Astroworld Festival

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Astroworld Festival
AstroworldFest.jpg
Logo from the 2021 edition
GenreMusic festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)NRG Park
Houston, Texas, United States
Years active2018–2019, 2021
InauguratedNovember 17, 2018; 3 years ago (2018-11-17)
Previous eventNovember 5, 2021
Patron(s)Live Nation Worldwide, Scoremore Holdings LLC
Websitewww.astroworldfest.com

Astroworld Festival is an annual music festival run by American rapper and singer Travis Scott, held in Houston, Texas, at NRG Park, near the former site of Six Flags AstroWorld.[1] The festival was first held in November 2018.

The 2020 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. Astroworld Festival 2021 was originally scheduled for November 5–6, 2021. On the first night, a crowd crush occurred, resulting in the deaths of at least ten people and the cancellation of the second night of the festival.[2][3]

History[]

The festival was launched in 2018, the same year that Scott released his studio album of the same name.[4] The motivations of the festival were described as “bring[ing] back the beloved spirit and nostalgia of AstroWorld, making a childhood dream of Travis’ come true.“[5] The original lineup featured mostly hip-hop artists such as Young Thug, Post Malone, Metro Boomin and Scott himself. Performances generally alternate between two stages called "Thrills" and "Chills" with the "Chills" stage being the larger of the two.[6] The making of the festival as well as the album of the same name were the subjects of the 2019 Netflix original film, Look Mom I Can Fly.[7]

The festival returned in 2019 with an expanded lineup. In addition to hip hop artists, artists of other genres such as Rosalia and Marilyn Manson, who perform nuevo flamenco and hard rock respectively, added different genres to the festival. The festival was reported to increase in attendance from the 2018 edition, up to 50,000.[8] Prior to the festival, three people were injured in an incident where barricades placed outside the entrance collapsed and fans rushed to enter the festival.[9][10]

The 2020 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, with a promised return in 2021.[11] Scott partnered with Epic Games to produce a virtual event for its video game Fortnite Battle Royale entitled "Astronomical", which featured a 15-minute in-game presentation inspired by the Astroworld album and its visuals (which featured the premiere of Scott's new collaboration with Kid Cudi, "The Scotts"), and in-game challenges, skins, and cosmetic items inspired by Scott. The presentation premiered on April 23, with reruns for different time zones on April 24 and 25.[12][13]

Tickets for the 2021 edition went on sale on May 5, 2021, with the event expanding into a planned two-night festival on November 5 and 6, 2021.[14] Ticket sales for the festival rose to 100,000, double that of 2019. Despite a steep rise in ticket prices, tickets sold out within 30 minutes.[15] A series of events known as "Astroweek" was held to lead into the festival, including celebrity softball and golf events in support of Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation, pop-up stores (including a sneaker collaboration with Nike),[16][17] and the unveiling of a community garden at Young Elementary School dedicated to Scott's grandmother (who joined Scott and other family members as part of its ribbon-cutting).[18] Astroweek was to conclude on November 8 with a drive-in screening at the Moonstruck Drive-In Cinema of the film Red Rocket featuring Scott and appearances by the film's writer Sean Baker, and its cast. The drive-in screening was canceled due to the crowd crush event.[16] At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the 2021 festival.[10][19]

2021 crowd crush[]

Main article: Astroworld Festival crowd crush

On the night of November 5, eight people were killed in a crowd crush, and a further 11 others went into cardiac arrest, according to Harris County and Houston city officials.[20] At least two more people died later from injuries sustained during the event, bringing the death toll to ten.[3][21] The crush began around 9:15 p.m. and was declared a mass casualty event by 9:38 p.m.[22] Over 300 people were treated for injuries at the festival related to the crowd crush.[23][24] Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed by show paramedics on those injured.[25] Despite the presence of ambulances in the crowd, which was noticed by Scott, the performance continued for over thirty minutes past the time that the mass casualty event was declared, with Scott's performance ending around 10:10 or 10:15 p.m.[26] This followed earlier events at around 2 p.m. in which attendees rushed an entrance to the grounds, knocking down security barricades and trampling concert-goers.[26] The earlier crowd atmosphere prompted Houston Police Chief Troy Finner to warn Scott of potential danger in a private meeting prior to the night's performance.[27] The second night of the concert, to be held on November 6, was canceled.[23][28]

