Reading Festival 2019

[DolorestheNewt]

I am not a festival-goer, nor is anyone I know and I wondered if any MNs were more clued up than I?

DS wants to go to Reading 2019. He's never been to a festival before (he's 15, and will be 16 by August 2019), and I've only been once to Latitude, so I am very naive.

My questions are, for Reading, assuming I just want to buy through a normal authorised channel, do I need to buy a ticket for him (and a friend) immediately they come out, apparently on Friday 23/11, or can we afford to wait for the line-up to come out? (Obviously the line-up may come out during this week, in which case the question becomes do they tend to sell out immediately?)

And does anyone happen to know if they still do day tix, and if they usually issue day tix some time after weekend tickets? He would rather just do a day for his first time and decide if he likes it, and then go for the whole weekend in 2020 if he wants to. Suits me.

I have checked if 16YOs can enter unaccompanied, and they can.

TIA if anyone can offer any tips. I feel a bit out of my depth.

Hiya, my 17 year old DS went for the first time last year so hopefully I can help!

Tickets - follow the links from the Reading festival website to make sure it's an authorised sure. It's not like Glastonbury where tickets sell out in minutes, but I'd buy them within the first week or so to be in the safe side. They also do a payment plan so you can pay in instalments which is handy!

You can buy day tickets as well as weekend. They all go on sale at the same time. It's probably a good idea to go for the day as this is his first festival. Readings pretty full on, it's well known for being a very young, post gcse and a level crowd. Some of the stories DS told me... put it this way, I'd have prefer not to have known!

He had a fantastic time though, I'm sure your DS will love it.

Ok, I did Reading every year for 15 years. Tickets don’t really sell out, you’ll be fine. Full of kids his age. It is a festival that is quite heavily known for drugs and booze - more so than Glastonbury for instance, security is not so tight you see. This shouldn’t stop you but make him aware and for goodness sake tell him not to buy anything from a stranger. It’s also a bit dodgy for tent theft...,don’t take anything you really love. Try to arrive early ish to pitch, that way he can get nearer the ground and therefore more security is around 👍 he will love it, it’s a a right of passage

Thank you masses for such encouraging responses! I'm dreading it, of course, but I recognise that I can't be That Mum....