A man has died from a suspected drug overdose at a music festival in Victoria before the event was cancelled amid an extreme heatwave. The 23-year-old was flown from Pitch Music and Arts Festival in Moyston, near Ararat in the Grampians, to the Alfred Hospital early on Sunday after being found unresponsive at the event. Victoria Police confirmed the man died on Sunday morning and a report would be prepared for the coroner.
The festival came under fire as revellers and family of attendees slammed Pitch for a lack of clear messaging over whether it was going ahead, despite warnings from authorities of heat and fire danger. Pitch on Friday cautioned attendees to follow bushfire warnings from the Country Fire Authority and stay away, but refused to cancel the event, leading droves of campers to set up their sites.