is reading festival safe for 16 year olds
I started going to heavy metal festivals at 16. 15/02/2021. “I’m concerned and a bit nervous. Can anyone tell me more about this festival - is it policed, would it be safe/suitable for 16 year olds? Older audiences are easier to attract, but audience development is a key part of the planning. They are very familiar with dealing with those who have overindulged in drink or drugs and send them to the hospital if necessary. The 18-year-old is understood to have been knifed after … The sample is retained but the festival goer will be given a clear picture regarding what substances are contained in the sample, the strength of active ingredients and an indication of whether it is potentially dangerous. Festival going is an experience like no other, let her experience it for herself! It is impossible to ignore the rise in requests from kids to go to a music festival after their exams, with the Reading Festival and Latitude (both returning in … 4. Festival organisers and police, use bag searches, sniffer dogs and patrols to make sure problems are kept to a minimum. Is Reading especially bad for carry on then? My sensible daughter and 4 of her mates really want to go to Reading Festival this year. Ds went last year, it was absolutely fine. Are Reading and Leeds Festivals Safe for 16-18 Year Olds? agreed. Get an additional £20 off - Enter RLVG20 at checkout. They also have on-site facilities to test the strength of any drugs confiscated. right decision ive been going to reading for the past 3 years (and going this year aswell!) 16-17 year-olds must show proof of age if entering the festival alone, or otherwise must enter with a paid adult. This weekend there are around 90,000 16 year olds, including my son, in a Berkshire field attending Reading, the world’s oldest pop festival. The events are supervised by experienced stewards and welfare volunteers to make sure people don’t get into trouble. It's that time of year again - Reading Festival is just around the corner. So, should you be worried? The profile of the average visitor to the Reading and Leeds festivals has changed over the years, with 16 to 18 year olds The key age group that festivals want to engage is 25-35 year olds. While big festivals are currently on hold, it’s never too early start planning for a big camping-and-music getaway. Police arrested 49 people, most of these were for theft with 15 for drugs possession and 10 for intent to supply controlled substances. I don't know anything about this event but believe it goes on for 3 days and is held on field/farm. The reality is that festival-goers will suffer more from lack of sleep and the effects of mud, than the things that grab the headlines. The last weekend in August is notorious for rain which has hampered the festivals many times in the past. When you have over 200,000 people attending these festivals over a weekend, it is likely there will be some sort of incident with one or two of them. She wants to go with a group of friends (also 16) and says everyone sleeps in tents overnight. Parents should support their child but not be overprotective. I went to Reading festival every year from 16 - 24 (I'm now 30) I went with Friends, and camped for 3 nights. Reading has been marred by violence for years, though. What is the Best Age to Take My Child to a Music Festival? While the risks of harm may be overplayed by the media, there is a very real risk of getting wet and muddy and losing valuables. Are UK Music Festivals and Gigs Safe for Women? First time i went I was 16. The profile of the average visitor to the Reading and Leeds festivals has changed over the years, with 16 to 18 year olds … Safe? If she and her friends are as sensible as you think they are then they will be fine. ID may be required upon entry to the event. Is there more of a risk than if these people would have stayed in their home towns over the weekend? Incidents like the drugs overdose of a 17 year old at the 2019 Leeds festival are always going to attract attention from the national news media. depends mostly on the behaviour of the youngsters involved id say! This speaks to the readers of newspapers which are normally older and may have children around that age. Both of these problems are well-known and festival security and Police patrol the events. As long as they stick together they should be fine- try not to worry. “But everyone goes!” they cried. All Rights Reserved. I can't speak for Reading but I've been going to Leeds since I was 15, and if she's sensible as you say and knows how to look after herself, she will be fine. In many ways, festival-goers are safer than if they were doing these things in their home town. You’re better off in a mosh pit than a bar fight any day of the week. ALMOST all the Reading Festival site is now owned by organiser Festival Republic following the sale of a 65-acre plot. I never had any trouble. Over the years it has been known as the rock festival of the UK for its more alternative and rock orientated line ups. I'm glad to hear it. (Except Fuji Rocks in Japan where everyone is very polite and puts all their rubbish in the correct recycling bin. Information on dangerous drugs that are discovered, are also circulated via festival social media pages. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA. security is quite tight. Credit: getreading . Police issue tips to keep Boardmasters festival-goers safe this weekend. Feeling so disheartened about this Reading and Leeds line up. What Should I Ask Before Hiring a Campervan for the First Time. THE parents of a public schoolgirl who died after being taken ill at the Reading Festival have spoken of their ‘unbearable’ pain over her death. Depends if they've cracked down on the campsite riots. Wed 31 Aug 2011 08.55 EDT. There is a medical tent which is staffed with appropriately trained personnel, many of them are off duty medical staff and doctors. However, there are entry restrictions for under 16s and we do advise not bringing young children. This website is owned and operated by: My 16 year old sister and her friends went last year, had a lot of fun and didn't come accros any trouble. ... 