Safer Summers: Naloxone, Drug Checking and Peer Care at NSW Festivals
Friday, 2 November, 2026
Festival season is here. Drug checking is now a permanent part of the NSW festival scene, DanceWize NSW peers are on the ground as always, and Naloxone is reaching more hands than ever. Here’s what’s changed, and what it means for you.
Summer festivals are about the music, the people, and the good times. For many festival goers, drug use is part of that picture too, which means harm reduction should be at the forefront as well.
This season looks a little different from ones before.
The rules around naloxone have opened up. Drug checking has moved from a trial to a permanent program. And the evidence is in: when people have access to information and peer support, fewer people end up in hospital.
We caught up with Brodie Daniels, DanceWize NSW Coordinator and NUAA's new Drug Checking Lead, to hear what all of this looks like on the ground.
What’s happening with naloxone?
Naloxone is a medicine that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose. In NSW it comes as a nasal spray (Nyxoid) or a pre-filled injection (Prenoxad). It works fast, it’s safe, and it does nothing if there are no opioids in someone’s system.
Brodie says attitudes are shifting and compares naloxone to an EpiPen. Not everyone knows how to use one, but now many more people know they exist (to be clear, an EpiPen cannot reverse an opioid overdose).
“I think it’s becoming a bit more mainstream for it to be a standard part of someone’s personal first aid kit,” Brodie says.
But some old ideas hang around.
“We still have that stigma, or maybe misinformation, of like, ‘Oh, I’m not an opioid user. My friends aren’t opioid users. So I don’t need to carry it.’” Which isn’t the case.
Very strong synthetic opioids, like nitazenes and fentanyl, are turning up in drugs sold as something else. They’ve been found in methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, counterfeit benzos and heroin. People who don’t use opioids have no or low tolerance which makes an unexpected opioid especially dangerous.
In 2024, a nitazene was found in tablets sold as MDMA at a NSW festival, after a group of people became unwell on site. During the drug checking trial, one sample someone believed was cocaine contained heroin.
That’s why anyone who uses any illicit drug can get free take-home naloxone in NSW. As can their friends, family and anyone who might witness an overdose.
What hasn't changed is that any member of the public can legally give naloxone to someone in the community. You don't need a first aid certificate. If you have it and someone needs it, use it.
So, what’s new?
What has changed is that NSW Health has issued a legal authority that lets first aid trained workers give naloxone at work if they see a suspected opioid overdose. This covers people with current CPR, basic life support or first aid training, or who have done NSW Health's approved naloxone training.
NSW’s medicines and poisons laws are also getting a rewrite. From 5 November 2026, the old 1966 Act is replaced by the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022 and a new 2026 Regulation. Under the new rules, pharmacists will be able to supply naloxone to first aid trained workers to use at work. This builds workplace access into the core law.
At a festival, this increased availability is important. Security, bar staff and event crew are everywhere across the site. Many already hold first aid certificates. Now they can carry naloxone and use it as part of their first aid response.
More naloxone, in more hands, spread across the grounds, means less time lost in an emergency.
Brodie says NSW Health's online training for first aid responders takes around 15 to 30 minutes. “It's super easy, super quick and goes through everything that you really need to know."
Brodie would like to see it go further. “I think it should be included in general first aid, just as EpiPens are, just as a defibrillator is. Out of all those three, it’s the easiest one.”
Where can I get naloxone?
For festivalgoers, nothing changes in what you need to do. Naloxone stays free, with no prescription, through the Take Home Naloxone program. And you can still give it to anyone who needs it.
You can order free naloxone (just pay shipping) from NUAA’s postal Take Home Naloxone service. Watch a short video, do a quick quiz, and it arrives confidentially in discreet packaging.
On site at festivals, free nasal naloxone is given out by peer harm reduction teams and medical providers. Ask DanceWize or the drug checking team.
During the drug checking trial, more than one in five people who used the service left with free naloxone and a quick run-through on how to use it. That’s a lot of people now ready to step in for a mate, or a stranger.
