On November 5th, 2021, 50,000 people made their way to the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas. Little did they know, fatal events would occur that night.
Astroworld is an annual music festival run by Travis Scott, a popular rap artist. The festival got its now-infamous name from its venue which is situated near Six Flags AstroWorld. The festival's first year was 2018, and due to the events which occurred at the beginning of last month, 2021 was likely it's last.
The concert started out rocky with many people intoxicated or dehydrated, struggling to stand straight. A concertgoer described it as, “...a lot of mob mentality going on, people willing to do whatever to be in line for merch, food, shows, you name it. A lot of fights broke out throughout the day” (Patel and Kasakove).
As the night persisted, the crowd only got rowdier. Between nine and ten pm that night, the chaos reached ahead. The crowd surged the stage per Scott’s encouragement. As personal space was invaded, so was the air supply in the ever-closing space. An attendee later explained the feeling. “You [could] literally jump in the air and you’re there in the air — it’s like if your hands are up, your hands [were] staying up” (Patel and Kasakove).
Many people were trampled or pushed, and some even fainted. The mass of people made it impossible for those who were pushed to the ground to get back up, leading to suffocation and other injuries. For the younger attendees, it was impossible to hold their spot.
After the event, at least 25 people were hospitalized, but more than 300 people were injured. At the scene, eight people were found dead, all between the ages of 14 and 27. Just days after the event, the death toll rose to ten.
The tragic night shook the music industry, Travis Scott, and social media. Toro Y Moi and Roddy Rich, who both performed before the surge at the event, donated their astroworld earnings to the victims. Many other celebrities spoke out about the travesty, sending their prayers to the victims’ families.
On December 1st, Hulu released a documentary, called “Astroworld: Concert From Hell”, recapping the events. Within a few hours, the show was taken off the platform due to social media outrage. Many were angry with the tragic event being used to make even more money.
The violent situation, which occurred on November 5th, is not commonplace at similar events. Concerts are known for their dangerous environments, but nothing so deadly has ever happened at a festival similar.
The 10 victims, Franco Patino, John Hilgert, Brianna Rodriguez, Rudy Pena, Danish Baig, Jacob E. Jurniek, Axel Acosta, Madison Dubiski, Bharti Shahani, and Ezra Blout were all young, loved people, who went into the night excited to see Travis Scott in concert. Prayers go out to their families and friends.
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