- ApeFest 2023 took place from November 3 to 5 in Hong Kong.
- At least 15 allegations of impaired vision have surfaced online.
Bored Ape Yacht Club’s (BAYC) parent company, Yuga Labs, hosted the highly anticipated return of its major in-person event, ApeFest 2023, held in Hong Kong from November 3 to 5.
This year’s Hong Kong event did not focus on music in the same way as last year’s New York City events at NFT.NYC. Instead, the festival focused on a “new adventure” that encourages visitors to discover the city’s hidden gems and makes the festival accessible to those who cannot physically attend.
Extreme discomfort
However, burns, impaired vision and “extreme pain” in the eyes were reported by several attendees of the Yuga Labs ApeFest in Hong Kong, who blamed the event’s lights. On November 5, an attendee named CryptoJune tweeted that he had to go to the hospital after waking up in the middle of the night after ApeFest with extreme eye discomfort.
According to an observer, a number of people with eye problems were said to have been “up close” to the light show on the main stage. Another ApeFest attendee, known only as Feld on Twitter, reported experiencing the same things.
At least 15 allegations of visual impairment have surfaced online, but this may only apply to those among the hundreds of ApeFest attendees who sat or stood very close to the stage. Event goers in Hong Kong have had health problems in the past due to poor UV lighting.
The allegations of visual impairment in both cases are related to a condition called photokeratitis, colloquially known as “welder’s eye.”