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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think music festivals are unsuitable for babies and toddlers?

36 replies

ShesRunningOutTheDoor · 09/08/2026 16:30

Taking babies, toddlers and small children to music festivals is not good parenting.
A) loud - permanent hearing damage
B) drugs / drink mean - especially when darkness falls - it’s not a good environment for children to be in
C) dust. The dust gets in your nose and throat and lungs and is very harmful for more vulnerable babies / toddlers. All the adults I was with yesterday had sore throats and blocked noses from this
D) selfish. You might want to be there but your baby does not
I love a festival but seeing babies there makes me sad for them

OP posts:
BirdLandedonmyHead · 09/08/2026 17:16

Having a spent a week being woken nightly by a crying baby in a tent... i do wonder what some parents are thinking. (Not a music festival).

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 09/08/2026 17:03

We took our toddler to an actual toddler-friendly event at a museum today and that was hard enough on him.

Yes, there are family-friendly festivals, but I have 'the children just fit in' friends who a) have miserable kids and b) wander around lugging water bottles and potties and having 5m fun once an hour and c) pissing off everyone in an adult venue.

It's never looked appealing from the outside!

JuliettaCaeser · 09/08/2026 16:42

I totally agree. Festivals are for adults to kick out drink and dance. It’s weird taking kids. You will get flamed though.

We went to a day festival by the end it was very dark and big crowds walking to station many adults drunk / lairy and there were the festivals parents with their trollies and toddlers 🙄. No way on earth would have wanted any child of mine there at that age.

Original poster
ShesRunningOutTheDoor · 09/08/2026 16:41

Yes big festivals - not small family friendly ones - I haven’t been to one of these. Even ‘nice’ big festivals like latitude and IOW.
I know it’s not download but everything I listed still applies

OP posts:
NoArmaniNoPunani · 09/08/2026 16:40

Depends on the festival.
Reggaeland was marketed as being family friendly but it really wasn't.

Snoutywoofs · 09/08/2026 16:39

pinkyredrose · 09/08/2026 16:32

E. I don't want to hear them

F. I don't want to see them.

I like to enjoy music events!

This.

RampantIvy · 09/08/2026 16:36

I went to a small very family friendly music festival a couple of weeks ago. It was entirely suitable for littlies.

You just need to choose wisely.

hugasaurus · 09/08/2026 16:35

Surely it depends on the festival? We have a family festival here with music but also big play areas, set up for young families. In fact there are three or four family festivals within a hour of us, all of which I would be fine taking young kids to.

Something like Download festival is obviously totally different!

OldieButBaddie · 09/08/2026 16:35

I think it largely depends on the festival.
We have taken our daughter to Camp Bestival twice and she loved it - she wasn’t a baby though! And I would’ve thought latitude would be okay, but I wouldn’t take them to Boomtown! You can get ear protection and not go in a year where the dust is so bad - I had to come home early from Glastonbury once due to the dust setting my asthma off

SummerHols2026 · 09/08/2026 16:33

Totally agree but it’s the “becoming a parent won’t change me” brigade who plough on despite the selfishness.

pinkyredrose · 09/08/2026 16:32

E. I don't want to hear them

F. I don't want to see them.

I like to enjoy music events!