Estonia's 'Night Fairies' help keep Beach Grind festival

Estonia's 'Night Fairies' help keep Beach Grind festival-goers safe A nightlife safety group whose main aim is to warn revelers of the dangers of drug use and to aid them where needed is on hand at the ongoing Pärnu Beach Grind festival this weekend. Dubbed Ööhaldjad ("Night Fairies"), the organization is on hand to help festivalgoers who may have overindulged at Beach Grind, taking place in Estonia's summer capital, and also at other festivals, whose peak times are in July and early August. Beach Grind organizer Kaarel Sein noted the presence of Ööhaldjad personnel at Beach Grind comes in addition to that of regular security staff and Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) officers. Ööhaldjad executive director Marit Oja said the group distributes various prevention materials at festivals and engages with the public. "We try to understand their consumption habits, what they know about drugs in general, and how potential harm or risks can be minimized. We fill in the gaps where possible. But we also work very closely with the organizers, medics, security staff and police, so it has been clearly established who deals with which issues," Oja said. The size of the crowds Beach Grind attracts — over 10,000, which is sizeable for Estonia — compared with other festivals this summer makes it a big event for Ööhaldjad, though other happenings sometimes have their issues with drugs and alcohol too. "I would say it happens more often at events in the alternative music scene," Oja said. Overall, however, the situation at festivals in Estonia has improved in recent years, she went on. "Compared with our early years, the situation has improved at those festivals we have attended consistently. I don't know whether that is solely due to our work and the prevention efforts carried out both ahead of and during a festival, but the number of people needing help has actually fallen slightly each year. However, there are still many intoxicated people and people under the influence of drugs at both festivals and club events," Oja added. Sein stressed Beach Grind has no major problem with drug use. "At the festival, we tend to have isolated cases every year, but looking at the overall picture, it is not really a major problem," Sein said. Founded as a one-day club night in 2010, Pärnu Beach Grind has since grown into a multi-day music festival featuring international artists. A drug-related fatality occurred at the festival in 2023. -- Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update! Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mait Ots