To think that music festivals are bloody hard work and physically very tough?

[malificent7]

Just got back from Glastonbury and feel as rough as hell. I have been many times but this year at the age of 45 I might have to admitt defeat as much as I love them.

The media portrays this picture of unadulterated fun and freedom. The reality=
Lug your tent , clothes, food and booze for 30 mins( minimum,) from car to camping pitch.
Q q q for loos,food, drink etc.
Exposed to elements such as blazing sun with little shade.
Walk 25 miles a day.
Catch the lurgy as in close proximity to 1000000s .
Good job i love music but my body can't cope. I hate drugs and drank very little booze ..i'm more into Green smoothies but still feel awful today.

Diddums.

I'd love to have gone and I'm 57.

YANBU. They look fucking awful. Shit sleep, shit toilets, no washing, horrible campsites miles from anything, over priced food and drink, heaving crowds, nowhere to escape either the scorching heat or mud and driving rain, all to hear a badly performed live set from an act so far away their heads look like pin prices because slebs and influencers have taken the VIP places. Don't fancy it in the slightest.

It is exhausting. I loved Glastonbury and have been several times. My last one was a very long time ago though. 1998. It was a mud year and it's put me off for life.
The walking is exhausting you are right.

I've got to say I'm not keen on something the size of Glasto, Download used to be good but that got to big to cope this year. My favorite was Sonisphere which was held at Knebworth, two stages with alternating bands so you could see every act, 10 min walk from campsite to front of stage.

I’m with you. I was there this year and I’m a fucking mess today.

I could not do it.
DH went to a mini fest with DD a couple of years ago. They stood from 6-12 and then had a walk to get to the car. Even 16 year old DD was exhausted. Poor DH took a day or 2 to recover
I was at a concert last weekend, stood from 7-10.30 and ached a bit next day

Hard work and tiredness from lack of sleep sure. I never sleep well camping. Physically very tough? Absolutely not. Walking and sitting round in a field is not physically demanding. Nor is carrying stuff from the car

Used to love them but now they're just money making machines and the audience are treated like cattle. Part of it is age, i.e. you're less wanting to put up with squalid conditions when you get older, but a lot of it is trying to cram as many people in as possible whilst giving them minimal facilities - it was never that bad in the 70s and 80s. Also, don't know if it's age, but they just don't feel safe anymore - the last couple I've been to, I started to feel quite anxious about so many people in confined spaces and far too few stewards/security personnel, most of whom didn't have a clue - I had no confidence at all in them dealing with an emergency.

You would have to pay me handsomely to go plus put me up in one of luxury yurts /Airstreams with spa and hot tubs, then I’d still sit and watch it on telly from my hot tub.
All those annoying people with their plastic tat and view-impeding flags and why do they SING along with the artists?? I’d be telling them to sit down and shut up.

I found a dark tent, ear plugs and a good blow up mattress makes it work for me. I’m in my 50s and I can’t cope without sleep the way used to, even for a couple of nights.

Other than that I still love them. I take it easier than I did. More sitting around, less running from one thing to another (well, actually, no running at all!). But I have much less FOMO nowadays so I enjoy it all more.

Your mistake was not drinking enough cider.

Because then the trekking and queuing elements might have been less painful.😀

Or you could just stop at home and watch it on the telly ( which is what I did)

You couldn't pay me to go - looks horrendous

You need smaller festivals. We quite often go to Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Probably no more than 10,000 people. Half a dozen stages. The festival site is just outside the city walls so you can stay in a hotel with a comfy bed and hot running water and walk to the site every day.
My in-laws have just done the Black Deer Festival in Kent. Stonking line-up too.
Glastonbury is just too big now. The smaller stages ok, but I don't see the pleasure I'm standing in a field looking at a dot half a mile away.
See also Reading, which was deeply unpleasant last time I went.
I used to like V Festival which doesn't seem to be a thing anyore.

YANBU I grew up there and even when the whole of 6th form was bunking off to go to Glastonbury I could not be arsed aged 18! So don’t blame you at all.

Better view on telly with no other irritating people surrounding you.

This year I have been semi tempted by some more arty type family festivals but don’t think I could even cope with those.

YANBU Gave them up in my 20s. I hate queuing for disgusting toilets, waiting to see far away bands,paying outrageous prices for food, drinks and tickets, too many people around, camping amongst mostly annoying students etc Call me a party pooper but give me a gig in a pub or a club any day with pakora ln the way home.

Hard work? They're not compulsory! The only music festival I've ever been to was a local one 10 minutes walk from my house, so that I could sleep at home. I've always thought that camping at a festival sounded ghastly.

I went to a concert on Saturday...4pm-10.30pm. Had 2 drinks max, slept in a comfy hotel afterwards and am still exhausted. Today has been the worst.
It must have been all the fresh air, sunshine, excitement and walking to the venue.
A 3 day festival would wreck me. No idea how they do it, must be their youth.

Where did the OP say it was compulsory?

Miserable fuckers!
I'm 40, stayed up dancing til between 4 and 6am every night and got engaged!

I had a great time and the tiredness / possible covid I have today is worth it.

Roll on next year.

I love festivals but I take a chair these days!

It's definitely a bit of a chore, especially in hot weather. Very hard to keep yourself properly hydrated.

Last festival I went to had the parking at the top of one hill, festival in the dip, then camping spread across another hill opposite. We were late enough arriving that we had to slog all the way to the furthest reaches of the top back and forth three times to get all our gear in. We actually packed on the last day and I drove home sober after the final act rather than crush out with everyone else the next morning.

I used to do them in my distant youth. I can't be done eating outside at a barbecue these days so nope. Couldn't pay me enough to go either.

Haha yanbu, I worked them for a while with Samaritans, much better quality of life than the punters (gas cooker, fridge etc) and I miss it but I'm not sure I'd rough it for a week amongst other people's litter in God only knows what weather to sleep in a too hot too cold tent for hundreds of pounds 😂🎪

I don’t think this should be any surprise to anyone? I’ve just come back from Glastonbury, it’s bloody hard work, but I think if anyone goes not realising that I’m not sure what it was that they were expecting?

This is exactly why glamping options, although expensive, have become so popular as that makes it slightly less hard work.