AIBU to not see music festivals as a teenage rite of passage?

DS did similar at Glastonbury when he was at university and just after, he said the camping areas are better, he didn't get paid but the shifts were mainly before it started so then you were free to watch the stuff that was on, so quite a saving as Glastonbury is expensive. He also did it at a couple of smaller festivals, I think you do have to be 18 though and he had to get there a day or so earlier iirc. I think if you have done it one year, its easier to get further years, hope your DD has a good time.

I’d just turned 15 when I went to my first festival, and went to a Donington Monsters of Rock that summer too. God knows what my parents were thinking. I went with my boyfriend who was 4 years older and his friend. It was great! I went the following year too. I take Ds11 to smaller local rock festivals now.

It’s a funny phase I agree. I’ve heard it used about things like first heart break or first car crash. I guess it’s a thing that you do for the first time while a you are young person that develops you.

It's also interesting that you don't/won't explain what it is that you find confusing about it, other than it apparently to boiling down to "this is outside my direct sphere of experience as I didn't go to a festival when I left school, and therefore I cannot comprehend that, several decades down the line, other people view/do things differently".

As I asked earlier, in what sense does a teenager's first weekend away with their peers and without parental supervision not fit the literal definition of "a ritual or action which indicates a transition from one stage of life to another"?

I used to go to V festival (showing my age) with a big group of friends, male & female, we had a great time, we liked our music, not all my friends drank even then, I always felt safe. A bit older I started going Glastonbury which I actually regret not doing younger. I’ve been to Leeds for the day purely to see the headliner really and I did feel old as the majority of people there were young, 18-21 maybe.
I still go and watch bands a lot to this day, have always felt safe.
so for me I would encourage younger people to go. I don’t feel it’s any less safe than a night out up town.
id go Glastonbury again but my current physical fitness puts me off and I have never enjoyed camping but you never know, I might go back. Glastonbury is very much multi age

Yes I think it’s broader now as we do more varied things.

I went to Glastonbury in 1999 aged 16, so its not a new thing.

Best memories of my life from festivals but I started going at 23! I probably couldn’t have handled one at 16-18

I think you need to focus on what the definition of "rite of passage" is to make sense of it. Quote: a rite of passage is a ritual, ceremony, or significant event that marks a person's transition from one stage of life or social status to another.

Hopefully after reading that you understand why its a rite of passage. U can't go before you are 16 alone to Reading. U can when u have done your gcses. Lots of teenagers want to go and have a fabulous free experience with their mates without their parents and its kind of a controlled environment to do that in. Some kids dont want to and that's OK. Notintending to be rude but kind of seems like your own DC said they wanted to go, as its a rite of passage, and you dont get what a rite of passage means exactly ? Hope this helps and if they want to to - let them. They are not all drunk to enjoy it . It's a great life experience and if it sucks they can come home 🏡

It's very easy to grasp the concept that a large-scale social event that a teenager can attend with their peers, post 16+ and often in conjunction with celebrating exam results and the end of compulsory schooling, that they weren't able to do without adult supervision prior to turning 16, might be viewed as a rite of passage by lots of people.

The OP's continued bafflement regarding this is curious.

A few people on here are getting weirdly aggressive and defensive about the OP's post. "Rite of passage" is a subjective term and it doesn't seem unreasonable to wonder why music festivals are seen as such. The reactions of the posters being aggressive (whether active or passive) probably reveal more about their characters or over-sensitivities than anything else.

A straw poll from friends whose teens went seems to be that they’re glad they went and got it over with but never again! The rain probably had a lot do with that.

Surely the biggest rite of passage of all time is going down the pub when you’re 18 for your first legal drink 😆

Exactly this.
1 of mine is a big live music fan and a musician, he's been to, and played at a good few festivals. He loves it, its a time (often the first time for many) to be independent, find your own feet and learn how to be, with consequences.

Child 2 is not remotely interested in live music, she prefers house parties with her friends which can also involve alcohol and it's associated fun/problems/consequences.

Both different but both exploring the world away from their parents.

Well me and one of my sisters did a number of music festivals in our teens and early twenties. My other sister and brother have never been. So I guess it’s really up to the person. I loved it and went with a big group of friends who I trusted and were sensible. This was before phones though and we just learnt not to take valuables and keep money etc with you at all times. Had a great time - would encourage a young person to go if it’s their thing but I don’t think it’s a must.

Think you mean rite of passage.

Feels like every post from op is just saying the same thing in different ways and fixated on the phrase rite of passage.

it’s not law / lore, but it’s something a lot of kids do, when they finish school, whether or not they drink.
equally a lot of kids don’t.

its not worth this much argument or doubling down, especially when later comments suggest op doesn’t have teenagers themself.

I hear that music festivals like Leeds are a right of passage for teenagers,

who from?

Also its rite not right. A right of passage is what you get if you are allowed to cross the Suez Canal a rite of passage is a formative event.

@JuliettaCaeser ,

Why the Suez Canal of all places?!

I don’t think that there is any particular problem in crossing it.

Nor is learning to drive

So many people adding "for context" lately. It doesn't add anything. The information that follows will have exactly the same effect without labelling it "context".

It's like people see it and think "ooh, that sounds clever. I'm going to use it as often as possible".

Sorry to use your post as an example - it's just getting so prevalent on here and I think people should be aware of the option not to use it anymore.

That poster was giving the context to her view rather than the issue as a whole