How to Stay Safe at Governors Ball 2026, Featuring an Interview with William Perry, Co-Founder of This Must Be The Place

Written by Camila Molina | June 6, 2026 | Photo Courtesy of Grandstand Media | Photo by Charles Reagan

Festival safety does not end at the security gates. Here are three ways to stay safe and support your festival community at Governors Ball this weekend and throughout festival season, featuring a short interview with William Perry, co-founder of harm reduction non-profit This Must Be The Place.

1. The Hydration Stations.

Several free hydration stations are located throughout the festival. Click here to view a festival map. It is recommended you bring an empty water bottle from home to take advantage of the hydration stations. Festival goers may walk thousands of steps in the heat. Hydration is key to preventing serious health issues.

2. Bring Earplugs. 

Wearing earplugs can protect your ears during concerts. However, if you forget your earplugs, you can stop by guest services for a pair. 

3. Harm Reduction - This Must Be the Place

Along with protecting yourself, there are also many ways to protect your community. Look on the map for “CP” to locate This Must Be the Place, a nonprofit distributing free naloxone along with key safety information on how to use it.

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist. It can be administered as a nasal spray during an opioid overdose as a potentially life saving safety measure. 

Stop by their booth to get free naloxone and to learn how to administer it, how to identify signs of an overdose, and what to do after you’ve administered it. One of the founders of This Must Be the Place, William Perry, took the time to do a brief interview Friday afternoon regarding festival safety. 

Q & A disclaimer: This transcript is lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Q: About how many people typically come through these booths for Gov Ball? How many people have you seen so far this morning? Right now it is about 1 p.m. on Friday.

A: So 1 p.m. doors have been open for ninety minutes, and I’d say that we’ve probably seen about one hundred and fifty to two hundred people already, as you see, they line up. A lot of people [line up] especially because Gov Ball is really good about promoting our presence, so people see it on social media, and this becomes one of their first stops on their way in. They’ve got it, just a place that they need to stop by, especially at the beginning of the festival. Yeah so, engagement is great, and this is our 4th Gov Ball. It’s gotten better and better each year. Our goal always is to try to 5% of the crowd, and that means if we can get to 5% of the crowd, it means that one in twenty are walking around with Narcan [a brand name for the generic medication naloxone] on them. That’s a pretty safe environment, extremely safe, I would say. And so that’s our goal throughout the weekend, is always 5% and most times we go over that goal, sometimes we reach 10% depending on the festival. This is one that I’m sure we’ll go over that goal that we set for ourselves.

Q: Thank you. That’s great. And what’s the most common question you get at the booth?

A: I think the most common question that we get is, what would happen if this weren’t an overdose, and I gave this stuff to someone, which is a very simple answer, which is nothing. We know this, because, well, A, it’s my job to know it, but naloxone has been around since the seventies. It’s been used in hospitals for fifty whatever years, and so they know that it only does one thing, which is [to] cover up those opioid receptors. Therefore, if it’s not an overdose, if it’s a different medical condition, and someone does misdiagnose, it’s never going to hurt them. That’s one of the most reassuring things I think to people, because that lets them know, like, “hey, I can jump in and help somebody.” That doesn’t mean they need to, like, dive in at the first moment that there’s something going on, and immediately Narcan someone. But they have that reassurance that it’s never going to hurt them. And so that’s really, like, one of the number one, I wouldn’t say, like, myths to bust. But also, if you want to know about the other myth that we do have to bust, there’s a prevailing thought that people are violent when they wake up. That’s just simply not true. And so we get to explain to them a more compassionate way to engage with a person who may be coming back from that situation, and how to navigate a very serious situation with care and compassion, and make sure that everyone’s safe. And there’s a transfer that happens to an actual medical team, and the person, the person gets to live.

Q: Thank you, and you guys give a lot of great information [at the booth], but what are the signs of an overdose, in an environment like this, that festival goers who want to help protect their community should look out for?

A: And well I always say, you know, like the first thing you’re looking for is someone who’s falling asleep in a strange time, place, or position, something that makes you say, “what’s going on?” Because that’s what opioids do, is they make a person become drowsy, something that’s a little bit more than they’ve had too much to drink, or they possibly are dehydrated. You know, and maybe those symptoms start off the same, but that’s when you go in and check. What opioids do is they depress the respiratory system, and I explain it in more simple terms. As I say, they’re falling into such a deep sleep that they’re forgetting to breathe. I don’t know, I try to break things down as simply as possible. That’s not really scientific, however, that is what’s going on. And so you see, like blueing or graying of the lips, depending on a person’s complexion. The same thing happens with the eyes. If you can look at their eyes, you see where most drugs dilate the pupils. Anything with opioids in it, causes those pupils to be little tiny pinpoints. That drowsy next to those pinpoint pupils, and that lack of breathing, those are standard overdose symptoms. From there, it’s time to apply the naloxone, which is simply a nasal spray. So, you take it out of the package and you just put it up their nose. It’s like Flonase that saves a life. You put it up their nose to spray, turn them on their side just in case they get sick when they wake up, and then you just start watching. Watching the clock and [the person who may be overdosing]. If it’s an overdose, they’re gonna wake up somewhere between ninety seconds and about 2 minutes or so.

Q: Thank you so much. I won’t take up too much of your time. Last question, is there anything else you want to leave me with about safety at Gov Ball, or I guess leave me and anyone who reads this?

A: I think the important thing is just keep your friends close. And also this is a huge festival, but for this weekend it’s a community too, and like any. And even if no naloxone is used at this festival, everyone’s going home to a community, and this is just a way to keep your community safer. It’s this very little thing that you just throw in your bag, and hopefully you forget about. But then one day somebody might cry for help. And you’re that person with the exact remedy for that help. And you get to send someone back home to their family and their loved ones, because you have it, and that’s what this is really all about. And we live in some troubled and fractured times, but this is a way of being a part of your community and really just doing your part to help out.