This time last week, my idea of a festival was somewhere between being absolutely drenched at Boardmasters and covered in a thick film of dust at Reading. Fun for a couple of days but the novelty wears off and by Sunday morning, you’re pretty miserable and counting down the hours to go home. How wrong was I?
Because there is really nothing quite like singing badly and dancing questionably in a field full of people who love the same type of music as you do. It’s a complete and utter joy and a privilege.
It’s not very often that you get to hit pause on your day-to-day life and switch off from all the monstrosities happening in the world but when you’re forced to, and your only real worries are whether you’ll make it to laughter yoga on time and who the first act you’re seeing today is, you’re blessed with a real sense of freedom.
You have no choice but to be fully present in the moment. Thanks to a significant lack of mirrors and no option to scroll, I found that I thought less and less about what I looked like as the weekend went on. When I caught myself thinking about it, I reasoned there wasn’t much I could do about it anyway, so you’re better off just getting on with it.
So that’s exactly what we did and we gave everything from Buti Yoga and sound baths to stand-up comedy a go. It was a great reminder to keep trying new things because, as my one pal has, you might just end up heading home with a new hobby that’s actually good for you.
The exciting thing about festivals is that they bring people from all walks of life together. You’ll meet new people, like a couple in their 50s from Lincolnshire who tell you it’s really important to live in the fast lane, and you’ll bump into old friends from primary school you haven’t seen for a long time.
And then you’ll realise that you’ve finally learnt your lesson that nothing good comes from staying up late. So, when you want to go to bed at 11pm with a cup of decaf tea, you do so without fear of being “boring” and guess what? The next day you feel all the better for it.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but I can remember where I was when I stumbled across the ‘singalong Indie hits’ playlist on Spotify for the first time. Almost 10 years later, I’m bloody glad I did.
Festival Wins:
We ate so, so well. I’m talking about avocados and kiwis with the skin on, people. As well as the best onion bhaji and some of the best nachos I’ve ever had. Delish
Yes, it’s a bit narcissistic, but you do get a real kick when you see yourself on the big screen
Bumping into people from different parts of your life is really nice and actually quite symbolic of how different parts of life influence your taste in music
The feeling of seeing one of your favourite artists in a field with 10,000 other fans is just unbeatable. Highlights include: Corella, Blossoms, Scouting for Girls, CMAT, The Last Dinner Party, Oxford Symphony Orchestra, Cassia and Sports Team
Festival Wicks:
We’ve all been there, but there is just something so awful yet sweet about 18-year-olds at a festival. Yes, it’s a rite of passage. Yes, it was me six years ago, but God, it’s so much better when you’re 24
There’s a very thin line between PDA and PDV. There are a few moments when the latter is acceptable, but it is definitely not acceptable at a festival1
Public displays of affection vs. public displays of vulgarity