US Starts Cracking Down On EDM Festivals

Following the deaths of two girls, 18 and 19 years of age, at a HARD Summer Music Festival event in California this year, Los Angeles County's Board of Supervisors along with the festival's promoters, Live Nation, are putting in place stricter measures to promote higher levels of safety at the popular electronic music events.

As YourEDM reports, the Fairplex event on 10 September in Pomona, California, featuring Jack U, The Weeknd and Ratatat, has been cancelled, while HARD's Halloween Day Of The Dead festival will "cap attendance at 40,000, bar people under 21 years old, and reduce the hours" of the festival. It's a pretty sizable cap in attendance — with 65,000 punters this year, the 25,000 reduction could mean $2 million in losses for the festival.

Regardless, promoters made the following statement: "Festival organizers and promoters are pleased to have worked quickly with the County Supervisors in order to complete the County’s inquiry and bring about the agreed upon modifications to our operations for HARD Day of the Dead at Fairplex, which will further our fans to have a safe and fun time."

HARD will also reportedly up their game in terms of "security, its medical services and the amount of free water available. Live Nation is also required to produce and distribute drug education at the festival."