Reading Festival 2023 ... hints and tips.

DD finally awake at 2.45pm after 11 hrs sleep and has announced definitely going again next year! Haven’t asked her yet what food they survived on. I had suggested (after reading previous years’ threads) that they could head off site to get food/break etc. in the mornings. She obv ignored that because they didn’t leave site all 4 days 🤦‍♀️😂

My 17 year old daughter went this year I was apprehensive but I let her go, all seemed great till I picked her up Sunday evening awful queue to get to her, there was a rape Saturday afternoon, police were there she said, no security checks they asked my daughter if she had alcahol or sharp objects in her bag she said no they opened her bag didn't have a good look at all or any one else's bag, Sunday afternoon people were throwing bottles and balls wrecking tents, I'm really not a moaner but reading reading festival really need to sort there security out its not safe, I went to festivals when I was younger and Glastonbury are on point with security every year maybe reading council should get some tips from them,

DD said they couldn't really go off site for food like they wanted because the queue to get out and then back in was ridiculously long as they were checking everyone thoroughly each time.

I'm happy DD brought her tent etc back home in one piece. It was fully waterproof too compared to most because it was a double skin. It was a cheap but very decent one from Decathlon. Most of her friends got wet in their tents which is a shame. Luckily it wasn't a washout though just drizzle here and there but not great for tents as it turns out

She even managed a hot shower. I didn't even know they had access to showers I thought that was just for the special packages you paid extra for.

That’s interesting to know about challenges of getting off site. Re. Tents, my DD and two friends had a 4man tent from decathlon. Pros were they had plenty of space including to accommodate extra friend one evening and bags etc and everything stayed super dry but cons were it was stupidly heavy and they struggled to carry from campsite to shuttle bus pick up. Maybe no easy answer!

We left last night after Billie. Stupid queues through Reading - there seemed to be a lot of people leaving early, comments above seem to agree. Got home at 3.45am 😮 and so happy to sleep in my bed, very glad to be home. I would so do it again though - either with a teen or maybe even without. Overwhelmingly the main issue was the physical challenge - there's a reason it's a young person's game. 3km walk from our campsite to the main stage. I survived with ibuprofen and Skechers! Still that wouldn't have bothered the teens and I hope they all had an amazing time.

@Nowfeeltheneedtopost DD had a 3 man tent from Decathlon which was very light to carry. Any bigger would have been too much despite having a trolley. 3 man tent with a double skin is best option and not a pop up. DDs tent had to simple poles. Got to love Decathlon.

DD found the puncture mark from her needle spike. It was below her armpit but towards her back

Well - predicatably I got a PCN in the post for entering the Aldi car park late on the Sunday night. I didn't even stop, I just turned around in there.

@BackT
Can you contest it? Presumably any signs weren't well lit? Looked like we'll get one too!