14 Confirmed Overdoses At Knockout—NSW’s Fourth Pill Testing Trial

Fourteen people were treated for suspected drug overdoses at last weekend’s Knockout Outdoor music festival, putting the NSW pill testing trial under the spotlight and raising questions about its ability to keep festivalgoers safe.

The sold-out event at Sydney Olympic Park reportedly drew around 60,000 people, making it the largest festival so far to include on-site pill testing.

Knockout was the fourth festival in NSW to trial the program, as part of the state’s 12-month harm-reduction trial across 12 events.

Fourteen overdoses at Knockout festival amid pill testing trial

Despite amnesty bins and testing stations, police told The Sunday Telegraph that 14 people overdosed. While NSW Health confirmed five attendees were rushed to hospital as “urgent medical transfers.”

The Telegraph also reported three more hospitalisations after the festival, all with conditions linked to drug use.

Uptake of the testing service remained low. Only 319 people used Knockout’s station, submitting 215 samples—less than one percent of the crowd.

Similar figures from earlier trials underscore the challenge. At the Yours and Owls festival in March, 103 people used the service out of nearly 30,000. Roughly 10 percent of tested substances misrepresented or of unknown composition.

The trial, announced in December 2024, marked a U-turn for Premier Chris Minns, who had previously expressed doubts about pill testing.

The $1 million program was recommended by last year’s NSW Drug Summit, which called for strategies aiming to help prevent drug-related injuries at major events.

Health professionals and peer educators staff the service and analyse samples. They also provide safety advice and refer festivalgoers to support services when needed.

NSW harm-reduction program tests festival safety measures

Health Minister Ryan Park said the initiative helps attendees make “more informed decisions” and reduces harm.

“Intervention from health workers through drug checking is preferable to no intervention at all,” Park said, noting the service gives staff a chance to step in before someone consumes a potentially dangerous substance.

But the trial has its critics. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman told reporters there is “no evidence pill testing saves lives,” arguing it could give festivalgoers a “false sense of security.”

Billed as the “largest harder style festival in the southern hemisphere,” Knockout returned with a “Return of the Circuz” theme and more than 40 acts across three stages.

The festival’s history has been marred by tragedy, with one death last year and two more in 2023 following drug-related incidents.

Knockout organisers have emphasised their commitment to safety, describing pill testing as “an important step forward in harm reduction” and part of a broader effort to protect the festival community.

The trial is slated to run across multiple festivals through early 2026. Health authorities, organisers, and the public will watch closely to see if drug-checking can genuinely make Sydney’s festival scene safer—or remain vulnerable to fatalities.