Travis Scott to Provide Full Refunds to All Astroworld Attendees

Travis Scott will provide full refunds for all attendees who bought tickets to Astroworld Festival after a "crowd surge" resulted in a "mass casualty event" that left eight dead on Friday night. Scott, the organizer of the Houston, Texas festival, which was formed in 2018, is said to be "distraught" in the wake of the tragedy, with Variety reporting that he intends to give out full refunds to concertgoers of the event, which saw approximately 50,000 people gathered at NRG Park.

The incident began around 9:15 p.m. on Friday, just minutes after Scott took the stage, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña, who told reporters that "the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage, and people began to panic." Details of exactly what happened remain unclear, though videos from the night shared to social media showed the crowd yelling for help and calling on Scott to stop his performance as people reportedly went into cardiac arrest and were trampled on, resulting in eight casualties and hundreds of injuries. Scott, in a statement over the weekend, said "Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life" and confirmed he is "committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need."

In the wake of the tragedy, a number of artists scheduled to perform at Astroworld, which was later canceled, have shared their condolences online. SZA, who took the stage at 7:30 p.m., tweeted that she is "speechless about last night I'm actually in shock [and] don't even know what to say... just praying for everyone in Houston especially the families of those that lost their lives." BIA said they are "deeply saddened by what happened" at the outdoor event and also sent their "prayers and thoughts" to "all the lives lost, their families and everyone that was affected by this tragedy." Rapper Roddy Ricch, who performed between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., announced Saturday that his Astroworld performance earnings will be donated to the families of the victims, who ranged in age from 14 to 27. He requested that the families of those involved in the tragedy contact Shawn Holiday, a member of his management team.

At this time, an investigation into the incident is ongoing. The first lawsuit related to the tragedy has already been filed against Scott and Live Nation alleging negligence for the event and the resulting tragedy. Scott, meanwhile, has since reportedly pulled out of his headlining performance at the Day N Vegas Festival on Saturday, Nov. 13.