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.

Says GymMum 🤡

YANBU. I love live music, but a festival is my idea of hell. I just couldn't enjoy it, largely due to the toilet situation, portaloos make me recoil in horror, we are far too developed for that!

Genuinely if someone gave me tickets I'd have to give them away!

They are hard work but nothing quite beats the experience of a live festival. Yes you can see better from your sofa but it's nothing like the same feeling. We go to Creamfields every year for the weekend and stay in a hotel which is bliss. The atmosphere is incredible and I dance like a loon for 2 days solid and then collapse at home for a week! I'm in my 50's. Went to Glastonbury a few times in the 90's but climbed over the fence so only decided when the forecast was good that we could drive down and hope over, happy days! 🤪

The ones at Butlins are quite good. In November I'll be seeing quite a few bands from my youth

https://www.shiiineon.com/shiiine-on-weekender-2023-line-up-announced/

It's all indoors, reasonable beds, the chalets are OK if a little basic.

Makes for a physically far easier festival

Two more things I am less concerned about at a festival nowadays!

I never understood why anyone goes...you see it better on TV.....Elton John was amazing...

😂

This is what I think about camping. You spend hours lugging stuff, setting it up & then pack it all away.

They're really hard work. 18 hour days, all the lifting of kit, running cables, fending off the public from staff areas, trying to get past people who think you're carrying an 8x10 cab for shits and giggles, people shitting everywhere, the occasional performer who thinks that they are too special and adorable to turn up on time, sober and rehearsed. Yeah, really hard work.

Oh, you mean as a punter? Fuck that.

It's not hard work. It's not work if you're not working.

It's more tiring than lying on a beach and less tiring than a nursing or hospitality shift.

I found them exhausting when I was 19 - much as I loved them.

Haven't been to a three dayer since I was about 24. I'm 41 now and do plan to go to Glastonbury at some point this decade by I'm definitely paying to glamp.

My favourite kind of festival now are the ones over multiple venues but where you stay in a hotel eg The Great Escape in Brighton.

Most of them are a young persons game. I loved festivals at 16-23, you’d have to pay me to go now.

We went to Download this year (and have been 5 of the last 10 years), and it was a 4 dayer this year. It was really hard work, it was INCREDIBLY hot on the Sunday as well. We only started feeling normal again this weekend, a fortnight after we got back!

I've never been, but I imagine it smelling of Portaloos, vomit and sweat. Does it?

Portaloo chemicals, shit, piss and burgers, mostly.

Festivals are basically a combination of all my fears/least favourite things 😂 crowds of people, noise, queuing, toilet sharing, camping, no sleep.

As I get older I need at minimum a king size bed and a hot tub if I'm going away for a few days. It's also needs to be no colder than 20 and no more than 26 degrees. I'm an ageing autistic person who is becoming more high maintenance by the day 😄

Smaller festivals are great fun. We try to do at least a couple each year.
We're older than you and still love festivals ( benefit at smaller ones is there's usually a bit more space so you can put up a little gazebo next to your tent or camper van to have some shade to doze in if the sun is too high).
Glastonbury is just too big imo ( to be fair I couldn't live in a city again either). It is trying to be all things to all people which is what makes it so full on. Don't let finding Glastonbury a bit much put you off festivals overall!

I always thought they look absolute shudder-inducing.

You're not wrong they're bloody hard work....especially for those that live near the site.

Congratulations! I'm 47 and feel rejuvenated, despite less than 4 hours sleep a night. It's exactly what I needed after a year of grief and hormonal shit. I eat really well, exercise every day, get into the forest with the dog regularly, but turns out, what I really needed to get rid of my anxious feelings was a massive singalong to Elton with 150k other people! Danced until 6am Saturday and walked back to the most incredible sunrise over the vale of avalon. Just so wonderful.
To be fair, we had a camper van in a backstage bit, so I didn't have to deal with carrying camping stuff. But still. Life affirming!

The best festivals for me are the ones over a couple of days where no camping is involved. All day on site then home to bed and back again the next day or just do the one day. Camping is shit and too many people at Glastonbury. I’m surprised some of those watching Elton could see the screen, let alone him.

I have found my tribe 😂

There is almost nothing about Glastonbury that appeals.

Seeing/ hearing music about half a mile away in a crowd of smelly people, queues for disgusting toilets, noise all night so you hardly sleep, lots of people drinking and doing drugs.... nope.

I don’t blame you. Going to Glastonbury is my idea of hell.