The Astroworld Festival 2021, held on November 5 at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, was marked by a tragic crowd crush during the headlining performance by rapper Travis Scott. Approximately 50,000 people attended the sold-out event. The crowd surge began around 9:15 p.m., resulting in a mass casualty event declared by 9:38 p.m. Key points about what happened:
- The crowd crush led to 10 deaths, all ruled as caused by compression asphyxia, with victims ranging in age from 9 to 27.
- Over 300 people were injured and required treatment at the festival.
- The crush was linked to overpopulation in the general admission area and crowd movement pressing people towards the stage.
- Despite the emergency and some personnel reportedly trying to alert Scott, the performance continued for over 30 minutes after the mass casualty was officially declared.
- The festival's second night was canceled as a result.
- Earlier in the day, there were incidents of fans rushing the gates and trampling others.
- The Houston Police Department released a detailed report highlighting communication failures and the chaotic response.
- A grand jury later decided not to indict Scott or others criminally.
- The tragedy led to lawsuits and widespread calls for increased concert safety measures.
- A Netflix documentary titled "Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy" was made to examine the event and its aftermath.
In summary, the 2021 Astroworld Festival turned deadly due to a severe crowd crush during Travis Scott's performance, causing multiple fatalities and injuries and sparking serious scrutiny about concert safety and event management. The disaster had significant legal, cultural, and professional consequences for those involved.
