Brazil Mandates Free Water at Mass Events, Tightens Ticket Resale Rules

Brazil has introduced new rules for mass events, requiring free drinking water in certain cases and tightening controls on ticket sales and resales. The two decrees, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are known as the Taylor Swift Law, in reference to the case of a young fan who died after feeling unwell during a concert by the American singer in Rio de Janeiro in 2023. The first decree regulates ticket sales and aims to combat scalping. Online platforms will now have to adopt mechanisms to prevent mass purchases through bots, programs, or scripts.

The new regulation also establishes mechanisms to verify the authenticity and traceability of tickets. The second decree sets out measures to guarantee access to drinking water and protect the health of participants. This provision applies to festivals, congresses, conferences, fairs, concerts, and other public events, both free and paid, held in open or closed spaces.

The new rules stem from the death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, a 23-year-old Brazilian woman who attended Taylor Swift's concert on November 17, 2023, at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro. She felt unwell during the show, which coincided with a wave of extreme heat, and later died. A forensic report established that the cardiac arrest was caused by exposure to heat.

The tragedy sparked a much-needed public debate on safety conditions for fans during major concerts and drew criticism of the ban on bringing water bottles into stadiums. The new regulations also address the sale and resale of tickets, with platforms required to implement anti-bot measures and ensure ticket authenticity and traceability. The decrees aim to prevent similar incidents and improve safety standards at large public gatherings across the country.