Reading Festival

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by HappyHornet24, Nov 5, 2019.

  1. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    I know there have been general festival threads before but this is specifically to anyone who has been to Reading Festival in the last few years.
    My older daughter wants to go to Reading next summer. She is planning on going with three friends (all female) but meeting up with a load of others there. She will be 16.
    To those who have been, what would your advice be re which camp site she should go to? I read somewhere that the Green campsite is separate from Blue and Orange so may be slightly calmer? Also, is the stuff about Sunday riots/trashing and setting fire to tents, etc true? If so, I'm thinking she and her friends should probably leave early on Sunday?
    To put this in context, I would say my daughter and her friends think they are streetwise but, in reality, lead pretty sheltered lives so I don't know how they'd deal with a genuinely tricky situation. I'm not naive - I know she smokes and (sometimes) drinks when she's out. I know she's smoked weed but don't know if she's done anything else - she claims not to have. I've talked to her about the importance of not taking drugs at a festival like Reading as you have no idea what you're taking and she says she agrees.
    I have never been to Reading Festival - plus, I am obviously now ancient so any personal experience would be way out of date!
    Any advice really appreciated, before I take the plunge and buy the ticket. (which will either be a joint Xmas/Birthday present, or which she'll be paying me back for, as they're bloody expensive!)

    Edit: Re campsites, after more Internet research, it looks like Brown and White are the quietest but Orange might be a compromise of quite lively but not as OTT as some? Am I right?
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
  2. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    My youngest daughter went this year for the first time and loved it. Came home with little sleep but a hell of an experience. I'll get her to give me the lowdown and post it here later. I know the only issue she saw was overcrowding at the silent disco which then was abandoned. What I do know is that early bird tickets sell out fast, (they are the ones where you get in a day early), and are 100% worth getting.
    My eldest daughter has been several times and now thinks she's much too old/cool for it.

    I'll post back later.
     
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  3. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    Spent 4 years in Reading at Uni. It's a poophole.

    No idea about the music festival but the beer festival is decent if the weather is good.
     
  4. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Spent 10 years working at Apex Plaza by the train station. Worst town in the country to try to drive into in rush hour...
     
    hornmeister likes this.
  5. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    That's where my wife works now and my sister in law worked for about 10 years. You weren't at Ernst and Young were you?
     
  6. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    I was. 1990-2001.
     
  7. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    @HappyHornet24
    I live in a village a few miles away and used to work in Reading. It's no worse or better than any other big festivals apart from the music as it was more to my taste. I had a friend who went for the first time this year and stayed in Orange and said it was lively but nothing out of order. Much like football he said, if you want to find trouble or be a pain in the backside there are others of the same thinking but if you just want to go to for the fun then it's perfectly fine. I know plenty of parents who's teenagers have been and I've always offered them a place to come and have a shower or some food or a place to sleep if they really didn't like it and nobody has ever taken me up on the offer. Not sure if that's more about me than the festival though.
    Pennfest is apparently very good but on a much smaller scale so might be worth starting at one like that so you get the feel for it before doing one of the bigger ones. I believe @wfcmoog has been to Pennfest so might be able to tell you more as I haven't been for a few years
     
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  8. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Might have been near then end of your time then as she finished Uni in about 1999
     
  9. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    What was her role ? Chartered audit trainee fresh from Uni ?
    If she was in audit I may know her or her me. I used to do a lot of interviewing !
     
  10. Knight GT

    Knight GT Predictor extraordinaire 2013/14

    Senior Audit Manager from Oct 2000 for 8 years. She had been at KPMG before that as part of her degree
     
  11. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    I would know her. She would probably know me. Trying to think of names of female snr audit managers back then.....best take this over to a PM !
     
  12. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    sent you a PM....
     
  13. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    That's penisfest. He erects a stand there every year.
     
  14. nornironhorn

    nornironhorn Administrator Staff Member

    I frequent efestivals forum site from time to time, they have a section on Reading/Leeds so might be worth checking it out and asking questions there too.
     
    HappyHornet24 likes this.
  15. wfcwarehouse

    wfcwarehouse First Team Captain

    I’m going next year too.

    Stayed in Green camp twice, and then stayed in a B&B in town a couple of years ago - no particular reason other than I couldn’t face the shower/toilets there.

    Haven’t seen any trashing of the site personally, but seems like people get a lot rowdier/louder on the last night - mainly groups of ‘lads’.

    Hope she enjoys it if you take the plunge.
     
    HappyHornet24 likes this.
  16. I was. Not in Reading tho'.
     
  17. miked2006

    miked2006 Premiership Prediction League Proprietor

    I went a couple of times about 15 years ago (so this might not be that helpful) but my advice from then (and from general festival attendance) would be:

    As a general rule, the further away from the main stage, the quieter you are. The closer to the periphery of the map, the quieter it will be.

    The closer to a path you are, the more likely your tent is to be trashed/ set alight/ someone will fall on you in the night (which is slightly terrifying). The former two definitely happened (only on the final day) when I went, but it wasn't widespread and you'd have to have been very unlucky for it to happen to you. I think Reading has since increased the security on the final day to stop such instances happening.

    The toilets will absolutely stink. The taps will flood. An ideal spot will be within a 5 minute walk from these, but not closer.

    If there is heavy rain, camping at the top of the hill will stop your tent from flooding.

    How is she getting to the festival? If someone is driving, I'd advise she puts all of her stuff, bar the essentials in the boot of the car before the final night.

    Any wellies, chairs etc left outside the tent will be nicked.

    Overall though, wherever she is, she's basically guaranteed to wake up early, dehydrated and hot, to the incredibly annoying sound of NOS balloons being filled. But she'll be completely fine.
     
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  18. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    I have been to Pennfest a couple of times - I gave it a miss last year because the lineup was crap (Craig David headlining one night?).

    It's great for me, easy to get to and a good size for a day out. Very family friendly. I live 15 min away by taxi, so never camped there.

    It's a different scale from Reading, but has had some good bands in the past few years (Happy Mondays, Chalatans, Primal Scream, Manics) though I think it's targeted more at my generation than a 16 year old.
     
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  19. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    Thanks for all your help, chaps. I've taken the plunge and bought her a weekend ticket. So she'll have a weekend of not sleeping, for whatever reason....and I'll have a weekend of not sleeping for worry!

    Edit: I tried to persuade her to go for one of the "glamping" tents in the nice, quiet White area but for some reason this didn't appeal. She and her friends are going to try to get into the Orange site.
     
  20. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    She can go to Reading and I'll see you at Pennfest - but only with the Happy Mondays et al lineup - not Craig David.
     
  21. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Apologies Happy, just remembered this.

    17YO daughter gave me the following info:

    Purple field by far the best, close to everything yet far enough away to not be bothered by idiots. She said it was a really nice vibe, (or the equivelant in 17yo language).
    Survived on pot noodles because there's a "Christian" tent that gives hot water away for a nominal sum. She said she had such a good time you almost forget about eating!
    Get the earlybird ticket, people who didn't had the worst of the pitches left.
    Don't worry about being clean, nobody is, nobody cares.
    She took in too much stuff.

    From a parents point of view.
    Be the one who drops them off, not the one who picks them up, for obvious reasons.
    Do not, under any circumstances, drive through Reading at dropoff/pickup time. There are many back routes in, I always went through Henley to get there.
    Don't worry about them, if they need anything they'll be in touch, (they won't).
     
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