Paramedics were called to the festival site around 3.30pm on Friday to reports of a man who overdosed. He was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital in a critical condition.
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A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria said there were four more suspected overdoses on Saturday, including a female in her 20s, two men in their 20s and a man in his 30s.
Rainbow Festival is a long-running annual four-day dance music festival held in Lexton, around 50 kilometres north-west of Ballarat.
Police have been on high alert since the festival began on Friday.
A 17-year-old Balwyn North boy that was charged with drug trafficking has been bailed to face a children’s court at a later date. A 25-year-old female French national has also been arrested for drug trafficking.
Four festival-goers arrested on Saturday, including the French national, have been remanded to appear at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Police continue to use detection dogs to search people and vehicles during the festival - which runs until Monday night.
The festival has been marred by non-drug related incidents as well.
On Thursday night, three festival goers were taken to hospital after a small truck rolled onto their tent shortly after 4.30pm.
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A man aged in his 30s was flown to The Alfred Hospital in a serious condition after suffering injuries to his chest, legs, hand and face. Two women were taken to Ballarat Base Hospital for treatment.
The seventh suspected overdose comes as the peak body for emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand (Australasian College for Emergency Medicine) issued a statement in support of pill testing.
ACEM joins the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Australian Medical Association in backing calls to introduce pill testing at festivals.
A spokesman for the Victorian government said it had no plans to allow pill-testing at events in Victoria, or to cancel future Rainbow Serpent festivals.
"Advice from Victoria Police tells us it can give people a false, and potentially fatal, sense of security about illicit drugs," the spokesman said.
- With Rachel Wells, Melissa Cunningham
Rachael Dexter is a journalist & audio video producer at The Age.
Joe Hinchliffe reports breaking news for The Age.
Paul is a reporter for The Age.
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