To say if your child is going to a Festival for the first time, do not, under any circumstances

Do your own research on different areas of the campsite. Boardmasters, for example has an ongoing rival between two areas. If they don’t want to find half the campsite playing supermarket sweep or camping chair cricket or rugby at 5 in the morning using their tent as stumps or an obstacle course, suggest they camp as far away from these areas as possible. DS said it was like going to a different festival when they camped in the “adult area” this year.

Make sure you have the phone numbers of all their friends so if the signal is poor you may have a slim chance of getting hold of one of them.

Don't go racing to the rescue at 3 in the morning, inevitably they will have gone back to sleep by the time you get there and are no longer interested in going home.

If they need ID try and avoid taking a passport, if it’s lost or ends up muddy and worse for wear that trip abroad the following week is just not happening.

One I've passed onto all my nieces and nephews. Never under any circumstances accept anything from a Druid, if they pass you what they say is a joint!
Back in the 90s, my friend stupidly while drunk, accepted a toke of what he was told was weed in a joint, from the druids in the tent next to his. It was weed with crack in it and they thought it was hilarious. He was ill for the whole of the next day and spent it in his tent!

Practice dismantling the tent and sleeping bags, and getting them back into their bags. Same applies if you have a pop-up travel cot (took 3 adults and a Youtube video to get it back in its bag).

Oh she lost her phone and purse on the first night …. found them under the tent when they packing up to leave 🤣

I wouldn't let a child go to a festival alone if they can't pack their tent back in it's bag. Disgusting the amount of waste left at festivals these days. Just lazy gen z'ers who are too selfish and inconsiderate to take their shit home with them and reuse it. Instead they treat everything as disposable. And these youngsters are supposed to be the environmentally enlightened, climate considerate ones. Planet is fucked.

Oh and DD’s friend seemed surprised when I mentioned she would need to stop drinking early on Sunday as they planned to drive home in the early hours of Monday 🤷🏼‍♀️

😂😂 <- this thread.

I hate camping of any kind and particularly any festivals.

Make sure they have enough money to go in their festival wrist band, as everything costs a fortune.

Tell your DC that it’s really not a good idea to drink booze all day in the sunshine, no water, very little food and end up in the first aid tent.
Tit 🤦‍♀️

Put charged up power banks, torches and spare glasses (if they wear them) in a lunch box. Keeps them dry and stops them getting broken if trodden on.

Always send a black plastic sack to put the filthy stuff in, pack 2 plastic bags to put inside each shoe, send a water proof jacket whatever they think. Oh and a hat.

I've been to loads and dd has been to them on her own too, it's fine, though she is sensible and goes with good friends

If you lend them your car "cos its bigger", tell them not to open the windows before accelerating too hard whilst stuck in mud..

Take the least amount of “stuff” possible, you won’t use any of it and you’ll just be worried someone is going to nick it while you’re away from your tent or out of your bag.

The great thing about being a grown up is you can afford to pay for a pre-pitched tent and someone else to blow up the airbeds! I’m currently trying to pack for a festival for me, DH and two preschoolers, I’ve got it down to one clean t-shirt and knickers each per day, one can of deodorant and toothbrushes, everything else can be reworn and warm jumpers because it gets cold at night and we’ll buy anything else we need there rather than drag it from the car and then have to pack it up again.

Their tent came back, told them not to try and get it back in the bag lol.

But putting it up first at home means they'll know how to do it when they get there, and not trying to figure out part a and part b etc in the dark/rain/hill/drunk....

Oh and most tents do not come back. I always thought this is terribly wasteful, but it is quite normal.

When I picked my dd and friend up it was 31 degrees. Windows and air con all the way home lol.

Plus if they take generic cheap tent, so will lots of other people! Customise it in some way so you can recognise it.

What3Words is your friend for this type of situation. Unfortunately I only discovered this after coming close to your daughter’s situation at Latitude last year - very many years past my teens!

Don't actually expect the tent to come home! There are tons and tons of them left at festivals each year.

Reading Festival: Abandoned tents and rubbish left in several fields after event | UK News | Sky News

Don't agree to take them or bring them back. Took my DD and her friend to a festival 2 weeks ago, 6 hours there and back, even worse 9 hours picking them up.

Do not spend more than 20 quid on the tent. It will get set alight..
Ime.

Don’t ’remember’ that you’re is the blue tent near the beige tent, or that it’s near to the pole by the crossroads.
Campsites change totally in minutes

Avoid the convenience of setting up tent beside a clear pathway - everyone will stumble on it, and if it’s a fully enforced clear pathway that might be because it’s the route used by security / bin / fire patrols in mini vehicles riding past all night long

If you are collecting them from the festival/train station/bus station then put some plastic sheets or dust sheets in the car. Even in dry weather they will be filthy and it can takes months to get the car back to normal.... oh and definitely wind down the windows!!