a Casual Coordinator whose path to the program began with his own festival-going years, and the recognition that there were times he could have used exactly the kind of support DanceWize NSW provides.
When asked to describe the group in a single sentence, team members offered a window into the spirit of the program: "a volunteer-driven army of trip-sitters", "a bunch of oddballs who care about the community", and "showing up for others and, without realising it at first, learning how to show up for myself too."
As one Team Leader put it, DanceWize NSW are "a fun group of people coming together with past and present experience with AOD helping others that may be new to AOD.”
“People come to us for all types of help and we are there with a non-biased view to make their experience better."
On the Ground
Every festival presents its own challenges. At a hardstyle event like EPIK or Knockout Outdoor, the energy is relentless.
At a multi-day bush camping festival like Lost Paradise, there are the added complexities of heat, fatigue, and people far from home.
At Good Things, a rock festival where alcohol consumption is the main concern, DanceWize had to shift their approach to meet the unique crowd where they’re at.
A typical shift looks different depending on your role.
For Charlotte, it means meeting the team, getting briefed, heading out as a rover, checking in on patrons across the site, making sure people are safe and having a good time.
Team Leader Sean’s shift centred on the Carespace. Setting it up as a calm, comfortable environment for people who need a place to chill, and working closely with the Carespace Coordinator to match KPEs with patrons who need peer support.
Sean says, "One of the best parts of the program is the diversity across the team. People bring different backgrounds, skillsets and lived or living experience, and we lean into that to make sure each person who comes through the space gets the right kind of support."
Casual Coordinator Leanne shared, “A typical shift at a festival unfortunately doesn't include handing out Zooper Doopers EVERY time, but instead we provide many other valuable resources to fellow festival-goers and have many great conversations on drug education & harm reduction practices.”
One newer volunteer described their first shift as nerve-wracking, particularly because it was at a country music event they weren't personally familiar with. But it turned out to be a formative experience.
"Now I have experience in all different types of genres and honestly I recommend joining DanceWize just for the experience alone."
A team member, who was thrown in at the deep end at what they called 'Fredmageddon' (Fred Again's five-night run at The Domain in 2024), recalled feeling under-prepared and overwhelmed by their limited drug knowledge at the time.
This season, at Lost Paradise, the same person described the work as "non-stop at times yet an absolute blast", a testament to what experience and a supportive team can do.
"Having worked almost every event in 2024/25 until that point, I had full confidence in myself to respond appropriately to situations."
What Non-judgemental Care Looks Like
The phrase "non-judgemental" gets used a lot in harm reduction spaces. But what does it actually look like in practice? When someone is overwhelmed, scared, or mid-trip at a festival, surrounded by noise and lights?
For DanceWize NSW volunteers, it looks like simply being present.
It looks like sitting with someone on the grass, handing them water, and listening to them while they talk.
It looks like a Team Leader in the media pit at EPIK, watching the front of the crowd, making sure people are okay, while also getting to enjoy music they love alongside their community.
A Team Leader with seven years experience under their belt said, "everyone has a story, and no one's story is more or less important than another's. I've seen how lived drug experiences affect people differently, and I've learnt how to just be there for them in that moment. No judgement, just presence."
One newer KPE spoke about self-confidence as the most valuable thing they had gained from volunteering. Another described making new friends and "knowing how to party safe and still have a good time."
The lived experience model isn't just better for the people being helped, it transforms the team too.
Several volunteers noticed festivalgoers have begun to actively seek out the DanceWize presence.
One experienced KPE said their favourite thing was watching "how comfortable people have become in approaching us for help".
A shift that takes time, community trust, and consistency to earn.
Charlotte pointed to something that surprises many patrons when they first encounter the team, DanceWize volunteers are peers in the truest sense.
They attend the same festival as patrons, sometimes before or after a DanceWize shift. They have similar lived experiences. They are part of the same community.
"Having that reassurance helped me in taking patrons to the Carespace," she said, and it's easy to understand why. There's a meaningful difference between being helped by an indifferent professional and being helped by someone who genuinely gets it.
"Peer-led harm reduction is important as we are approachable and educated on what risks may be present. Ensuring the safety of patrons is our top priority."
Leanne believes that “knowledge is truly power in a harm reduction context.”
“That is, knowing exactly what you have (drug checking) and exactly what it does to your body & mind (drug education).”
“I believe the peer-led approach is also best suited due to the unfortunate stigma around authority figures at these types of events. So, to me, peer-led harm reduction programs, such as Dancewize, should be mandatory in music festival & rave settings.”
Memorable Moments
Beyond the operational picture, it's the individual moments that tend to live longest in a volunteer's memory.
One Team Leader recalled a shift at Good Things where themselves and a colleague helped a festivalgoer with cerebral palsy get home safely after his motorised wheelchair broke down mid-shift. "That moment was by far the best," they said.
Another volunteer described sprinting across the Sydney Showgrounds because a walkie-talkie had gone down, only to arrive and find the situation already resolved by other KPEs. "What a rush," they said, capturing the adrenaline of peer work that is hard to find anywhere else.
