Last weekend, seven attendees from the illegal Teknival rave were hospitalized, with three reportedly being seriously injured. The rave occurred in the French village of Fouillereau, Chezelles.

Teknival is a 30-year-old techno festival or “free party” that regularly brings thousands of attendees. According to local authorities, this year brought in 30,000 attendees at the peak of the event, which was hosted on a private farm in France’s Indre region. The event’s organizers did not have a license to hold it there.

In addition to the seven people who were hospitalized, a dozen others were injured. Furthermore, there were reportedly 57 warnings and fines given to attendees for driving under the influence and 297 more for drug possession. Despite being banned, local authorities worked with the event’s organizers to support safety efforts. Authorities chose not to evacuate the area in an effort to prevent further harm because they had not been given a heads-up regarding the location of the Teknival, which is well-known throughout Europe.

Teknival reportedly quietly came to an end on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

Illegal from the start, Teknival’s first edition took place in 1993. In 2003, when Nicolas Sarkozy was France’s Minister of the Interior, Teknival was legalized for over a decade. However, the event was banned again in 2016.

Image Credits: © Rave Party Teknival