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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:
Iamthewombat · 31/08/2021 22:11

Sorry haven't RTFT but when I went to Reading (my very first festival aged 18 in 1991), it was on two sites as I recall..one in the Midlands and one in Essex?

Are you seriously telling us that you have been to Reading and still think that this large and well known town is in Essex or the Midlands? Have you been to the Leeds festival in Wales?

RampantIvy · 31/08/2021 22:11

DD worked at Leeds festival a couple of years ago. The camps are separated into different areas, the red camp being the worst for drugs and partying. At one point it wasn't safe for them to patrol in part of the red camp and the security tent was surrounded by a big gang of very drunk or drugged up festival goers.

She said it was a good way to go to the festival as the workers camp site was OK with showers, better loos and much safer. They had to do one night shift and miss one of the headline bands, but they got their tickets refunded after they had completed all their shifts.

FindingMeno · 31/08/2021 22:13

Thank you for this warning, op.
It sounds terrifying and I'm sure many of us were not aware.
I am amazed its been allowed to go on for so long.
I won't now let my dc's do a Sunday while I still have the say-so, and its a good pre-warning of advice and contingency planning for those who do let their dc go.

idontlikealdi · 31/08/2021 22:13

Reading has always been like this. I went from 2001-2004 and it was the same then. Glastonbury doesn't have that vibe at all.

AnnaDyne · 31/08/2021 22:13

My dd was there, she said there was a bit of this going on, but nothing different to previous years. Her older sisters said this happened when they went too.

She actually came back at 3am on Monday morning - I think she'd had enough though, she was ill and had run out of money and wanted to beat the crowds.

I think it's very different from when I went in the early 90s. Seems to be that 16 year olds go after GCSEs - certainly my older dds never went back and moved onto other festivals.

BoredZelda · 31/08/2021 22:13

It's been the same for 20 years!

And yet in 20 years I’ve never heard of it happening to this extent. I don’t exactly live with my head in the sand either.

SuperCaliFragalistic · 31/08/2021 22:14

Was getting the same when I went in the late 90s. Although I don't remember fires - definitely portaloos being knocked over, thefts and people pissing on tents. Fucking grim. Hopefully shit like that won't be around when my DC are old enough to go. I think festivals have reached a bit of a peak for cost vs enjoyment for many and young people in the main are more aware than they used to be. Its the minority who do shit like this. I think in the next few years we'll see teenagers looking for less hedonistic experiences that offer them a better overall experience and access to bands and weekends away will change. And Reading and it's ilk will die a death.

Flowerpower23 · 31/08/2021 22:17

This happens there every year, when I was a teenager I went three years in a row and it happened every year. It’s somewhat of a tradition at Leeds and Reading to do that I think (not that I’m condoning it)

Witchlight · 31/08/2021 22:18

DS went with a group of friends 10 years ago, post GCSEs. I had a call at 1:30 am to pick him, and the 4 others up.

The boys spent the journey back apologising for dragging me out at that time of night. My response was that I was so pleased that had assessed the situation and asked for help to get out of it. I felt it showed a good degree of common sense.

They were all showered and tucked up in bed by 3:00am. This was a present to DS from me in lieu of a 16th birthday party (5 weekend camping passes) there were others who also went, but decided to stay - they had a pretty horrific night.

ZittiEBuoni · 31/08/2021 22:19

I've had a weekend of 16 year old DD with the long face because she wasn't at Reading (she made no attempt to buy tickets and none of her friends went, so this is just TikTok or Insta-envy). I'm now extremely relieved that she wasn't there - and she won't be there next year either!

I went in the late 80s/early 90s and the worst thing that happened was a fight next to my tent...between my boyfriend and my ex Blush.

ZittiEBuoni · 31/08/2021 22:22

runforthehillocks my brother was at that MOR. I remember well my mum on the phone all night trying to get through to the festival organisers to make sure if he was OK. Later on there were reports that one of the victims was tattooed, which took a bit of the pressure off.

It was a horrible night. (Of course he turned up the next day wondering what all the fuss was about...)

beboopbadoop · 31/08/2021 22:24

@itsallabittiring I first went to Reading in 2003 and for a few years after. It was exactly the same - people setting fire to portaloos, building aerosol fires to have competitions jumping over them before they exploded etc. I do remember the fire crews being pretty busy and everyone was mostly left to it. It was a rough festival then and sounds like it hasn't changed much.

ThreeFlowers · 31/08/2021 22:25

I had not idea. This just isn’t cool at all, send her to Glastonbury next year ☮️

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 31/08/2021 22:26

@BoredZelda

It's been the same for 20 years!