And demand is growing. At the recent Dragon Dreaming Festival, DanceWize team members took the mic at the opening ceremony to let people know they could pick up naloxone at the care space. People listened.
“We had so many people come to the care space that we ran out of naloxone. Every single box went out to patrons,” Brodie says. “It would have been over 100 units, I think.”
For an event of a few thousand people, that’s heaps. And with so much of it heading back to tents and campsites, it’s spread right across the site. “I’d rather it be out there on the campground than sitting in a box in our care space,” Brodie says.
It’s part of a bigger shift.
“Over the last year we noticed more people actively asking for it, whereas in the past, we’ve had to promote it quite actively.” With more festival, bar and club workers now trained, Brodie expects that curiosity to keep growing.
When should I use it?
Brodie says people sometimes give naloxone when it’s clearly not an opioid overdose.
In an emergency, people act fast. “They’re probably just going to be [thinking], I’ve got this thing that could potentially save a life. And I don’t think that that’s a bad thing.”
Naloxone is very low risk, and it does nothing if there are no opioids involved. “It’s just more of an education piece,” Brodie says.
So, learn the signs, and whatever’s going on, get help on the way.
KNOW THE SIGNS OF AN OPIOID OVERDOSE
Can’t be woken, or won’t respond to their name or a firm squeeze
Slow, shallow or no breathing, or snoring and gurgling sounds
Blue or grey lips and fingertips
Tiny, pinpoint pupils
WHAT TO DO
Call 000, or grab festival medical, DanceWize peer or security straight away.
Give naloxone. For the nasal spray, one spray into one nostril.
Put them in the recovery position. Give rescue breaths if you’re trained.
No response after 2 to 3 minutes? Give a second dose.
Stay with them. Naloxone wears off in 30 to 90 minutes and the overdose can come back.
Drug Checking
Between March 2025 and February 2026, NSW Health ran a free, anonymous drug checking trial at 12 music festivals, in partnership with NUAA. Chemists from NSW Health Pathology tested samples on site. NUAA peer workers walked people through their results and gave harm reduction advice.
The University of Sydney independently evaluated the trial. The final report is clear. Drug checking reduced drug-related harm.
The numbers
1,846 people used the service across 1,010 visits, and 1,475 samples were tested.
About 8% of samples contained something unexpected, either alone or mixed with the expected drug.
About 4% of MDMA pills and capsules were high dose, above 150 mg.
When people found an unexpected substance only, most said they’d use less, throw it out, or not use it.
Almost seven in ten people had never talked about drug use with a health or harm reduction worker before.
Afterwards, nearly all felt confident they could reduce their risks. Over 99% rated the service good or very good.
Fewer people in hospital
Compared with the same festivals in the two years before, drug checking festivals had fewer drug-related hospital presentations, fewer ambulance transfers, fewer urgent cases and fewer ICU admissions. Hospital presentations dropped from 3.6 to 2.3 per festival day. One third of trial festivals had no drug-related hospital presentations at all.
Warnings for the whole community
Drug checking doesn’t just help the person holding the bag. Eight of the ten public drug warnings NSW Health issued during the trial used drug checking data. They covered high dose MDMA, ketamine analogues and synthetic cathinones. Results come back in under an hour, so risks can be flagged fast.
Peers made the difference
The evaluation found that talking with peers made people comfortable asking real questions without feeling lectured. Peer workers found it just as rewarding.
As one peer worker told evaluators, “Getting to do such hands-on harm reduction work has been incredible.”
From trial to permanent program
On 2 September 2026, the NSW Government announced $4.3 million to keep drug checking going at up to 15 music festivals a year, starting in October 2026.
The service will be delivered by NSW Health in partnership with NUAA and the festival industry. The model stays the same. NSW Health chemists test samples. NUAA peer workers explain the results and share harm reduction advice. Amnesty bins are there if you decide to ditch something. Festivals will be chosen based on things linked to higher risk, like the type of festival, its size and its location.
