NYC nightlife thrives on intense energy, long nights, and crowded dance floors, but it also relies on unseen labor to keep people safe.
Within NYC’s nightlife scene, a new campaign has started to take shape.
It is led by Brian Hackel, an EMT who regularly works at events across the city.
Alongside his medical role, he also advocates for harm reduction within nightlife spaces.
Now, he is taking that concern a step further.
He is pushing for a new rule that would require free, dedicated water stations at bars, nightclubs, and large-scale events.
In his view, current regulations treat hydration as an optional extra, when it should be recognized as a basic safety standard.
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It’s Important for NYC Nightlife Scene Have Water Stations
At present, Hackel explains that only food service venues clearly must provide an adequate supply of drinkable water.
As a result, many nightlife spaces operate without any firm obligation to offer guests free and easily accessible water.
Even when building codes do apply, he feels the rules miss the reality of crowded clubs.
Some regulations, for example, allow as little as one drinking fountain for every 500 people.
In a packed nightlife setting, he argues, that standard simply does not work.
Because of these gaps, guests often resort to unsafe or inconvenient options.
Many refill bottles from bathroom sinks, pay high prices for bottled water, or wait in long bar lines just to ask for a free cup.
Hackel connects these issues to past city health investigations into serious medical cases at electronic dance music events.
He also highlights the very real danger of heat-related illness inside crowded nightlife spaces.
High temperatures and packed rooms can quickly push bodies to their limits.
Because of that, he believes access to free water should be treated as a basic safety measure, not a bonus.
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Actively Campaigning The Idea
To build momentum, Hackel has taken his message straight to local community board meetings.
He does not rely on speeches alone.
At times, he even shows up wearing a costume shaped like a water station, using humor and visibility to make sure the issue stands out.
At the same time, he has begun gathering early support through a petition on Change.org.
His next goal is to take the issue to the City Council and translate what many ravers see as common sense into formal policy.
Hackel has explained online that his stance comes directly from experience.
Through years of work as an EMT in nightlife settings, he has seen these situations up close.
He has responded to emergencies in every season and inside all types of venues.
From that experience, he knows that easy access to free water can dramatically reduce the severity of medical incidents.
In his view, the difference can be dramatic.
With proper hydration, a situation that might have required an ambulance and an emergency room visit can become a simple trip to urgent care.
In those moments, he believes everyone benefits, from the individual and the venue to the healthcare system as a whole.
