Treefort’s 14th annual Music Fest is happening right now in downtown Boise. Attendees this year may run into one particular character who wants them to party – but safely.
Andrew Sandquist, a.k.a. the Festival Fairy, bops around Treefort wearing a shiny disco bomber jacket while carrying a sign advertising free condoms, tampons and fentanyl test strips. As he walks around the crowd, dancing to the music, he hands out earplugs, bandaids or stickers.
“I also have glow sticks, googly eyes, glitter, gum, gummy bears,” he added, “all the G’s”.
Originally from Pocatello, Sandquist is not affiliated with Treefort. His nonprofit, Festival Fairy, is funded by donations.
The idea to give out free resources to festival-goers stemmed from an encounter at an event in Salt Lake City a couple of years ago.
“A woman [in the crowd] screamed that she needed a tampon, and I told my friend, 'that's definitely a solvable problem. I think I could do this',” he said.
A few months later, he showed up at another festival with his sign.
“And in ten seconds, someone ran up to me and asked for something,” he added.
By walking around, he interacts with attendees directly. Many come up to him and ask for neon stickers with the words “hot” or “caution, may bite” on them. Some ask for safe drug use resources.
“People are now feeling more comfortable to come up to me,” he said, “And in my mind, if I give out 100 test strips, that was 100 people that weren't going to test their drugs otherwise.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin that is often added in unknown amounts to illegal drugs. It causes tens of thousands of overdose deaths a year in the United States.
Giving out condoms and drug test strips is not an endorsement, Sandquist said, it’s about reducing harm.
“I think you should be here, able to dance tomorrow and that’s why you should test your drugs and be as safe as you possibly can,” he said, “If you're going to do them, I don't want you to die.”
Treefort runs until Sunday night.
Correction: this is the second year Sandquist is attending Treefort Music Fest as the Festival Fairy, his third total. An initial broadcast version of this story was unclear.
