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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:
SleepingStandingUp · 31/08/2021 22:41

Before I had read this, I might have been happy for DD to go to a festival with her friends when she reaches 16/17. No chance I would let her go now. Just need to pick your festival. And female only camping is a bonus

Mumwithbaggage · 31/08/2021 22:43

Dd (17) and her female friends were all in white campsite (furthest away from the arena and quietest. Some of the boys from here ended up with them due to this. Dd did have an amazing time - covid now we think though.

Charley50 · 31/08/2021 22:44

@Iamthewombat

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?

Are you thinking of WOMAD? That had two venues I think, but I can't remember where.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 31/08/2021 22:45

This has been going on for 20-25 years? Why?!

£££££££££££

Mumwithbaggage · 31/08/2021 22:46

V Fest was in Chelmsford and somewhere in the north.

Charley50 · 31/08/2021 22:48

Or I'm.. V

Charley50 · 31/08/2021 22:49

Um, not I'm

GrannyWeatherwaxsHatpin · 31/08/2021 22:49

WOMAD was at the same site as Reading IIRC, but it got moved in the (?) 2000s as they didn’t want two big festivals on the same site, even though they were on at different dates.

MistySkiesAfterRain · 31/08/2021 22:50

Reading is like a rite of passage but I think its one of the worst for drugs. I'm talking going back to the 90s. There are nicer festivals with a more relaxed family crowd.

Evenstar · 31/08/2021 22:52

My eldest son had to form a defensive ring round a tent full of girls who were with him and his friends at Reading in 2009. They ended up in numerous fist fights to prevent the girls being assaulted and the tent and their belongings set on fire. People were also stabbing the sides of tents with people in them with knives.

As far as I know he hasn’t been to another festival, and he was 19, 6 foot 4 inches and strong, that particular festival is not far from me and the trouble every year makes the local news. I would not consider allowing 16 or 17 year olds to go, there are plenty of other festivals that are less dangerous.

myheartskippedabeat · 31/08/2021 22:56

Festivals are always drug dens have been for years and there is always trouble at them. My cousin is a police officer he says they should be banned for wasting their time

RampantIvy · 31/08/2021 22:58

@Mumwithbaggage

V Fest was in Chelmsford and somewhere in the north.
Temple Newsham in Leeds
FudgeFlake · 31/08/2021 22:59

@RedToothBrush

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....

Yup I remember that year at Glastonbury. One of us had wandered off on the Friday night and reappeared late morning on the Saturday wearing one shoe and a blanket. She never did regain her memory of what she'd been doing in the gap but she got away without pregnancy or an STI, whatever it was. Anyway I ended up on duty in the tent to keep an eye on her as she recovered, with a supply of tea and biscuits and a promise that I'd be relieved around 4 pm. Around one in the afternoon I heard a lot of shouting and stuck my head out to find out what was going on. It was an older chap with long grey hair, no shirt - and a shotgun. I realised he was bellowing something about his girlfriend, apparently she'd gone off with someone into this field the night before and he was going to ''sort the fuckers out'. I ducked back into the tent and hid. This field is now the GreenField btw!
Spectre8 · 31/08/2021 22:59

Ive been to lots of festivals around the world but by far the worst behaviour are in UK ones. It was same when I went to creamfields, I only heard from my friends who were camping as I decided to stay in a hotel.

Basically sounds like Sunday is the last day and like at Creamfields people have lots of drugs left over and take it all, mixing it up just to finish them. They are absolutely off their rockers and not in control, same what I experienced at Creamfields, these people spinning out on all the drugs and alcohol they mixed together and lads fighting over a 'look' etc.

I never camp at UK festivals, I stay at hotels even if it means a bit more money or journey time because I would never put myself through what happens in the camping grounds. This is what you would see at fesitvals overseas where the people you camp next to become friends etc.

MistySkiesAfterRain · 31/08/2021 23:00

@Puzzledandpissedoff

This has been going on for 20-25 years? Why?!

£££££££££££

This. All about marketing.

Not all festivals are like this though. Some have more focus on performing arts and supporting charities like Glastonbury.

fluffythedragonslayer · 31/08/2021 23:04

Reading is awful. I'd strongly discourage my kids from going and I certainly would never go again myself.

Roominmyhouse · 31/08/2021 23:05

I went to Reading for many years from 2001 onwards. Sunday night has always been the same and ended with people trashing the place and burning anything they can get their hands on. It's a minority of people who do it but it can be scary for those camped near them. The organisers don't care and the security do nothing. It's just allowed to happen every year. The problem is that some people think its part of going to the festival and a rite of passage.

SnotandBothered · 31/08/2021 23:05

I'm so sorry to hear of your daughter's experience OP.

DD went this year with a big group of friends (aged 16 & 17). Boys and Girls. They had wanted to camp in Purple but it was full so they ended up in Green. She was aware that things can turn nasty on the Sunday and we'd uhmed and ahhed about her staying on Sunday night all weekend... Sunday lunch time she called me and said they'd decided to stay and leave early early Monday morning. She said she was sure and that she felt safe. At eleven pm on Sunday night she called again and asked if there was any way I could collect her as things were spiralling out of control. I told her and three of her friends to leave the site and go somewhere safe. They ended up waiting in front of a hotel whilst I hurtled up the M4 and waded my way through the chaos and gridlock of Reading Town centre at 1am. I don't think she's ever been so glad to see me.

It's a disgrace. The ticket's aren't cheap and they need to spend more on proper, reliable and effective security. Full stop.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 31/08/2021 23:07

@bettyfloormop

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?

Am I remembering that correctly?

I did see Nirvana pre-Nevermind in 1991 which was amazing.

No… Reading has always been in, well, Reading. They added the Leeds location in 1999 but this was previously one of the locations of V Festival, the other being Chelmsford.
bettyfloormop · 31/08/2021 23:08

@Iamthewombat

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?

Don't be a jerk.

I got my festivals mixed up...Reading in 1991.

Must have been V that I went to that was on two different sites. It was a long time ago.

00100001 · 31/08/2021 23:11

Why do you think these events are allowed to continue with such poor security and violence?

I'm guessing money talks

Savoury · 31/08/2021 23:11

Thanks for covering this OP. I had no idea and mine are keen to go. In the year of Everyone's Invited, it seems nothing has changed. Awful.

Iamthewombat · 31/08/2021 23:11

You are in your late forties. How can you not know, even roughly, where Reading is, particularly since you have been there?

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 31/08/2021 23:12

V is in Stafford and Chelmsford.
Reading is in Reading.
Womad is in Malmesbury now.

Habbyhadno · 31/08/2021 23:12

I worked at Reading three years in a row as a campsite assistant about 15 years ago and went as a paying customer a handful of other times and Sunday nights are horrific. I was in my late 20s and they scared the shit out of me. I don't know how someone hasn't been seriously hurt there, to be honest. I would never let any of my teenage kids stay on Sunday night.