Fake tickets lead to chaos at Pakistan music festival

A music festival in Pakistan has been called off after enraged fans holding counterfeit tickets stormed the venue, causing a stage to collapse.

Organisers of the Solis Festival in Islamabad said they had been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of fake tickets being sold for the event, and had to abandon it in order to ensure the safety and security of the public.

The fourth edition of the electronic dance music festival – claimed to be the biggest in Pakistan – descended into chaos when a VIP stage collapsed under the weight of the invading fans, who invaded the venue after being denied entry. IP tickets were sold for up to 11,000 rupees (around $70).

There have been reports of numerous injuries, while several women have complained of sexual harassment by men amid the fracas, with some attendees blaming the organisers for mismanaging the event.

From mismanagement to over populated event from breaking VIP lounges to destruction of stage, one can easily navigate that we are intolerant society as a whole that needs schooling badly I REPEAT BADLY #Solis #solisfestival #Islamabad pic.twitter.com/MxAqNiBhlM

— Sumeira اشرف 🇵🇰 (@sumaira_rajput) February 16, 2020

“We chose the venue and our security based on the number of tickets sold and made arrangements based on this,” said the organisers, but added that they had also “warned against fake tickets on numerous occasions.”

“What some of you didn’t see was the further damage these individuals caused after we shut down the event,” they add in an Instagram post.