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Original poster

Sunday night Reading festival nightmare - do they even care?

354 replies

itsallabittiring · 31/08/2021 19:20

I wanted to ask about the experience people had on Sunday night in the campsites. My daughter, who is 18 and fairly streetwise, said it was absolutely terrifying as people were going round blowing tents up using aerosols. There was also a massive fight right next to them and then a stampede of people trampled over her tent. They seriously feared for their lives. Until then they had had quite a good time, although some men camping nearby had been threatening on and off so they felt a bit unsafe at times.
Security guards were next to useless apparently and a few of them were apparently clearly on drugs and were asking people for 'Ket'.
It literally sounded like the most unsafe place you could probably think of - they had to take it in turns to stay up and not sleep to try and stop themselves getting blown up. She said it felt so out of control and everyone was drugged up and didn't care.
I would seriously think twice if you think your 16- 18 year old could cope with that. I know my daughter and her friends will never, ever go back. I think it is pretty appalling how scenes like that are allowed to happen. If your teen does insist on going maybe ensure they aren't there for Sunday night which is when it all really kicks off in a nasty way.

OP posts:
whatswithtodaytoday · 31/08/2021 21:25

@Theblackdogagain

I went in 99, 00 and 01. It was the same then, Sunday night people passed on tents and turned over portaloo with people in them. Put me of camping for life.
I went 98 to 03 and I would say it got progressively rougher over that time. I decided I was too old for all that shit at the grand old age of 22. Thankfully we always managed to camp somewhere reasonably quiet, but seeing the fires and explosions and people running through the camp was quite scary.

I think if my son wanted to go I would pick him up on the last night - nothing much fun happens anyway, everyone is knackered and fed up and has run out of money and food.

enjoyingscience · 31/08/2021 21:25

Sounds like nothing changes - like loads of others have said, Leeds and reading have always been rough as houses, especially on the Sunday night. I used to go to Leeds (1999-2003ish), and it was always a complete state.

HonoreDeBallsack · 31/08/2021 21:26

Oh goodness, Boardwalk. She's the same child who declared dramatically every day when she was in the junior school that there was absolutely "nothing to eat apart from lettuce" (when the teacher who sat with their form assured me that there was plenty to eat apart from lettuce, and that DD was eating it all very happily).

She's never been lying, as you put it. However, she does put a very dramatic spin on things. She has been like this ever since she could talk.

There's always a core of fact in the drama, though. School lunches did include lettuce. Boardmasters did include some very rough people and unpleasant behaviour. She still loved it, though, as she's far tougher than I would have been at that age. and she wouldn't think twice about stealing someone else's tent, unfortunately

NettlesInTheNightGarden · 31/08/2021 21:26

Same thing used to happen when I went there years ago. I know someone who lost their sight from a keg being put on the fire. Idiots

SleepingStandingUp · 31/08/2021 21:26

They're everywhere anyway. It's not like they only crop up at festivals.
Its the easy accessibility tho. As a teen i wouldn't have a clue where to buy drugs from. At a festival it wouldn't take much and i was actually offered drugs (poppers) whilst in shift with Samaritans so god knows how much is offere out elsewhere

SunShinesBrightly · 31/08/2021 21:27

Has this been in the news?

OnTheBoardwalk · 31/08/2021 21:27

I go to Rewind these days. Only thing that keeps you up all night is the snoring 😂

BitterTits · 31/08/2021 21:27

Having seen portaloos knocked over on the last night of the last festival I went to (V probably in the early 00s) it still gives me vivid horrors of being trapped and suffocating.

cjpark · 31/08/2021 21:28

There's absolutely no way I was letting my 16yr go to a festival this year. We live near to board masters and the number of alcohol / drug / covid related incidents is horrifying. When DD is 18, she can go, but having gone to Reading myself aged 19 and been sexually assaulted, I am very very aware of the hideous dark side to festivals.

TeardropImplodes · 31/08/2021 21:29

Reading in 89 to 94 was not like this. The Mean Fiddler took it over from being very much an older persons rock festival with bottles of flying piss and fighting and re- invented it as a music festival. Lots of day tickets, each day's line up 'curated'. So it was very much about the music - Folk ish day would be saw doctors & Pogues, the next day would be Alt Rock - dinosaur Jr & Nirvana. When Public Enemy complained about the lack of black faces, people were embarrassed the band hadn't released it was the same weekend as Notting Hill Carnival.

It was much smaller, one stage, one small comedy tent.
Wide mix of ages.
More drink, less drugs.
And much, much more about the music, most of our school friends didn't go, just the misfits rather than the townies. It did feel dangerous but it was a safe space to be pierced, tattooed, wearing black in summer.

I'm mostly sad it's not about the music any more, the random selection, the number of older bands playing the hits.

So Reading hasn't always been like this.

User56439876 · 31/08/2021 21:30

It's no different to football hooliganism but it just seems to be accepted that this happens at this festival.

