16yr old dd wants to go to a festival

[dalmatianmad]

Hello all, would appreciate your thoughts please!
Dd is 16 next month, she wants to attend the Y not festival which is fairly local to us in Derbyshire. She wants to go with her friend, similar age.

They want to camp all weekend, I've checked the website and it states that 16 years and over are accepted without an adult.

I feel so uneasy and don't think she should go, she's far too young. she's been in touch with her dad and he's agreed to pay for her ticket.

Apparently the other mum is ok with it all.
Makes me look like the mum that doesn't let her kids do anything!!

What do you reckon???

Is she planning on going to uni in a couple of years? Because if she is you need to let/make her start doing things for herself so that she can learn how to deal with situations while you are nearby for her to call if she needs it.

If a 16 year old wants to get drunk, do drugs and have sex with strangers they'll do it at a party, at a mates house or wherever - they don't suddenly become alcoholic druggy nymphos the second they walk through the festival site gates.

We all want to protect our kids as much as possible, but the best way to protect them it to teach them how to keep themselves safe and to let them experience things at an age appropriate time when we are nearish to hand and they are still young enough that they'll pick up the phone and give the "Muuuuuuuum" whine that means they want to come home/they've run out of money/they need help/they are utterly exhausted and really don't want to get the train home.

As festivals go I think it's one of the tamest she could possibly pick and you say you don't live far away. I would say definitely let her go.

If you always say no to everything she will eventually stop asking!

I went to the V festival at that age. No mobile phones back then either so no way to keep in touch with parents. And I wasn't streetwise or mature at all (though was pretty sensible).

I'd let her go.

My DD went to Y Not at that age it's a good one to start. I would let her go. Just talk re drugs and having phones stolen etc.

I wouldn't let my 16 year old camp. I would let them go on day tickets
The camps can be 'very ' wild depending on the festival. The worst I've been to is reading/Leeds and V
Y not is at the tamer end but still shit loads of drugs sex and drink
However they are amazing fun but I wouldn't let mine go camping just yet.