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Overview and History[]
The Hollinwell Incident was an instance of mass hysteria that occurred on July 13, 1980 at the Hollinwell Showground in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, a small town in Nottinghamshire, England. As part of an annual local event, an organization called the Forest League of Juvenile Jazz Bands held a marching band and brass competition to raise money for charity. Approximately 500 children forming 11 different marching bands attended.[1]
At approximately 10:30 that morning, an hour and a half after the competition began, the performing children suddenly began to collapse to the ground en masse seemingly for no reason. In addition to the sudden collapses, most of the children began suffering from vomiting, dizziness, and irritation of the eyes and throat. Hundreds of people, including numerous spectators, were afflicted with the unknown illness, with nearly all of them being transferred to local hospitals.
Interpretations[]
Numerous potential causes were suggested in the aftermath of the incident. Food poisoning, unclean drinking water, and pesticides used in nearby fields were all proposed, but all of these were more or less debunked as the years went on. The most popular hypothesis, and the one most commonly accepted today, is that this event was merely a case of mass hysteria. The children, many of which were driven to the event from neighboring counties, were known to have been exhausted and nervous prior to their performances and it's entirely possible that their nerves simply got the better of them. As of yet, no official explanation has ever been determined.
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