TatianaBis · 31/08/2021 21:30

@SleepingStandingUp

They're everywhere anyway. It's not like they only crop up at festivals. Its the easy accessibility tho. As a teen i wouldn't have a clue where to buy drugs from. At a festival it wouldn't take much and i was actually offered drugs (poppers) whilst in shift with Samaritans so god knows how much is offere out elsewhere
Really? Surely all teens know where to get drugs if they want them. Or know someone who does.
HonoreDeBallsack · 31/08/2021 21:30

@SleepingStandingUp

As she is, however, something of a drama queen, I would think there was a mixture of truth and exaggeration in her account. So I wouldn't necessarily believe her entirely when she says (as she did) that a "bunch of chavs" stole their tent and some other boys offered them drugs in return for a bed for the night, but they said no and had to spend the entire night sitting in camping chairs do you go to festivals yourself because as someone who has been to lots over the last 14 years or so, her story sounds incredibly plausible and I'd be grateful they had the good sense to not do anything stupid instead of calling her a liar
See above. I didn't call her a liar. I said there was a mixture of truth and exaggeration in her account. I will also stick my Mumsnet neck out far enough to say that I also know my child well enough to know that she would be capable of doing something stupid, because she has often told me about things she has done which I would not describe as even remotely sensible.
Fleetw00d · 31/08/2021 21:31

I went aged 17 and 18 and never stayed Sunday nights. The atmosphere started changing around 8ish and we would leave by 10, but we lived about 30 mins away so could easily get a lift.
I remember there being drugs offered throughout the weekend but never thought much of it!

BitterTits · 31/08/2021 21:32

@Inim

When I went ages ago, 2007/8 ish, a girl was passed out in a tent and some idiot were trying to drag the tent (with her inside!!!) into a fire- a group of us had to physically pull it away from them because they just weren’t listening that someone was inside the tent. I had my tent with all my things inside burned too and got stuck and couldn’t get home! It was a nightmare
God this is appalling.
SleepingStandingUp · 31/08/2021 21:32

I didnt suggest she never would. I meant id be glad she hadn't in this instance. And she might be prone to exaggeration but her while account sounds very likely

Leftbutcameback · 31/08/2021 21:32

I was injured at Reading four years ago, and wrote to the organisers and council to suggest a very simple measure to make things better. Of course nothing changed. We saw so many carrying their stuff around earlier in the day on Sunday. The numbers leaving on Sunday night are huge and I don't blame them. I'm not sure if the white camp site is any better, but if I needed to camp that's where I'd choose.

ImInStealthMode · 31/08/2021 21:33

@MrsSkylerWhite

I think the OP meant some of the security staff were on drugs.“

Of course they were. Hired 3 days before the event, free entry.

You don’t think they’re trained security, do you?

Absolutely believe this. My local small festival (offshore small community) always used to use local security, generally reliable, familiar faces from working doors in the area, knew which faces to keep an eye on etc and I felt reassured by their presence.

The last time I went they'd got a 'rent a muscle' team over from the mainland presumably cheaper and they just didn't give a rats arse about anyone's safety at all. Didn't even pretend to be paying attention or bothered if approached for help. One female stationed by the toilets was sitting leaning against a fence fast asleep. I won't go again if that's going to be the case in future.

Charley50 · 31/08/2021 21:34

I'm actually shocked reading this. I used to go to Glastonbury every year from aged about 18, and take acid, e's and mushrooms blah blah. Was a proper raver. Saw someone piss on a tent once. Had feral traveller hippy kids 'guard' our tent, for a very small fee. Generally had a peaceful amazing time.
This is another level. All these fires and violence etc. just sounds horrific. Don't the organisers care?

Haggisfish3 · 31/08/2021 21:38

Glastonbury is very different to Leeds it would seem! I went to Glasgow and t in the park but wouldn’t let dc go to Leeds now on the basis of this thread.

UnsolicitedDickPic · 31/08/2021 21:39

I've only been to a few festivals and as I'm middle aged now I don't tend to get to so many of them, but I've always known Reading was awful for violence. I'm pretty sure there were several rapes there going back a few years ago.

peachpearplum01 · 31/08/2021 21:39

I’m always surprised when people are willingly letting their 16 year olds go to reading festival, I’d assumed it must have improved but clearly that’s not the case. I went after my GCSEs (back in the nineties) but the difference was then we had to lie about it as our parents would have never let us go. Had a great time but dodgy as f@ck!!

ChnandlerBong · 31/08/2021 21:43

ds is just back from Reading - some friends left Sunday but he came home Monday as planned. so sorry your dd had a nightmare OP

he was quite happy they arrived on thursday (not the Wednesday early bird entry) as it meant they were camped further from the stage and it was quieter. less through traffic/nutters.

He did say that some tents nearer the stage had been slashed open - so those people were left with no choice but to leave early. But he didn't mention tents being set on fire?

chairs/trolleys were easily stolen - so he was glad he had neither.

and they were offered a variety of different drugs including ketamine.

when it's dd's turn i might investigate the posher camping options.....

stilldumdedumming · 31/08/2021 21:45

My friend was a nurse at Reading and other festivals maybe for 20 years now. Has seen it all. We are all festival people but I don't want my dd going. My nurse friend said the biggest shock to the medics was the rise in gang rape there. She said they were just not ready for that one at all.

Rosehip10 · 31/08/2021 21:46

The amount of casual sexual violence in festivals towards women/girls is one of the most concerning issues.