The last thing you want from attending a music festival is a life-threatening fungus infection. Thousands of people who attended a popular California music festival might have gotten exactly that.
Five attendees developed Valley fever from the Lightning in the Bottle Festival at Buena Vista Lake, held from May 21 to 25.
20,000 At Risk
More than 20,000 people attended the music festival featuring Skrillex, Labrinth, and Fatboy Slim. Five attendees have been diagnosed with Valley fever, a fungal infection caused by coccidioides. Officials report that three people are in the hospital.
A majority of these cases occur in Arizona and California, where the infection is deadly, ending the life of one in 100 people who contract it.
Life Threatening Infection
About 18 days after returning home from the festival, the patients who contracted the illness were hospitalized with a severe lung infection and experienced fevers, aches, and a cough.
These infections are no joke and can be a serious threat to a person’s respiratory system, and can lead to hospitalization or death.
“Sucks to Catch”
“Can confirm this absolutely sucks to catch,” a commenter who said they attended Lightning in a Bottle wrote on a recent Reddit thread.
“Got infected this year (2024) and was hospitalized for a week. Fungus ate a 1″ hole in my lung and I will be on anti-fungal for 6 months. Love the festival, not the location,” the Reddit user added.
Months of Treatment
One poster said her husband developed fluid in his chest and around his lungs after contracting an infection. He started showing symptoms of Valley fever on June 5 and went to the hospital a week later.
The poster’s husband went home on July 1, nearly two weeks later, and will undergo antifungal treatments for months.
Symptoms of Valley Fever
Festival organizers advised attendees to contact a healthcare provider if they experience any symptoms of Valley fever.
These symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and chest pain, the CDPH said in a news release on Monday.
What Is Valley Fever?
People often contract valley fever by inhaling spores released into the air when soil is disturbed.
The CDPH wrote in the release that past outbreaks of Valley fever have linked exposure to dust and dirt at outdoor events and job sites where dirt was disturbed in areas of California where Valley fever is common.
A Link to the Fest
“Additional cases linked to attendance at the outdoor festival are possible,” the CDPH says. Luckily, Valley fever is not a person-to-person transmission.
The department added: “Overall, cases of Valley fever in California have increased substantially over the last two years, so CDPH is asking attendees of this festival to complete a voluntary survey, even if they don’t have any symptoms.”
Kern County Has the Most Valley Fever Infections
Kern County, which hosted the music festival, experiences the majority of California’s Valley fever infections. Data from the CDPH shows that 34 percent of the 5,370 infections recorded in 2024 are located in the county.
With 1,841—and more likely to come–Kern Country has the highest number of record cases in the state.
Lightning in a Bottle Rep Speaks Out
The representatives from the Lightning in a Bottle festival told the SFGATE that they are aware of the possibility of festival goers contracting Valley fever, and note on their website that attendees bring scarves, bandanas, dusk masks, and eye protection.
“We prioritize the health and safety of all our patrons and are in communication with the California Department of Public Health and Kern County Public Health Department to learn more about Valley fever and any preventative measures we can take to reduce Valley fever risk for future festival events and to make information available to this year’s attendees,” festival representatives said in a statement.
A Push to Move the Festival
Because there is no preventative vaccine, doctors can often miss or misdiagnose Valley fever as pneumonia. This has made many festivalgoers very concerned about their safety if they attend the fest in the future.
Multiple users online have responded to the uptick in infections by saying that the festival should relocate if it wants to continue because of the prevalence of the fungus infections in the area and the dusty conditions of the event.
No Proven Treatment
There is no proven treatment for Valley fever, and doctors usually prescribe rest. They also recommend recovery therapy to manage symptoms.
Doctors may also prescribe antifungal medications, but no evidence shows that these treatments are effective, according to clinical trials.