And yet in 20 years I’ve never heard of it happening to this extent. I don’t exactly live with my head in the sand either.

Here's a few stories/reports, I'm going back to 2001 as that's when I was there.

www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/topic/111220-history-of-rioting-at-leeds/

www.nme.com/news/music/pulp-185-1390508

www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/feb/21/martinwainwright

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/other/why-is-there-always-a-riot-at-reading-festival

RedToothBrush · 31/08/2021 22:26

I've been to a lot of festivals.

I agree with other posters that Reading was always the roughest / scariest that I'd been too. The atmosphere wasn't the most pleasant. Leeds I think was generally worse on the final night and had a reputation for full on almost riots at one point.

I would say that there was one year at Glasto which was dreadful. Everyone I knew got mugged in their tents over night - and it was apparently happening all over the site. (Didn't happen to me). As a result they put up The Wall to stop so many fence jumpers. Subsequent years were less bad.

But yeah, Reading - you pick where you camp carefully and think about who you are camped next too. And my tip would be to try and make friends with those next to you. If you wouldn't for any reason, you are camped in the wrong place....

beboopbadoop · 31/08/2021 22:27

Plus if you think reading is bad, don't let them go to Boomtown!

GingerFoxInAT0phat · 31/08/2021 22:29

I’ve been to Leeds every Sunday for the last 8 years (can only hack one night in a tent) and have never seen anyone setting tents on fires. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen I’ve just never witnessed it.

Ketamine is flying round though, feels like everywhere you look there’s teens laid about because they’re legs have give way or in a ket hole.

As a pp said earlier, I think a lot of teens/young adults might think I’m festivals are like Coachella that they’ve seen on Insta and TikTok where there’s beautiful people skipping along at sunset and they could not be any more further apart!

Mamainthemaking · 31/08/2021 22:29

This always happens at Reading.

beboopbadoop · 31/08/2021 22:31

@RedToothBrush yes glasto 2000 was terrible, lots of my friends got mugged, it was a mess. I've been lots since and never had a problem (the big wall helped)

ZittiEBuoni · 31/08/2021 22:32

Mind you, there were even groups of young teens marauding on the Sunday night yelling about Ket when I went to Camp Bestival with 7 and 6 year olds ten years ago - so I'm not sure why I'm surprised to hear this.

SleepingStandingUp · 31/08/2021 22:35

@Littlegemlettuce

I’m 😱 at this.

Been to a few heavy metal festivals in my younger years and seen not one iota of anything resembling anything I’ve read here.

Never once felt unsafe.

Ime heavy metal festivals and beer and weed and the security isnt made up of kids who want to feel "hard" so are much more pleasant
Scbchl · 31/08/2021 22:35

It happens every Sunday night at every festival I've ever been too. Tents and various other things set on fire, security start getting wrecked and leaving their posts (many are only there to watch/party for free) etc. Peoples tents being jumped on and trashed or stolen, people toileting in others tents. Hence why I say on every thread on here about festivals I wouldn't let my kids stay at a festival when young as I know what they are like. I use to be terrified
trying to sleep the Sunday and its really exasberated because by the time Sunday night comes you are exhausted, usually cold as the alcohol leaves your system and just desperate to sleep.

My mums friend was telling me on Saturday when I was with her, she was at a festival and there was groups of people stood taking pics of a man and woman drunkenly having sex with the door open to the tent. Only they weren't, he had given her rohypnol and was raping her and they didn't realise till the police turned up. Absolutely horrifying scenes can be seen at the campsites and festivals including young teens dropping down with drug overdoses and being stretchered out the crowds. It never use to be as bad 18 or so years ago when I started going but its pretty brutal now at certain festivals and was a good thing titp got cancelled.

Essexgirlupnorth · 31/08/2021 22:35

Reading/Leeds is notorious for this and have been for years husband went 20 years ago and it was the same then.

Lj8893 · 31/08/2021 22:36

Sounds horrific.

I’m another one to say Glastonbury is a completely different vibe. There is a lot of drug taking but you can easily avoid it, and I’ve never seen any violence.
Last Glastonbury though (2019) we did get our tent robbed whilst we were asleep, they took about £20 and a pouch of tobacco. That’s the worst thing I’ve had happen to me there!

Lucky44 · 31/08/2021 22:38

DS and his mates left Leeds at 1am - fights, fires and felt unsafe. And this is a group of streetwise lads. I was so pleased they were sensible and didn’t mind the 4am wake up call to let him in.