Lineups[]

2021[]

November 5[]

All performances occurred at the Thrills stage with the exception of Scott and Drake's combined performance.[29]

November 6[]

All November 6 performances were canceled.[31][32] The following artists had been scheduled to perform:

2019[]

In order of performance. Performances started on the Thrills stage and alternated between it and the Chills stage.[33][34][35]

2018[]

In order of performance. Performances started on the Chills stage and alternated between it and the Thrills stage.[37][38][39]

References[]

  1. ^ "A look back at Houston's Six Flags AstroWorld". KTRK-TV. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Villarreal, Alexandra (November 6, 2021). "Astroworld festival concert crush leaves at least eight dead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Impelli, Matthew (November 11, 2021). "Astroworld Death Toll Rises to 9, Family of Bharti Shahani Calls for Justice". MSN. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Travis Scott Says 'Astroworld' LP Will Drop in 2017". XXL. December 31, 2016. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Travis Scott announces Astroworld Festival 2018 in Houston". FOX 26. August 10, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  6. ^ (Map of Astroworld) - ASTROWORLD FEST on Twitter
  7. ^ Skelton, Eric; McKinney, Jessica (August 29, 2019). "The Biggest Takeaways From Travis Scott's Netflix Documentary 'Look Mom I Can Fly'". Complex. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival is a hit in Houston!". KHOU. November 10, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Fans trampled as they attempted to enter ASTROWORLD Festival: HFD ABC-13 (KTRK)
  10. ^ a b Live Nation, a company behind Astroworld, has a long history of safety violations NPR
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Ana (November 18, 2020). "AstroWorld Festival 2020 has been postponed, but Travis Scott says event will make a return in 2021". KPRC. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Webster, Andrew (April 20, 2020). "Travis Scott is touring inside Fortnite this week". The Verge. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Martens, Todd (April 23, 2020). "Travis Scott's trippy 'Fortnite' invasion: Welcome to the coronavirus era of live music". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "Astroworld Fest by Travis Scott expands to Multi-Day Festival, Tickets go on Sale May 5". Htown Connection. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "Astroworld Fest sells out all 100K tickets within Minutes". Htown Connection. May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Guerra, Joey. "Travis Scott's Astro Week includes pop-ups, basketball and 'Red Rocket' premiere". Preview. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  17. ^ "Travis Scott to Hold Cactus Jack x Nike SNKRS Pass During Astroweek". Complex. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Guerra, Joey. "'You have a future': Travis Scott and family unveil Cactus Jack Gardens at Young Elementary School". Preview. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Victims from Travis Scott’s Astroworld have begun to sue the Houston rapper and concert organizers Houston Public Media (KUHF)
  20. ^ Rose, Andy; Elamroussi, Aya. "At least 8 dead and many injured at Astroworld Festival in Houston, officials say". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Chris Willman (November 14, 2021). "9-Year-Old Boy Dies From Astroworld Injuries, Pushing Death Toll to 10". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Despart, Zach; Begley, Dug; Tedesco, John (November 8, 2021). "For 37 minutes after officials declared a 'mass casualty' at Astroworld, Travis Scott played on". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Helsel, Phil. "8 dead after panic at Houston Astroworld music festival". NBC News. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "Astroworld: Eight killed after crowd surge at US music festival". BBC News. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "8 dead at Astroworld fest Friday night, hours after stampede". ABC13 Houston. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Abrahams, Tom (November 8, 2021). "Why did the show go on? Astroworld timeline looks at when officials knew something was wrong". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  27. ^ "Houston Police Chief Warned Travis Scott of Safety Concerns Prior to Astroworld Performance". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  28. ^ Griffin, Louise (November 6, 2021). "Travis Scott's Astroworld festival cancelled on Saturday after eight dead". Metro. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  29. ^ On Travis Scott’s Utopia Mountain, a night of release turns deadly Washington Post
  30. ^ "First Astroworld lawsuits land; Travis Scott and Drake are named as defendants". Los Angeles Times via Yahoo! News.
  31. ^ How Travis Scott's $5 Million Solo Stage, Set Time May Have Contributed to Astroworld Festival Deaths Variety
  32. ^