2 Dead After Attending Emerge Festival in Belfast

Emerge Festival attendees Trae Keenan, 24, and Mia Keevan, 17, passed away in an Airbnb and a hospital, respectively.

Two people have passed away after attending Emerge Festival in Belfast over the weekend.

The first was a 24-year-old man named Trae Keenan, who died in his Airbnb rental a matter of hours after the event drew to a close on Sunday night, reports BBC. The second, a 17-year-old girl named Mia Keevan, became unwell at the festival itself and passed away on Monday morning after being transported to a hospital.

Another two attendees were reportedly hospitalized after attending the event. One is a woman in her 30s who remains in critical condition, and another is a teenage boy expected to make a full recovery after receiving treatment.

Shine, the Belfast promoter who organizes Emerge Festival, did not immediately respond to EDM Identity’s request for comment.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Keevan’s family said that they received a call informing them that their daughter was being treated in a medical tent but had to force their way past security guards who wouldn’t let them in without tickets. They expressed doubt that she would risk willingly taking drugs on account of a heart condition that required her to undergo complex surgeries as an infant.

Local police and emergency services have yet to issue statements on the deaths, but Belfast District Commander Allister Hagain said that authorities were looking into them. “An investigation in order to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragic sudden death of this young person is ongoing, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Belfast City Council offered its “sincere condolences,” with Green Party Councillor Brian Smyth voicing “disappointment” over how unclear messaging from the Public Health Agency has prompted “online speculation.”

Emerge Festival is considered the biggest large-scale dance music gathering in Belfast, routinely drawing daily crowds of 40,000 to Boucher Playing Fields. This year’s edition featured headliners like Sammy Virji, Sara Landry, Gorgon City, and horsegiirL.

We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Trae Keenan and Mia Keevan during what can only be a difficult time.