Debuting on National Fentanyl Awareness Day, May 9, new partnership integrates fentanyl overdose awareness messages and resources into the live concert experience

Keep The Party Safe, Colorado’s awareness effort to prevent fentanyl overdoses, and AEG Presents: Rocky Mountains, have launched a new partnership to help educate concertgoers in Colorado about the risk of fentanyl contaminated recreational drugs across the state. The partnership, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, will reach the Denver and broader Colorado music community through messaging and resources at multiple AEG Presents owned and operated venues and festivals in the region: Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, The Ogden Theatre, The Bluebird Theatre, 1STBANK Center, The Gothic Theatre, Mission Ballroom, Global Dance Festival and Civic Center Park Concert Series. Through the new partnership, AEG Presents: Rocky Mountains and Keep the Party Safe will help ensure music and live-entertainment fans have the information they need for a safe and fun time, no matter the events they attend.

Launched in 2022 by the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention (Consortium), Keep The Party Safe educates and empowers audiences to take steps to protect themselves and their friends from overdose. Keep The Party Safe skips judgment to land important safety messages, using nightlife-inspired artwork and references to grab attention just long enough to indicate: ‘We’re not here to judge. We’re here to keep you safe.’

National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Today’s announcement at Mission Ballroom, AEG’s premier Denver concert venue, aligns with the observance of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, May 9, which aims to increase awareness and education about fentanyl. In remarks to event attendees, leaders from both organizations spoke about the importance of collaboration to help stem this public health crisis.

“Keep The Party Safe is targeted to those who might not know they are vulnerable and might not know about ways to stay safe, like having naloxone to reverse overdoses or picking a designated non-user,” said Robert Valuck, PhD, RPh, executive director of the Consortium and a professor at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy. “With AEG Presents, we’re finding creative ways to get the word out about life-saving precautions people can take by integrating Keep The Party Safe messages and resources into the concert experience.”

“The health, safety and well-being of our guests will always be our number one priority,” said Don Strasburg, Co-President, AEG Presents Rocky Mountains & AEG Presents Northwest. “We’re proud to be teaming up with Keep The Party Safe, an important and timely awareness effort that mirrors our commitment to helping combat overdose and supporting the people and communities we both serve across the state of Colorado.”

Keep The Party Safe representatives conducted a naloxone training for AEG staff, empowering them to recognize and respond to an overdose. Organizers also debuted new Keep The Party Safe concert-themed venue creative and Emergency Overdose Kits.

A Public Health Crisis

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, continues to drive the overdose epidemic across the country and in our state. In 2021 in Colorado, there were 1,881 overdose deaths, and nearly half involved fentanyl. (CDPHE) Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, which means overdoses happen faster and are more likely to be deadly. (CDC) When recreational drugs are tainted with fentanyl, it’s very hard for people to know it’s there—it can make anyone vulnerable to an overdose.

Don’t Let Fentanyl Cancel the Show

The official partnership runs through April 2024, with the potential to reach more than 1.2 million concertgoers with life-saving messages and resources. Keep The Party Safe education messages will be integrated into AEG venues and festivals in the Denver area:

• Global Dance Festival, Denver, July 21-22
• Mission Ballroom, Denver
• The Ogden Theatre, Denver
• The Bluebird Theater, Denver
• 1STBANK Center, Broomfield
• Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village
• The Gothic Theatre, Englewood
• Civic Center Park Concert Series, Denver, various dates

Within AEG Presents owned and operated venues and festivals, concertgoers will engage with the campaign via bathroom mirror clings, venue posters, digital signage, and event activations, as well as interactive giveaways at a select number of shows and festivals. Additionally, Keep The Party Safe will help drive raise awareness for fans with key brand messaging across the respective venue and festival’s digital and social channels.

Keep The Party Safe encourages people to create a checklist for a safer night out.

• B.Y.O.N: Bring Your Own Naloxone
• Before the party, designate a non-user
• Know the signs of an overdose
• As soon as you spot an overdose, call 911 and use naloxone

For more information, visit KeepThePartySafe.org.

About Keep The Party Safe

Launched in 2022, Keep The Party Safe is Colorado’s eye-catching education and awareness effort to prevent or reverse fentanyl overdoses. The campaign aims to reach adults who might not know they are vulnerable to a fentanyl overdose. In addition to digital and social media ads, the campaign seeks to “meet people where they are” with posters in restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, music venues, and places where people are enjoying a night out. Messages remind and educate adults in Colorado about fentanyl contaminating drugs across the state, and share information on ways to stay safe. For more information, please visit KeepThePartySafe.org.

About the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention

Keep The Party Safe is led by the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention (Consortium) which coordinates Colorado’s statewide response to the prescription drug abuse epidemic, focusing on the opioid crisis. The Consortium works with stakeholders such as government agencies, community groups, law enforcement, and the medical community. The Consortium is part of the University of Colorado Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which is at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. For more information, please visit CoRXConsortium.org.

About AEG Presents

Combining the power of the live event with a focus on true artist development, AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industries. Operating across four continents, the company has an unparalleled commitment to artistry, creativity, and community. Its tentpole festivals and multi-day music events — which include the iconic Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival alongside British Summer Time at Hyde Park, Stagecoach, Hangout Festival, Electric Forest, and Firefly — continue to set the bar for the live music experience. AEG Presents promotes global tours for artists such as The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Kenny Chesney, Paul McCartney, and Katy Perry, in addition to — through its network of clubs, theatres, arenas, stadiums and renowned partner brands such as Goldenvoice, Messina Touring Group, Concerts West, The Bowery Presents, PromoWest Productions, Marshall Arts, Madison House Presents, and Zero Mile Presents — creating and developing an unmatched infrastructure for artist development and audience reach. More information can be found at www.aegpresents.com.

Media Resources

Available upon request: Naloxone trainings (based on availability) and interviews with subject matter experts.

Access the Keep The Party Safe Media Kit: Fact sheets, logos, campaign images, campaign video, event-day photo and videos.

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