The evaluation pointed to where drug checking helps most: electronic dance music events, big multi-day regional festivals, crowds with younger people who are new to drugs, and hot days.
This win has been a long time coming. In 2019, a NSW coronial inquest into the deaths of six young people at music festivals recommended drug checking. Families, peers, clinicians and advocates kept pushing for years.
Jennie Ross-King, whose daughter Alex died after attending a festival in 2019, has been one of the strongest voices.
On the day of the announcement she said young people “do not deserve to die because of one decision.”
It’s worth keeping in mind that a drug checking test result is information, not a green light. Drugs are still illegal in NSW, and every body reacts differently. But good information, paired with honest advice, helps us make safer choices.
DanceWize NSW: your first port of call
Drug checking sits alongside a whole network of care at festivals. For most people, DanceWize NSW is the first friendly face they’ll meet.
DanceWize NSW is NUAA’s peer-led festival harm reduction program. Its teams are made up of trained staff and volunteer Key Peer Educators. Many have their own lived experience of drug use and partying. They’re there to help, not to judge.
For anyone worried about getting in trouble, Brodie says “getting help is never a crime.”
“Seeking assistance is something that you should never be ashamed of,” Brodie says.
“You’ll be talking with peers who have been in the same position. We’re here to give you the information for you to then make safer choices.”
Education
Drop by for a chat about drugs, mixing, heat and looking after your mates. Pick up info and free supplies like water, electrolytes, sunscreen, lollies and condoms. You can ask for naloxone too.
Rovers
Roving peers in purple vests move through the crowd all day and night. They check on people who look like they’re struggling, share quick harm reduction tips and help people get to care or medical if they need it. If you’re worried about a mate, flag one down.
Care space
Feeling overwhelmed, too hot or just not right? The DanceWize care space is a calmer place to sit, cool down and recover with peer support. Peers work closely with on-site medical teams and will bring them in if needed.
Working together
DanceWize, drug checking and medical teams refer people to each other. During the trial, DanceWize recorded more care interactions at festivals where drug checking was present than in previous years. Evaluators suggested this may reflect people knowing about the service and asking for help earlier.
Brodie thinks having drug checking on site changes how people feel about the whole event. Once people know they can talk about their drug use openly, without judgement, they feel more confident asking for other help too.
“There’s a flow-on effect of, we know that drug checking is here, so therefore everyone on site is here to look after me.”
That’s exactly what we want.
Peer tips for festival season
Brodie’s number one piece of advice? Use the services that are built for you and seek help early. That doesn’t only mean when someone looks unwell. It also means getting advice before you take anything.
“You should be seeking assistance throughout that whole journey if you want to, and you should not feel ashamed to do so.”
A few more tips from the DanceWize NSW wolves:
Get your drugs checked if the service is at your festival.
Start low, go slow. Wait before redosing, and space out doses.
Go easy on mixing, especially with alcohol and other depressants.
Keep cool. Take breaks in the shade and sip water regularly, but don’t overdo it.
Stick with a buddy who knows what you’ve taken.
Carry naloxone and know how to use it.
Check NSW Health drug alerts before you go.
Ask for help early. DanceWize, medical and drug checking teams are there for you, not to get you in trouble.
What’s next?
There’s still more to do. Brodie would love to see other support services working on site alongside harm reduction teams, including mental health support, crisis counsellors and sexual assault support.
“DanceWize is a bit of a catchall. We catch everything, but there’s only so much that we can do on site,” Brodie says. “Sometimes a referral card to 1800RESPECT, or another service, just isn’t quite enough.”
“It’s clear that the harm reduction approach works. More funding needs to go into it, more money, more projects, more opportunities for organisations to get out there and [give] harm reduction a red hot go.”
Naloxone in more hands. Drug checking made permanent. Peers on the ground at every major festival. None of this happened by accident. It happened because people who use drugs, and those who love them, kept speaking up, and because the evidence proved them right.
We’ll see you out there this season. Look after yourself, and look after each other.