The Civil Police are investigating the death of Pedro Felipe Higa Felizatto, 28 years old, who fell ill during the Zig Festival, held last Saturday (10), at a concert hall in Barra Funda, West Zone of São Paulo.
According to the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), the case was registered as a suspicious death. In a statement, the SSP reported that the victim's father attended the police station and presented his son's death certificate and that investigations will continue through the 2nd DP, in Bom Retiro.
Pedro Felipe's burial took place on Tuesday afternoon (13), at the Peace Cemetery, in Morumbi, South Zone of the capital, according to a post by Angela Higa, the victim's aunt, on social media.
In an interview with g1, designer Bruno de Souza, who was at the festival to watch the singer Slayyyter's show at Audio, on Avenida Francisco Matarazzo, reported problems of overcrowding, intense heat and difficulty circulating in the space during the performances.
According to him, the place was crowded, with little ventilation and no free areas for patrons to move around. The designer also stated that he witnessed people getting sick because of the heat.
Overcrowding caused part of the public to occupy the emergency exit or the bathroom with steam due to high temperatures — Photo: Reproduction/X
"It was clear to everyone that the situation was unhealthy. Sometimes I borrowed a fan from strangers to fan the people around me, because there were a lot of people - mainly women and shorter people - suffering a lot from the heat", he reported.
Bruno also said that it was difficult to move around the space and that the exit was small. According to him, videos published by other people showed patrons who were trapped in the bathroom because they were unable to get out.
The designer explained that the public gathered in a pavilion attached to the Audio stage during Slayyyter's performance. As there were no other shows happening simultaneously to divide the audience, most of the attendees were concentrated in the same space.
“Basically the space could not accommodate the number of tickets sold,” he said. The designer learned of reports of people who had fainted due to the high thermal sensation.
Aunt posted information about Pedro Felipe Higa's farewell ceremony on social media — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Audio says that the young man received care and was taken to Santa Casa
In a statement, Audio lamented Pedro Higa's death and stated that he was taken to the event's medical center by a civil firefighter at around 1:40 am.
According to the venue, the young man received care from the responsible doctor, in accordance with emergency protocols, and was taken in an ICU ambulance to Santa Casa de São Paulo.
According to Audio, Pedro arrived at the hospital in less than eight minutes, but did not survive and died in the health unit.
The venue highlighted that the service took place before the main performance of the night, which started at around 3:20 am.
“We are fully cooperating with the authorities responsible for investigating the facts and, out of respect for the family and the work of the authorities, we will not comment on other details of the case,” he stated.
The cause of death and the circumstances of the case are investigated by the Civil Police.
Festival says it investigates complaints
Positioning of Zig Festival after complaints of overcrowding; post does not mention death of young man — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
g1 tried to speak to the festival organization, but received no response. Before the news about the death was released, the Zig Festival published a note in which it acknowledged problems during the 2026 edition and reported that it was investigating complaints related to the event held on October 10.
"First of all, we apologize deeply. We are aware of and frustrated by the problems that occurred during the 2026 edition of the festival," said the organization.
The festival said that the manifestations received would be recorded and analyzed individually and asked that contacts be sent exclusively via email at [email protected].
The organization also stated that its commitment is to offer entertainment with structure and care for the public, highlighting that the event is aimed at the LGBTQIAPN+ community.
At the end of the note, Zig Festival informed that it would officially comment on the topic later.
