Some Dalhousie University students who attended DalFest on Sept. 5 allege long lines, being denied entry to the event and encountering physical altercations with event security.
Students report waiting up to two hours to get into the event before being denied entry, despite holding valid tickets.
The Dalhousie Student Union concluded its O-Week programming on the Studley Quad with DalFest, headlined by BBNO$ and featuring performances by Rêve and Priyanka. Tickets were included as part of the O-Week pass available for first-year students. The DSU said over 1,000 students attended the event.
First-year student Jack Lafferty says he arrived early but was still denied entry by event security, who allegedly pushed him and his friend into a fence and kicked his friend’s finger. He says a security guard “told us to fuck ourselves.”
“The security was very rude,” says Lafferty. “I think it’s wrong that we paid for the O-Week pass, and we did not get in and got harassed and assaulted in the process.”
William Jones, DSU vice president of finance and operations, said the student union is aware of “alleged altercations between third-party security and students” during the event.
“We take the safety of our students extremely seriously,” Jones said.
He says that no students directly came forward to the DSU, and no reports have been received from security personnel, medical staff or event organizers during or after the event.
Shadow Security provided third-party security services for the event. Multiple attempts by the Dalhousie Gazette to reach the company went unanswered prior to publication.
Event staff were aware of heightened tension near the “B” gate in front of the Chemistry Building, designated for students under 19 years old. DSU president Maren Mealey said the high turnout slowed entry, causing some attendees to become “rowdy around the line.”
“It all worked out, everyone got in before things happened,” Mealey said.
First-year student Lola Brimacombe says a security guard pulled her hair and pushed her out of line after becoming frustrated with the crowd. She waited for over two hours to get into the event.
“People were pushing, and then security got mad,” Brimacombe says. “But I was not pushing, I was getting pushed.”
In a statement to the Dalhousie Gazette, Jones said event organizers temporarily closed the entry gates out of concern for the safety of staff and students, after attendees attempted to push past ticketing personnel and security. The decision to close the gates came after over an hour of crowd management efforts from organizers and security personnel, Jones said.
“Every effort was made on the part of our staff and the third-party security to try and regain control of the situation before we had to close the gate,” said Jones.
Several students reported that during the gate closure, event security directed them to use a different entrance, only to find no other entry lines available.
“I just don’t know how they can sell that many tickets and not let you in,” says first-year student Eva Crow.
Lafferty also expressed frustration with the event’s organization.
“The only reason I didn’t opt out of the O-Week pass was because of this event, and I feel like it was a waste of money,” he says. “I feel like I got robbed of my deal.”
Security personnel later reopened the line, allowing more students into the concert.
Jones said this was the first time the DSU organized an event of this scale. He said the union plans to address internal issues in the future, but they were proud of the event’s overall result.
“The goal of DalFest is to try to bring the community together to give first-year students a memorable experience, and I think we did that,” said Jones.
