Calgary’s dance and electronic music scene is on the defensive after 11 people overdosed at a large party Saturday night, tying up police and EMS coverage across the city.
Police and EMS were called to the 2,500-guest Subculture dance party after reports of the overdoses eventually closed the party down by 2 a.m. due to safety concerns.
Many Calgarians who attended the event are worried about the stigma attached to the overdoses and say the people taking and selling the drugs were “being irresponsible.”
Natasha, who didn’t want to use her last name, said she was disappointed the show was shut down.
“It’s too bad something like this gets out and it is sad the behaviour of a few people can make us all look bad,” she said.
Calgary’s own DJ Mollyfi, who did not attend the show, said not all parties end up like Saturday night’s.
“I think raves already have a bad enough name, but not everything with music and a DJ is a rave and we’re not all about drugs,” she said.
Insp. James Hardy said the scene was chaotic when police attended.
“It was busy, no question, and the impact on the rest of the city meant slower response times,” he said.
