Hundreds of people have fallen ill with food poisoning after consuming food from stalls at Download Festival 2024. The three-day heavy metal and rock festival took place from June 14-16 and boasted headliners Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold. Attendees reportedly showed symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, fever, and malaise. As many as 500 people were affected, prompting Live Nation, the event organizer, to launch an investigation.
Live Nation confirmed that all food traders had been inspected before and during the event, but additional checks resulted in the removal of two vendors who “failed to meet the standards of Environment Health and the local authority”. Even artists performing at the festival reported feeling unwell. Sean Smith, frontman of The Raiders, was hospitalized following the event and put on an IV drip due to food poisoning.
The issue of food poisoning was not the only challenge that faced the festival in 2024. On-site precautions were issued across the three-day span due to extreme weather conditions. Heavy storms hit the Donington Park site, causing the space to turn into a mud bath, and a number of bands boycotted the festival due to its ties with Barclays, and the bank’s role in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Despite the problems faced by Download Festival 2024, NME praised the event for its line-up and called it one of its most promising editions in recent memory. Organizers had reportedly found it challenging to secure a line-up for the festival. However, the event proved that it is creating opportunities for the next generation of headliners
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