Reading 2022 Any of your 16 year olds going?

[MumofSpud]

DD is off to Reading next week - planning on going on Thursday-- morning (as soon as possible her GCSE results email (to avoid any falling out!)--
She is going in a group and they also have friends going on the Wednesday - these friends will take their tent and put it up for them so they all get a good spot together
Can't see what could possibly go wrong with that plan!
I went to Glastonbury (a million years ago) so am a bit out of touch with current festivals!
I had originally said no to her going but when I saw here on Reading threads that most Ops would let their 16 year old DC go / Reading is full of Year 11s, I changed my mind.
We watched the recent Woodstock 99 documentary but she thought it all looked great fun
She is used to going to gigs / mosh pits - although is horrified that I was moshing in the early 90s!
Any advice? (For either of us - although she won't listen to me!)

Mine is back, now clean and in bed! Phew.
Says he had the best time, has lost his voice and had something written on his back in fluorescent pen... I think he probably enjoyed his birthday! 😂

Yep DD also had stuff written all over her. She headed straight for bed as she’s been up all night. I had 4 of them in the car and none of them could talk on the way home as all lost their voices. Think it’s been an epic weekend. After seeing all the headlines I’m just glad they are back safe and sound!

Good to hear of all the safe returns! DS slept for 11 hours last night, still coughing and snotty, but full of the experience. He's rather glad he wasn't there last night or trying to leave today by all accounts, but is really pleased to have had the experience. Not sure we will be going through this again!

DS came back with his head (very badly) shaved 😭and immediately went to bed and slept for 12 hours. He had a great time though.

DD went straight to bed when we got in at about 2am then an hour later woke me up to say she was having a nightmare!
So she slept in my bed - she is still there!

A bit stressful this morning as no contact from DS since 12.30am but the mum collecting had a message from her DS this morning asking her to collect the boys early, but none of us could get hold of them - she set off & her DS did then call so DS was dropped home at about midday. Dirty, exhausted & with a glitter tattoo on his arm but loved it...I'd scared myself silly with Twitter feed fire stories but he only saw a few tents on fire & they were far away from their tent 😂 ...says they want to go again next year but will do camping plus, mainly because of the access to chargers...

The images on line of the burning tents & the mess left behind make such a mockery of the festival #

Thanks for your company (don't know if I was the only Leeds mum on the thread?)

Agree with Legosunqueen - it was lovely to have the company of all these Mumsnetters as we give our kids wings, but keep worrying about them.

DD slept until 1.00 pm today. Exhausted but happy! She loves Arctic Monkeys. When they were on she couldn’t see because there was a tall lad in front of her. She asked him if she could stand in front of him, and he said “Just get on my shoulders” - she was absolutely thrilled as she had the best view! If this was a Mumsnetter’s son, thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing up such a gentleman!

It has indeed been really good having your company, and so lovely to hear stories of the other teens!
Ours has just asked for food, so I'm hoping he's able to give us a few anecdotes from the days. I don't want to hear too much though 😉

www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/29/reading-festival-violence-tent-burning?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Picked DD up at midnight last night as she had to be at work today on a farm at 8:30 - just collected her now at 6pm - she’s shattered, met loads of new people who will be at her new 6th form - and today has learnt what it means to work hard and play hard …. She can barely speak - is having a nap now and then we are taking her out to dinner this evening to finally celebrate her results.

She said that there were rumours of people getting “spiked” with syringes. One of her friends ended up in the welfare tent and parents had to come to collect her on Saturday…..

Meant to say too, so very sad about the 16 year old boy, such a tragic waste, what a lovely & dignified statement from his parents 💙

Just read that Guardian article @DFOD & am pretty appalled that the police don't seem to see arson as a serious matter...there was enough footage & tweets to make it clear that it must have been very scary & that there was a potential threat to live. No other festival has this tradition as far as I'm aware...

Yes the boy at Leeds is so dreadfully sad
and a parents worst nightmare.

@DFOD same here with DD. She’s doing a shift at Waitrose tonight. She reckons she’s had a total of 9 hours sleep over the last 4 days and cannot speak as her voice has completely gone. She will be good for nothing when she gets back.

Thanks for the hand hold over the weekend. It’s been comforting to hear all the DC’s updates!

Well my dc had a great time but sadly has returned with COVID - fortunately not feeling too bad. If you’re not anti testing may well be a good idea to do some precautionary testing.

@Ollycat - I thought it might be rife there!
We'll test DS in the morning, he's very full of cold, so Covid did spring to mind!

Hope your DD stays well.

So a couple of days on and DD has a serious case of Festival flu! Have tested for Covid and she’s negative. But she has a shocking cough, cold sores all over her lips and still no voice. Hasn’t left her bed since she got back from work on Monday night. She’s certainly paying the price for her partying hard!! 🥴🤧🤒

Hi!
DD also has loads of cold sores !
She does sometimes get one (maybe once a year)
I ended up getting a prescription- through 111 - for something - the pharmacy said she'd need something stronger than over the counter stuff!
So she is on pills x 5 times a day for 5 days

No Covid / other symptoms though!

@MrsMitford3 - just wanted to say a huge thank you for the TGIF car park tip - this top tip has saved the sanity of both parents and the festival go-er!

@Sistanotcista So glad!
such brilliant people watching as well!
how did it go? Looked like it all got a bit messy!

@Sistanotcista glad it worked. When purple were saying it would be locked I thought no way it’s a retail park. A small one bit still one. The Aldi there must make a fortune the festival week as it’s always crammed.

I forgot one year dropped one of my ds off somewhere near reading thought I’ll just pop to that Aldi and regretted it. Stuck in so much traffic and so many people.

they do seem to have gone stupid this year on the games in camping. Ds never brought tent home and that wasn’t because they didn’t want to but because someone else would have broken it, peed on it, puked on it etc so they couldn’t.

the local scout groups go round retrieving any salvageable stuff and resell at local boot sales and then the rest gets thrown away.

my sister who works in a charity shop in caversham said they sold out of blankets Sleeping bags and t shirts and hoodies.

Yes that retail Park car park was an absolute godsend on Monday morning.

DD is still ill and in bed 4 days on. And she has kindly given whatever she has to me so I’m laid up too!

DS has recovered from 'festival flu' today. Just as well as he has work tomorrow but also still some of the bridging work for sixth form to finish. We dashed into our local city today to buy sixth form business wear. He's buying his ticket for next year's Leeds fest with some of his 'cash for grades' 😂