Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival: This is the history of the event

In 2021, the event turned deadly after a crowd surge during the Friday night performance

HOUSTON – The Astroworld Festival was a childhood dream realized for Grammy-nominated and Houston native rapper Travis Scott in 2018.

RELATED: PHOTOS: Thousands of fans flock to NRG Park for Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival

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RELATED: By the numbers: Astroworld festival crowd surge turns deadly

In its debut year, Scott recreated the seasonally-themed park known as Astroworld. At the debut event, some of the theme park’s original signs -- that had been in a Houston warehouse for a decade -- were featured.


The event is now a mix of music festival and carnival rides and games.

The lineup for Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival on Nov. 17, 2018.
Organizers released this artwork announcing the inaugural season of Astroworld Festival in November 2018.
Rapper Slim Thug performs onstage during Travis Scott's inaugural Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 17, 2018, in Houston, Texas. (Rick Kern/WireImage)

RELATED: Thousands attend debut of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival

The Astroworld Festival has been held at the 350-acre NRG Park since its inception. The location is just across the highway from the former site of the namesake theme park that once called downtown Houston home.

Travis Scott performs during the Astroworld Festival at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP) (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.
Packed with incredible performances, surprises and wild moment you have to see to believe, Astroworld Festival 2019 was a music fest for the history books.

The highly-anticipated Houston event has a flashy rollout of its lineup and the top-dollar tickets have sold out in minutes after release.

RELATED: All 100,000 of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival tickets sell out in 30 minutes

Fans have braved cold temperatures in an effort to be among the first to get in the gates to attend the event in 2019.

The sold-out festival was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but Scott promised to bring the event back saying in a Twitter post, “See you next year at AstroWorld Fest 2021...can’t wait to turn the (expletive) up! Stay Safe! THE PARTY NEVER ENDS.”

RELATED: AstroWorld Festival 2020 has been postponed, but Travis Scott says event will make a return in 2021

RELATED: PHOTOS: Thousands of fans flock to NRG Park for Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival

RELATED: By the numbers: Astroworld festival crowd surge turns deadly

The Astroworld Festival turned deadly in 2021.

At about 9:15 p.m. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said the crowd, which numbered an estimated 50,000, compressed toward the front of the stage and people began to panic and people began to “fall out” and become unconscious. Authorities, seeing the triggered event, began transporting people to hospitals at around 9:38 p.m.

Get the latest information on the deadly crowd surge in our developing report.


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