How can I keep an eye on my teen at a festival?

[gruppybird]

My kid wants to go to the roundhouse festival alone with his friends, and honestly I’m not okay with that. It’s his first time going somewhere without us, and I’m not sure how to handle this situation. I’ve thought about things like location sharing and check-ins, but it still feels uncertain and unreliable.

Has anyone dealt with this before? How to eye on them without being too controlling?

Dyu mean roundhouse venue camden? Is like going to a theatre or cinema. So drop him off and meet him outside after. No big deal.

Ok fine. OP has given very little detail.

Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival Tickets | London 2026

Young people attend the Roundhouse all year round for youth arts projects etc.

It's a venue.

A v civilised venue.

Where would be be travelling from? Is the transport concerning you?

13 year olds travel across London on tubes, trains and buses all the time.

Quite. I think as OP failed to specify what festival she was talking about people envisaged a drugs-and-booze-in-a-muddy-field festival.

Tough. He'll have to get over it. The answer is No. No discussion and debate. I would set expectation as to when it will be acceptable and mark the date in your diary in case of late invites to "sleepovers"

If you are prepared to take him or another adult you trust is, that's an option but otherwise No and I suspect you will find that you are in safe company with other parents of his friends.

This is the straightforward, "everyone else is doing it/going/has it" and it won't be the first ask like this.

Err - I've just seen the links. It might be called a festival but it's arts events running over a month largely in a theatre, fully seated. Which event(s) does he want to attend? He'll be ID checked for anything over 18 so that's a no but I'm not sure that I'd die in a ditch over a poetry reading... ?

So would it involve him staying overnight in London with his mates? That would be a no - they wouldn't get a hotel for a start. Or is it a short trip from home for an evening gig?

If it’s the 360 Festival, which I suspect it is, it’s mostly daytime events: performances, workshops, talks etc. The festival runs over the whole of April. It’s a performing arts festival, not a music festival.

I’m not familiar with that festival. If it’s a music festival in a field with multiple stages and everyone drinking and taking drugs then no way is my 13yo going. If it’s more of a cultural festival in a city venue during the day then yes that’s fine my kids were travelling across our city on public transport from age 12 to get to school and back and visit friends. If it finishes after dark we’d be picking them up afterwards either from the venue or a station.

If he is at the festival i don't see how tracking would make a difference if he ia there he is there what would tracking do?

So say no?

I know. But I haven't seen anything about how far from there OP and the 13 year old live. That's why I was asking if it would involve an overnight stay.

Just make it clear to him, that you're not okay with him going. If you don't want to disappointment him. just have a open talk and set some rules that he needs to follow, because if not today, then tomorrow he will go with his friends.

If he insists on going despite that, you could consider setting up location alerts. I read something like this on quora people there mention xnspy to monitor location in real-time. This might help you stay informed and give you some peace of mind.