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Electric Zoo festival launches anti-drugs campaign
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 7 August 2014
New York’s Electric Zoo EDM festival has launched an anti-drugs campaign ahead of this year’s event at the end of this month. The campaign comes after two drug-related deaths resulted in the cancellation of the final day of last year’s event.
Bought by SFX last November, organisers Made Event announced the ‘Come to Life’ campaign yesterday, which urges festival-goers to avoid drugs, and ensure that they generally party safely. A team of ‘Zoo Keepers’ will be on hand at the event to provide water and electrolytes to tired dancers, and everyone is encouraged to look after people who might be having a bit of a crap time.
The festival has also published a video, created by ‘Dexter’ writer James Manos Jr and his nineteen year old daughter Ellie, further warning of the dangers of drugs. All ticketholders will apparently be forced to watch this video before they can activate their passes for the event.
Says Manos Jr (aka the senior Manos): “Ellie represents the target audience and she’s been to EDM concerts and seen the behavior of her peers on Molly. She was the perfect partner to help me write the spot. This is a really interesting and volatile time of life for teens and young adults, and I was up for the challenge of crafting the right tone, manner and overall approach to creating a PSA that would have a net positive influence in their behaviour and lives, in an entertaining and authentic way”.
Made Event’s Laura De Palma and Mike Bindra added: “Our message to concertgoers is simple: The Electric Zoo experience is exceptional and worth being present for. Molly can cause you to not only miss the moment, alienate your friends and have an overall adverse and unpleasant experience, but can also make you sick and can even be fatal. Fans will experience how great it is to ‘Come To Life’ at one of our concerts from lights, sounds and crowds”.
You can watch the video of your own free will here.
Last month Tom Petty claimed that all EDM festivals are just “drug parties” where everyone is at risk of death, adding that he couldn’t be paid to attend one. Maybe this will win him round.