A newer KPE recalled the unexpected joy of creating a cuddle puddle in the Carespace at EPIK, and trading kandi with ravers while providing support.
It's a small thing, but it captures something essential about the DanceWize model. Care doesn't have to be clinical. It can be warm, playful, and meet people exactly where they are.
And then there's Akif's story, perhaps the most quietly profound of the season.
On an education shift at Hyperdome, he found himself in a deep conversation with a seasoned raver who told him he had a healing aura and encouraged him to look into his ancestry.
His grandfather, who passed away last year, had spent his life as a civil surgeon and doctor in Bangladesh. Akif knew this growing up, but it took that chance encounter on the festival floor to make it real.
"I think people forget that education is also about really engaging with the lived experiences of people, whether it's their 1st rave or their 500th. We can learn as much from the community as we can support them."
Akif made a promise to his grandfather before he passed, to dedicate his life to helping and healing people.
DanceWize, it turns out, is one of the places he's keeping it.
Growing the Pack
Leanne shared with us her DanceWize origin story.
“Picture this: HTID 2024, you rock up with your squad, it’s sweltering hot with the sun burning down on you. Then, in the shade of the entryway to a stage, people in purple vests are handing out FREE ZOOPER DOOPERS! "Thats so cool! I want to do that!" is exactly what I thought, so I submitted a volunteer application within the next week.”
What keeps people coming back varies as much as the people themselves.
Charlotte has stayed for the friendships she's built within the team, and for the quiet satisfaction of knowing she helped someone enjoy their night, "whether it's giving out lollipops, chatting to them, or taking them to the Carespace."
Sean keeps returning for the team itself, and for something that's harder to name: "I always leave feeling energised and proud, like we've contributed to something that actually makes a difference to people's experience at these events."
With the busy summer season coming to a close, volunteer applications have wrapped up for now, though the DanceWize NSW team expects to reopen expressions of interest mid-year. For those considering joining, the volunteers had some words of advice.
"Go in with an open mind and an open heart, stay calm even when it's chaotic, be yourself, and remember that your presence alone can make someone feel safe, seen, and supported."
"Remember to lean on your colleagues. We're all here to help each other as much as we help the punters."
"Life gets busy, so show up when you have the capacity. You don't have to do every event to be part of the team. Welcome."
"Everyone starts somewhere. Be open to learning and feedback and you will thrive at DanceWize."
The diversity of the team is itself part of what makes it work. Volunteers span different ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience. Some working their third shift, some their hundredth.
A long-serving KPE beautifully summed it up: "education is more valuable than abstinence."
Where to Next?
As one Team Leader put it, DanceWize is "like a safe, high-energy compass, guiding our peers to move with confidence and purpose, both on the dance floor and in life." That might sound lofty, but the stories from this season make it feel earned.
The DanceWize NSW program continues to grow and evolve. Operationally, this season saw meaningful improvements to Carespace systems and coordination. Culturally, the wolf pack mentality, showing up for each other as fiercely as for the people they serve, remains as strong as ever.
Tim, NUAA’s Harm Reduction Program Lead shared his reflections on the season and hopes for the future.
“This season has been one of our most fulfilling and rewarding. This was my second season as Program Lead and seventh overall, and I have never felt more satisfied with the work we do.”
“To see volunteers rising to the occasion week after week, and to watch them grow in skill, confidence and capacity to care and support their community is above all what makes this program my greatest joy. Words can't express how grateful I am to spend time with such caring people and to be making sure that our community goes home safely.”
“On a professional level, to be alongside the piloting of drug checking in NSW was surreal and something that has been a dream of mine since entering this field.”
“We are seeing the winds change in the way drug harm reduction is being made available, and I'm hopeful we'll continue with services that have a high regard for the dignity, autonomy and liberty of people who use drugs.”
Brodie, DanceWize NSW’s Coordinator spoke about the importance of finding connection amongst the chaos.
“Mid season, things were hectic and chaotic and I was starting to wonder why I show up amidst these crazy environments. Punters often will give us gifts like kandi bracelets or sprouts. I used to not think too much of them, chuck them in a drawer never to be looked at.”
“But after a punter recognised me at a different event and mentioned how much it meant to them that we set down, made kandi together and connected and supported their friends; that I realised how special and important this work is. And how crucial the point of connection is for our work.”
"Now, my work bag has the collection of all the kandi bracelets, rings, sprouts, labubu's and all the festival wristbands and lanyards that I've worked at. I bring it to every event and get so excited when someone asks me what all these trinkets are. Because for me, they are really special. It’s a potential life saved or changed. A new connection made. A reason to come to work, to show up and to make a difference.”
“This work wouldn't be so spectacular without the team, who sacrifice their time and energy to support others. And to those other organisations that support us; Asylum Creative made a profound impact to our space, the way we operate and myself. Helping us create an intentional, impactful and special space whilst making me realise, that our work is important.”
If you or someone you know uses drugs in festival settings, look out for the purple vests. No judgement, no pressure, just peer support from people who get it.
Come say hi at the education stall or Carespace. Ask questions. Grab some sunscreen. Or just take a moment to breathe.
The wolves will be there.