Talk to me about reading festival

[JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome]

My daughter will be just 16 this summer in time for reading. We've bought the weekend ticket but I feel I've been a bit press ganged into this by parents of her friends and wish I'd stood my ground and said no camping.

I still can say no camping and have said to DD we have the ticket we will keep options open on camping but if she wants to do just days that is finr but obvs she says she wants to camp.

Am I being over protective, she feels v young and she's a bit of a space cadet at times.

Any first hand experiences welcome.

My DD went at just 16 and I was terrified! She travelled by organised coach and went with a friend. They had a great time and no harm came to them.

I went to Reading back in 2018 with camping and drugs were everywhere so just be aware of that! I'm sure that's known by most people but on the side of a tent I saw someone offering sex for ketamine! Someone also did a wee up my tent and threw a cup of wee at me in the crowd. Drugs and sex were all over the place so I'm not sure it's the best place for a 16 year old to be honest! Also drugs and alcohol are easily accessible through others so even though she's underage it's still easily accessible.

This was 6 years ago, however I went last year thinking it would be similar (as when I went the drugs etc. were there but you could see past it) but actually it was worse and I didn't even stay one night! Adult me was naive and thought it would be fine but it was not so crowded with half naked and drugged up teenagers walking around was too much for me it used to be about the music but now I really don't think it is. Never again!

Reading at 16 after GCSEs seems to be a rite of passage. Some of my DCs did it. If she’s going in a group with friends she should be OK. Are you relatively local? If so you aren’t too far away if she loses her phone / money etc.

Really depends on your DD. Camping is notoriously one big party- alcohol, drugs, private tents without parental supervision. How sensible is she? I went to Leeds at 15 (over 20 years ago) But retrospectively I wouldn’t want my children acting in the way I was back then.

Anything she gets up to at reading, she'd find a way to do elsewhere. A few things to advise, if she's likely to follow your advice...

• camp in white campsite. It's the furthest away, but it's quieter, much less prone to chaos, and has decent toilets and showers
• don't go to the silent disco after the acts are finished. It's notoriously the most dangerous time
• don't camp on the last night if at all possible. It's always when the most trouble happens. They can pack up the tents during the day, and leave after the last act, or ideally before it. This wouldn't work if they need to get public transport after.
• make sure you speak to her about alcohol and drug safety, but also safe intercouse, and sun safety, drinking enough water, making sure she eats enough. Last year, there were more sunstroke patients than people showing up with side effects of drugs and alcohol.

I picked my daughter up at 2am from Leeds on the Sunday. Everyone looked 16-18 loafs of parents picking up shattered kids. My daughter camper in the second field away said it wasn't as bad as the first. Just loads of people shouting Alan at night.

Mine is a space cadet too but she stayed with her mates and they lookec after each other.

I saw absolutely loads of security too.

Agree if you do let her camp don’t let her stay the last night. My eldest DS went first when he was 17 - nearly 18 - and said they and their friends in next tent took it in turns to keep watch all night as people were setting fire to tents.
I’ve managed to put my two younger ones off going so far.

I haven't had good experiences which annoys me because I'd love for my kids to go as the line up is usually the only chance to see the artists they like now that concert ticket buying has become and Olympic sport.

My niece: Drove through the night to pick her up after a fight broke out and a bunch of lads crushed and wrecked their tent.

My nephew: was the year kids were lighting fires everywhere, trashing tents and fighting. He was just on day tickets & said first Day was great, second day the whole vibe had shifted.

My friend's daughter came back after 1 night, before the real acts had started because it was pissing down and they were just woefully unprepared. Cost her over £500 to sleep in a tent and cry.

I think the festival should be over 18's and maybe not begin quite as far in advance as it does...but I'm an old lady.

Not a chance at 16. It's very tough and open drug use absolutely everywhere. I was offered about 8 different things during one artist.

I didn't let my eldest go as I didn't think she had a close enough group of friends to look out for each other.

No 2 did go this summer with lots of school friends. He was fine and even managed to come back with his tent and other things in one piece. My nerves the day they went didn't help when I was told that some people bury alcohol in advance and put an air tag with it: not sure if thats just an urban myth though. We spoke to him a lot about sticking with his friends and having each other's back's especially if things did go wrong.

I'll still try and put off the youngest one though as it can get very messy very quickly.

DS went at 17, nearly 18 due to Covid years before. He camped for the whole festival and really enjoyed it - mainly as was in a huge group of friends and when offered drugs they formed a “no” wall, so felt safe the whole time.

DD went at just 17 but just for day as doesn’t fancy camping. Again was with huge group of friends. Saw all the bands she liked and had a good time.

I have a few different friends whose DDs went with just a small group or 1-2 friends and had a miserable time. So I’d definitely recommend going in a big group.

