NYC Nightlife is Still Charging for Water. PartySafe Medics Hopes to Change That

Water is a requirement, not a luxury. PartySafe Medics has launched a new petition to push NYC venues to prioritize harm reduction over profits.

Drinking water is arguably one of the most important harm reduction resources available at nightclubs and festivals. Yet New York City, a mecca of electronic music events, falls way behind other cities in encouraging free or cheap access to drinking water at events. PartySafe Medics Founder Brian Hackel is hoping to change this.

After Electric Zoo ended its reign as the only nationally recognized festival in NYC, Experts Only moved in and utilized the same venue, Randall’s Island. Both offered free water stations and allowed empty hydration packs through security to be filled at these stations. And from my personal experience at smaller, local festivals, access to water is generally provided. But these decisions are up to event organizers. Neither city nor state have any requirements to include water.

We believe that requiring dance halls, clubs, and large events to provide free water stations for guests would reduce partying-related harms of all types, including medical incidents. We’ve launched a petition which has already collected more than 500 signatures, interviewed with The Guardian to spread awareness of this issue, and communicated with several similar programs in other municipalities throughout the country. We’re working on crafting specific policy points and meeting with lobbying groups to move forward.
Brian Hackel, Founder of PartySafe Medics

The petition suggests that “It’s time for New York City, the greatest city in the world for nightlife and events, to follow the examples of the many places around the world that require free water stations at alcohol-serving venues and large gatherings.” It goes on to list countries where free water is required — like Australia, Brazil and Spain — along with US cities where it is, such as San Francisco, Chicago, and Redlands, California.

As a harm reductionist myself, I can attest to the number of times I’ve seen patrons avert potentially dangerous situations just by including water in their routine. While many nightclubs will note that alcohol sales are down and they are trying to make up the revenue somewhere, all would agree that charging prices similar to beer for water is not a viable long term solution for anyone.

Interestingly, in NYC, DIY warehouse raves are where you’re most likely to find free water. And not just spigots, but cases and cases of bottled water that can be pocketed and consumed on the dance floor without interruption. If up-and-coming events with small budgets can afford to do this, how can established nightclubs argue that the cost is too high?

The petition suggests several paths to closing this gap, and it highlights how clubs may actually be losing money by charging high prices for bottled water. A social media feed giving accolades to venues with free water and shaming those without could be a great way to inform partygoers in their venue decisions. It’s quite likely that most patrons don’t even think about this since it hasn’t really gotten a lot of attention, so the petition and parallel initiatives could finally highlight these easily solved problems.

To learn more or sign the petition, check out the Change.org page.

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