Concerns have emerged over alleged drink spiking at Budapest’s Sziget Festival after several festivalgoers reported that women suddenly became seriously unwell during Hungarian DJ and presenter Balázs Sebestyén’s Saturday night show.

One young man said his sister collapsed and became unresponsive after having a drink at one of the festival’s food and drink outlets. According to reports shared on social media, as many as 18 young women were treated at one medical point with similar symptoms.

The reports have not been independently confirmed as cases of drink spiking, and Hungarian police have reportedly not received an official complaint about such incidents at the festival.

Young woman reportedly collapsed after a drink

Norbert Galambos, who attended the event with his sister and a group of friends, described what happened in a widely shared Facebook post.

According to his account, his sister suddenly collapsed after drinking at a festival bar and stopped responding. When the family sought medical assistance, he said paramedics initially asked how much alcohol she had consumed and whether she had taken drugs.

Galambos stressed that his sister does not use recreational drugs and that she had simply gone to the festival with friends. He also criticised the way he says the pair were treated by medical staff, arguing that his sister was treated as though she had voluntarily taken drugs.

The Hungarian National Ambulance Service shared his post and said it takes the claims seriously and will investigate the circumstances. The service also emphasised that professional medical care should be accompanied by appropriate and empathetic communication with both patients and their concerned relatives.

Reports of more women becoming unwell

According to accounts shared by festivalgoers, the incident may not have been isolated. Witnesses claimed that a number of women experienced similar symptoms and sought medical assistance during the event. One account circulating online claimed that 18 young women were treated at a single medical point.

However, this figure has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear how many people may actually have been affected or what caused their symptoms. Another festivalgoer, a 39-year-old woman named Enikő, also described becoming suddenly ill during the DJ show.

She said she had asked someone to bring drinks from a VIP area because of the long queues at the festival bars. She claimed that shortly afterwards she became severely unwell and lost control of her movements. According to her account, her husband and another couple who happened to be nearby helped her until medical assistance arrived. She later said she was convinced that her symptoms were not simply the result of drinking alcohol.

What is GHB?

Some of the social media reports have suggested that GHB, sometimes known as “Gina”, may have been involved. However, there is currently no confirmed evidence establishing that GHB was responsible for the reported incidents at Sziget.

GHB is a synthetic psychoactive substance that is colourless and odourless in liquid form. It can cause drowsiness, confusion and impaired consciousness, while larger amounts can result in unconsciousness and potentially life-threatening breathing problems.

Combining GHB with alcohol can be particularly dangerous because both substances can depress the central nervous system. The drug has also been associated with sexual assaults and robberies because a person under its influence may become extremely vulnerable and unable to protect themselves.

Importantly, the symptoms described by festivalgoers alone cannot establish what substance, if any, was involved. Medical assessment and toxicological testing would be needed to determine the cause.

GHB can disappear from the body quickly

According to Blikk, one difficulty in investigating suspected GHB exposure is the substance’s relatively short detection window.

GHB can generally only be detected in blood for a few hours after consumption and in urine for several more hours. This means that if someone suspects they have been drugged, seeking medical attention as soon as possible can be important. A hair test may potentially detect GHB exposure much later, but such testing is more specialised and costly.

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No official police complaint reported so far

Despite the growing number of social media posts, there has so far been no confirmed report of an official police complaint concerning drink spiking at Sziget, according to the reports available. The claims therefore remain allegations at this stage.

The Hungarian National Ambulance Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the treatment of the reported patients, while the exact number of people affected and the cause of their symptoms remain unclear.

Festivalgoers are nevertheless being urged to take sensible precautions, including keeping an eye on their drinks, staying with friends and seeking medical help immediately if they or someone in their group suddenly becomes confused, severely drowsy, unconscious or otherwise seriously unwell.

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