I felt pressured into letting DD1 go when she was 16. She’s autistic but the ExH assured me that he and his GF would stay in Reading for the weekend to be close in case she needed them (which turned out to be a complete lie). She did have a massive panic attack and had to go to the welfare tent for support.

She went again this year, refused to take the waterproof tent in favour of a non-waterproof one. The tent got absolutely drenched in the downpour and on the last night some lovely boys peed all over it.

But both times she says she did have a good time.

Thanks all not sure how I feel now but at least I am better informed.

I’ve just spent £361 on a ticket. Every child I know goes. Am I terrified-yes. Do I need to let her go-yes. Though I might go myself….

My dd is the year below, I said no to Reading camping this year, I offered to pick her up each evening but in the end she decided it was too expensive.

Im generally quite liberal, but I felt as a first/early experience of being away with friends Reading was too risky. I went myself as an older teen and it always felt unsafe in the camping area, there are lots and lots of large groups of teen boys and lots of drugs and alcohol and not many older adults and this just doesn’t make for a nice atmosphere particularly overnight once they are out of the festival. Bored drunk groups of boys. I have said next summer when she’s 17, I’ll be more open to it, we are quite close to reading so will still offer to collect her. Other festivals I’d be more supportive, Latitude for example was completely different and felt really safe (although line up at reading is obviously better).

My DD just did it this year with a load of her mates. I was dead against it, too, but realised I was swimming against a very fast tide rushing in the other direction.

They were all totally fine. There was a lot of security around. One girl went down early ok the thurs am to pitch tents and bag good spots. Think the best money spent was on the 'luxury loo' - meant access to decent loo, shower, hair straighteners (! - essential) but also a locker and a phone charger and those two last things were seriously useful.

We live in a city. If my dd wants to get drugs she can get them any day of the week. We had all the talks about safety around sec, alcohol and drugs.

They all had a great if tiring time. The weather was the trickiest thing to negotiate! And the traffic late on the Sunday. Most people left before the end of Liam Gallagher and that proved sensible I think.

Sorry - meant to add that my DD was also 16 and had got her GCSE results and then went straight to reading

Having been there for the t shirt myself, for many years go and pick them up on the last night. It all goes a bit wrong after the last gig.

It's the "tradition" of setting fire to people's tents that terrifies me. I don't know how it is that nobody's been killed or seriously injured so far. It all sounds a bit Lord of the Flies.

It's very close to the town centre, so not like in the middle of nowhere. It's very common for 15-16 yo to go there so there will be plenty of others her age. If she's with friends I don't see the harm in camping. It's part of the whole experience. Just make sure she's got a decent tent and sleeping bag and she knows how to put up the tent. I remember leaving half the pegs etc in my mates step dads car so we ended up with a very wet and insecure sleeping arrangement. It was still great fun though!

My son went a few years ago. He and his friends didn't have any issues but said he was offered drugs about 20 times.

My daughter is almost 16 and thankfully isn't interested in going, which we're relieved at as her brother said a lot of girls were getting hassle from very drunk lads.

Tell them they must all stay together.

My older DD has been twice, younger just went after GCSE year. I dreaded it, but it's been fine. Some kids can get a bit wild, but it's an exaggeration to say that it's a tradition to burn down tents. Both of mine went in groups who were sensible and looked after each other. I certainly think it's possible to go and have a safe time. I'm not saying I'd exactly recommend it but most kids we knew did seem to go and I personally wouldn't put my foot down and not allow it if all their friends were going on the basis of some of the anecdotal stuff on this thread. My older daughter loved the acts - the point for her was the music, not the partying. Not sure if that made a difference? Also, younger one went to the silent disco. I don't recognise the description here of that event. She can't be bothered to go another year as the crowd is so GCSE aged focused.

Yeah Reading with 1 or 2 friends - maybe not. In both my DDs cases, there were huge groups going from the school. Plus others from different schools they knew.

My DD got a weekend ticket aged 16 also. A few years back now.

She and her friends didn't camp - we live near enough to pick up and lift shared between the friends parents. Picking up was pretty straightforward.

It was very hot that year and she was definitely pleased she didn't camp.

DD went this year just after GCSE results.

She went with a sensible boyfriend and we booked them in to the quiet campsite. She was very pleased about that decision and said that it was cleaner and quieter than the other ones.

We stayed with friends in Reading while she was there, just in case. They packed up on the Sunday and we collected their stuff mid-morning. They stayed for the last act and then my husband picked them up and we stayed in a hotel on the edge of Reading for a night.

So it was a pricey and slightly excessive way of making sure we could help if there was an issue but as it was they had a great time. They didn’t do any of the silent discos but were usually knackered and in the tent by about 11pm. DD took earplugs and a sleep mask and slept quite well

DD said the Sunday evening audience for Liam Gallagher was a bit lairy but other than that they didn’t experience any trouble.