Leeds festival my 16 year old DD wants go, what do you think?

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She'll be 17 the day it starts. She wants to go for the four days with lots of her friends, a mix of boys and girls.

She's a good kid, she's in sixth form doing really well. Never gives me an ounce of trouble and is sensible.

Four days away in a tent with no showers etc is my idea of hell! I think she's a bit naive about how rough the camping will be. Plus it's a 3 hour train ride with all their kit, or parents might take them.

I know they'll party hard and drink loads and they'll have the best time.

I'm just wondering if it's a safe event and I can stop worrying.

Personally I wouldn't let mine until they were 18. If my eldest said she was going at 20 I'd probably still be worried! Luckily she didn't want to go when friends did after alevels as she couldn't stand the idea of no showers and camping! Her friends did enjoy themselves but left a day early because some idiots were setting fire to tents and they didn't feel safe anymore.

Too young I think, could she start with a shorter festival which is closer to home. You can't account for other people's behaviour.

I went at 17. My mum refused to let me until I just sat her down matter of factly and explained that I’d be going either way so would rather go with her permission. I was 17 and had the money for the ticket form my part-time job, she couldn’t lock me away like rapunzel.
The entire festival is full of 16-18 year olds, she’ll be fine and if she’s not then just offer to pick her up at any time.

I am 31 and first went at 17 after my AS results.

I was very sensible, never took a drug, had just got 4 As kinda val but I was also surrounded by my friends doing all sorts of drugs and was often left stranded due to getting outrageously drunk some nights!

She may hate you for it, but I'd wait until she was 18 x

If she’s sensible I’d let her go.

It sounds like she’s biddable enough she wouldn’t really act up if you said no, but unless she’s young for her age, I don’t know that it’s sensible to off all independence till 18 and university because it can lead to people going a bit crackers.

I went to Glastonbury from 17 I think, and at that age we behaved quite well. Not quite so well in our 20s.. 😁

Drugs and predators everywhere.

My 18 year old went in the summer when he was 17 and said young girls were being given drugs and taken in to tents by older boys/men.

My DD is fifteen and no way will she be going anywhere near that festival underage.

Whom.is she going with? If trusted good mates who look out for each other I'd discuss it. Festivals are amazing.

Leeds Fest is a festival with a high number of teens 16+. Also alot of drugs around and people who prey on first time drug takers. Needs to be able to tell them no and piss off.

Leeds is the parallel festival to Reading and thousands of 16 and 17 year olds collect their GCSE results and head to the festival.

I can’t say I didn’t worry, but of the many thousands that do go they do all (with very rare exceptions) seem to return home safe and sound, if filthy and exhausted.

Mine went to reading and loved it, though I was bricking it and on stand by to collect her the whole weekend. Obviously not exactly the same, but there was a huge thread last year about the reading festival that may be worth a read if you can find it.

My friends son wound up in hospital, nearly died. So I said no to DS until he was 18. Another mum on here booked into a hotel nearby so that if things went badly wrong she was on hand

My daughter went when she was 16 with her college mates. I went through lecture oc...dont leave drink around...dont take drugs off anyone...stick with your own.. keep mobile charged up.i had to trust her.

3 day festival...she run outta money on 2nd day after lending to a friend...rung wanting to come home lol. I had to pay for a return taxi..200 quid ... she had to pay me back. Lesson learned.

I would find this really hard. I give my teen dcs a lot of independence, and I went to Glastonbury at 17. But Reading/Leeds feels really different to me.

DS went to Reading at 16, a whole group of them went from school, boys and girls. They had a great time.

I’d be saying no. It’s too young and those festivals are too hectic. It’s just peer pressure as one persons parent says yes and then every parent feels like they have to, so like domino’s everyone caves in. Like with smartphones. We all know it’s way too risky but give them to 11/12 year olds anyway.

Isn’t it about time we just acted like grown ups and mentored our kids better?

I'd let her go. What a fantastic 17th birthday! We all worry about our young adult children, but she's old enough to make sensible choices and it sounds like she's earned your trust.

DD went last year after her GCSEs age 16 which they all seem to do where we live

They had an absolute blast

It's full of 16 year olds

They can't drink loads because they can't take any in and they're too young to buy it once they are are in and the small amounts they are able to smuggle in isn't really enough to do much damage over 4 days

The flip side of this of course is that it's far easier to get your hands on any drugs as an alternative

Also there is tons of security and welfare people there so they do check the venue for underage drinkers and they will take any cans etc off them

I was a sensible kid who used to drink until she was blackout drunk and took mysterious drugs off of strangers. So I would probably say no.

Leeds and Reading festival are feral. I'd wait till she's 18 and better able to recognise and get out of a tricky situation. People do so much growing up between 16 and 18. She'll have more fun and less fear with 2 years more life experience.

It is safe because they've upped security and welfare points but last year there were rapes and random spiking.
Not sure if there were any drug related deaths this year but there usually is

People saying “I went when I was 17 and it was fine”, how old are you now/how long ago was that? I went when I was 16, 17 and 18. I’m now 37 so that was 20 years ago (!!) and the festival is very different now.
My main worry for a 17 year old girl there would be sexual assault and/or rape.

I went to Reading when I was 16 (17 that summer) so an academic year younger. Reading/Leeds used to be the festival everyone went to after collecting their exam results. We didn't have mobile phones. It was fine. Tell them to make sure they stick together and never leave anyone on their own and it will all be great! Although the line ups have been pretty rubbish since the 90s.

I also went to these festivals when I was young, however I agree that they are very different these days. If you let her go, I would be explaining that she never leaves her drink anywhere, never accepts a drink from anyone (both of these are good advice generally not just at festivals), and maybe carry an alarm.

If it makes you feel better, could you get a travelodge or similar nearby? It might make you feel better without cranking her style?

Ultimately, anything that can happen to her at 17 can just as easily happen at 18, and you can't cacoon her forever. Incidents are actually rare when you think about how many people go, and as long as she is sensible, she should have a great time.

My teen went to their first festival at 18 - definitely not mature enough anytime before that.

Everyone is different, you have to gauge your teen and their friendship group.

The one thing mine does recommend is booking a separate luxury shower package through a company called refresh retreat - well worth it in their experience.

https://www.therefreshretreat.co.uk/event?code=12#pricing