I went to Reading last year and it was fantastic. The scheduling of the music is so great that you would spoil it by being intoxicated, so I don’t think people would feel a ‘need’ to get off their faces to have a good time.
There’s a lot there about safety- loads of welfare tents and even spiritual counselling dotted along the walkways if anyone was hurt, scared or depressed. There was lots around - posters, leafleting, etc about consent. Volunteers would approach mixed groups and talk about consent and where to find help (but being met with eyerolls).
There was obviously a lot of drinking going on, people staggering around later on. But there is a lot done to stop things being smuggled in. There is a supermarket where people can buy alcohol on site, but a case of lager is heavy, so no one could carry many back to their tents, so it is fairly self-limiting.
Of the thousands attending, there seemed to only be a couple of hundred- max- bopping into the early hours which would suggest they were on pills/speed, it definitely didn’t seem like the thing everyone was doing after hours.
The young women seem to have been inspired by Love Island or something to wear very impractical and revealing clothing, which was a bit shocking at first, but since so many are doing it, it is less of a worry that they’ll be targeted by predatory men.
I was part of a very small minority of ‘grown-ups’ and it was very sweet the way the young people kept asking me questions and thinking I must work there, they seemed so young and reassured that a mum-age woman was there.
If it were my child I would give them very clear advice.
- Don’t pitch your tent right next to the path very close to the entrance to the stages - people are likely to fall on it, steal from it, males might urinate on it because they can’t find the loos.
- Stick together with your friends, agree on a meeting point if you get separated and your phone is flat. Discuss what you want to see and where you’ll head. There might be a thing of “always head for the front right of the stage” to improve your chances of finding each other. It also might be an idea to write your friends phone numbers down and all members of the group have a copy, so you can get in touch if you are separated and phones run out of battery.
- Be mindful of your drink getting spiked - open up your own drinks and keep hold of them.
- Be sun safe and stay hydrated.
- Look out for each other, share a tent with your friends or pitch them right next to each other.
- Sleep with your valuables under your pillow or feet - ie- away from the tent door and don’t leave anything valuable in your tent.