16, 7 JUN 2013; ... and husband James already have a two-year-old … DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. there's never that much trouble at these kind of festivals. Anyone 15 and under must be accompanied by a ticket holder over 18 years old at all times. Girls … Virgin Festivals stipulate that anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. Welcome to the Digital Spy forums. my sister went last year she was 19 had a great time but said there were alot of fires on the last night and someones car was lit up aswell, Thankfully I never had to endure it (far too young. We welcome all ages to the festival. Probably not. This provides important information which can be used by the emergency services to better help someone who gets into trouble with a pill they have taken. She might be sensible and there might be a lot of help around for those who get into any sort of bother, but is she really old enough to handle herself with everything that goes on at music festivals??? However i would say that 16 is a tad young for Reading. Festival Vanlife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon(.com, .co.uk, .ca etc) and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. Whereas, if the same type of incident had have happened in their home town, little, if any, attention would have been paid in the national media. If you’d like to join in, please sign in or register. She and her mates are good kids & maybe a bit naive. I’m just worried, she’s very sensible and so are her friends but I know what festivals are like and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Last time I went I saw fights, fires, people knocking down lighting poles and signs, tents getting trashed and explosions caused by gas canisters placed on bonfires. In fact getting a boat down the river to the venue from the railway station is always great fun. The campsite area spreads over Little Johns Farm in Caversham, Reading, a very picturesque site with the River Thames close by. Yes, Reading and its sister festival Leeds have had problems, but some of these problems seem to be blown out of all proportion by the media and people in chat rooms and messageboards. Decent festival, very commercialised however and crowds aren’t great especially for dance music - you are never safe from the annoying 16 year olds who decide it will be fun to mosh pit to every style of music and shout “Ooh Ayy Ayy Ayy!” every time they hear a drop. The twin festivals are seen by many as a rite of passage after completing GCSEs or A-levels. The Reading and Leeds festival organisers want their event to be as safe as possible. Last year, my friend Sarah stopped her 16-year-old son, Max, from going to Reading. UK. Reading has a bad reputation for things like that but remeber that stories of a perfectly safe festival aren't very interesting to read so they don't get published very often. How do I Prepare my Campervan for Winter Storage? Not a festival I've ever been to personally but I'd expect them all be much of muchness really. Playing on the fears people have regarding their children, will certainly get their attention, even if it isn’t a fair representation of the real likelihood of these things happening. My 15 who is going to be 16 in April has asked to go to Reading Festival in August for one day with 6 of her friends. loads of 16 year olds go, don't worry. Swaggering across the field, tops already off, a group of six 16-year-old boys from Birmingham are enjoying the festival. *Under 16 year-olds must be accompanied by a paid adult to enter the festival. Adam Boult. You get more trouble in your average town centre on Friday and Saturday nights than you do at festivals. loads of 16 year olds go, don't worry. First of all good girl for going to reading and not leeds!!! Anyone 15 and under must be accompanied by a ticket holder over 18 years old at all times. Drug enforcement laws are as applicable onsite as anywhere else in the UK and it is, therefore, illegal to buy, sell or possess drugs. Teenagers who experience a bad time at these festivals, normally do so because they are ill-prepared for these conditions or they’ve lost their wallet or phone. there's never that much trouble at these kind of festivals. Saturday day and weekend tickets for the event have already sold out. ©2020 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Despite this, festivals still seem worse because of the negative media attention given to them. I'm 24 now and went to reading last year, I don't think I'll ever go again. In recent times testing has also been made available to festival attendees who can take a sample to be tested. 27 Things to Remember When Taking Your Campervan to a Festival. Whilst there are some potential risks, statistics show they aren’t greater than the dangers offered by a weekend out in their local town centre. This year is no different. It allows teenagers to blow off steam with their friends after months of study and exam stress. ID may be required upon entry to the event. This is actually a low number of crimes for an event with 100,000 people attending and, in fact, lower than some other festivals. It plays into the narrative the press likes to portray, of a misspent youth indulging drink and drugs. Reading is like most other festivals in that drugs are available, if you are that way inclined, but, generally it is seen as one of the safer festivals. Festivals like Reading are huge and ive seen bother in the past but its very easy just to walk away and avoid the knobheads. Children under 13 years are admitted free. We always stayed in pairs minimum, never went off with strangers, always back at the tent at the same time each night etc. What are the Pros and Cons of Full Time Vanlife? We are making some changes to Digital Spy Forum. It has almost become a rite of passage for GCSE students to go there. There's a real sense of community at these festivals, and people look after each other. Reading Festival tickets now available from $180.03 as of 22 Mar 2021. Choose a Venue The next step for how to plan a book festival has to be picking a venue. As we live an hour and a half away they will get the train there and back together. We welcome all ages to the festival. Registered in England.