Things have not been going well for Blue Ridge Rock Festival lately. The festival got cancelled midway through thanks to what organizers dubbed "extreme weather", though it later turned out that a potential labor strike may have played a part. Blue Ridge Rock Festival has since issued a statement Blue denying anything but the weather caused the cancellation, and notes that they're "unable to offer more details at this time."
As fans wait for refunds and clarification, a new issue has arisen for Blue Ridge Rock Festival organizers – accusations of health issues. The Virginia Department of Health is now investigating the festival after numerous people have reported gastrointestinal issues in the days after Blue Ridge Rock Festival.
The Virginia Department of Health has published a survey asking any festivalgoers to report what water they were drinking, if they had any access to handwashing stations near the bathrooms, and if anyone experienced "nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea after attending the Blue Ridge Rock Festival." The survey can be accessed here.
"The Southside Health District is investigating complaints of gastrointestinal illness in groups of patrons who attended the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Halifax, VA between September 5-10, 2023," wrote the Virginia Department of Health. "We would greatly appreciate your assistance and time in investigating this situation by answering the questions in this online survey.
"We ask all people that attended the festival to complete this survey, even if you didn't become ill. Collecting information on both those who became ill and those that did not become ill helps us identify and evaluate differences between the two groups. Please answer each question as completely as possible. Do not leave any questions blank. Please complete a separate survey for each person who attended this event.
"The information you provide in this survey will be kept confidential. No individual data will be used in any report or communication."
According to a report from WFXR Fox, one festivalgoer named Andy Petite suffered some pretty serious consequences from the water at Blue Ridge Rock Festival. "There's discoloration, there's all sorts of stuff," said Petite. "I'm 172 pounds right now which is 13 pounds less than I was at the age of 13."
"Our nurse practitioner said Andy you need to go immediately to employee health and tell them you may have ingested parasitics or been introduced to one at least."
