Are all festival goers's under 30

[PeterD]

I am 39 and this is my umpteenth festival, I have slowed up in recent years and every year I say never again. The c**t quotient is quite high at Leeds but it is tolerable.

[moshing]

I am 37 this year and have been going to Leeds for several years. There are a lot of kids around but they are enjoying themselves in the way Kids will. They can be amusing to watch but eventually you will get bored of them.

I love Leeds and I think we have to make a pact never to stop going. I fully intend to be going to festivals until I physically can't and even then I might just get someone to carry me.

[greatesthits]

I am 37 this year and have been going to Leeds for several years. There are a lot of kids around but they are enjoying themselves in the way Kids will. They can be amusing to watch but eventually you will get bored of them.

I love Leeds and I think we have to make a pact never to stop going. I fully intend to be going to festivals until I physically can't and even then I might just get someone to carry me.

[heth]

No, you're not too old. I'm 38 and my partner is 49. We've just come back from Glastonbury and we're looking forward to going to Leeds in August too! Some people think they need to behave in a certain way when they're older. They're wrong! :-)

I do draw the line at tolerating the pyromaniac idiots though. We get off site on the last night (stayed at a Travelodge last time). Rioting for the sake of it is very not cool!

[nicho]

Hi, I'm 41 & have gone to Leeds since 2002. My mates who I go with are 45, we ALWAYS have a blast!!!I also take my sons, who are now 16 & 19. Have been taking them since 2004. They now look after themselves there, but know where I am if they need me!!! Leeds has the friendliest people I've ever met, & I try to be as friendly as I can. We always share our drink/ food with others. It'll be the best weekend you've ever had, honestly! Open you mind, lay back, relax & enjoy!!!

Edited June 30, 2010 by nicho

[gregor1984]

I'm 26 and I've been going since I was 18. Still a load of us who go, usually about 15-20 people in our camp. We've picked up some new faces over the years and seen some drop off as well. Some people who we camp with now we've actually met at Leeds. Most people are about the same age as me, 25/26, some a bit older and some younger. We have never had anything but a brilliant time in all the years we've been going - this is my 9th, a few of them are going to their 10th this time. We mix with everyone of all ages well, and we're still partying way past the time the 16 year olds have had enough! We camp in blue, in the middle of it all, wouldn't camp anywhere else to be honest. It can be rowdy, but it's a good laugh.

[ivan]

Hi, I'm 41 & have gone to Leeds since 2002. My mates who I go with are 45, we ALWAYS have a blast!!!I also take my sons, who are now 16 & 19. Have been taking them since 2004. They now look after themselves there, but know where I am if they need me!!! Leeds has the friendliest people I've ever met, & I try to be as friendly as I can. We always share our drink/ food with others. It'll be the best weekend you've ever had, honestly! Open you mind, lay back, relax & enjoy!!!

[ivan]

No, you're not too old. I'm 38 and my partner is 49. We've just come back from Glastonbury and we're looking forward to going to Leeds in August too! Some people think they need to behave in a certain way when they're older. They're wrong! :-)

I do draw the line at tolerating the pyromaniac idiots though. We get off site on the last night (stayed at a Travelodge last time). Rioting for the sake of it is very not cool!

[riizch]

I'm 26, so I'm fast-approaching that 30 barrier!

I don't think that you're eve too old to enjoy Leeds, to be honest, but that said, I do think that the crowd at Leeds has gotten progressively younger over the years, most likely due to the current trending of alternative music. I went to my first leeds in 2003, and I would say that the number of teenagers back then was probably less than half what it is now...maybe even a third. It's nice to see alternative music back at the forefront with the kids again though. I mean, I remember back when I was in school/college 10 years ago, alternative music fans were in the minority; so much so that if you were a teenager wearing a band hoodie out in the street, you were automatically a target for verbal abuse and violence, but now, it's cool to like alternative music again, and so it makes sense that the crowd is getting younger. Bands like The Strokes and Kings of Leon made it cool to like guitar music again in the early 2000's, and now the huge mainstream surge of punk-pop...bands like Greenday and MCR - around 2006, 2007 has paved the way for bands like Paramore and YouMeAtSix. These are bands who are playing predominantly to a teenage audience that simply didn't exist 10 years ago when house music and cheesy trance were the only socially-acceptable form of music that existed.

There's an upside and downside to it, I guess. On the plus, it means there's much more variety in music on the radio and it's a lot easier to discover great new bands when there's an abundance of alternative music out there. Plus, it's nice to see kids being passionate about music again. On the downside, a lot of current alternative music feels bland, repetative, unimaginative and disposable and the festivals seem to attract a lot more childish adolescent behaviour than they used to. It's a double-edged sword, really.

And I mean no disrespect to Paramore or any other band I've mentioned in this post - I actually think they're all great at what they do - but I think it's fair to say that they are never going to be ground-breaking (perhaps with the exception of Greenday, who have clearly stood the test of time), because they are playing primarily to a trend audience that would go out and buy anything with their name on it regardless of how good it was, but only until the next big thing comes along. I just hope that Leeds and Reading continue to cater to all generations and don't find themselves becoming just another part of the trends. I personally don't think you're ever too old to go to and enjoy a music festival and I'll keep on going so long as the music is good and my back holds up!

[TinyLittlePixie]

Im 25 and the youngest in my group, my partner is 39 and the rest of our group are 30-35. We normally camp in red but I hate to say it, it was of too many of the 'ive been let out for the weekend' 16 yr olds last yr so we are moving bk a bit to orange this yr!

I dont think you are ever too old for Leeds, it is the friendliest atmosphere and although a lot of young people do go you also see a lot of older people aswell and everyone just gets on and has a laugh.

Enjoy your weekend

[Bounders]

Im 22, last year i was sat talking a 40 yr old around his camp for an hour or so. Most people despite their age are quite friendly at leeds. Were all there to have fun, age doesnt really come into it.

If a chav annoys you just throw him down a hill :/

[rachface]

There are no set ages for festivals, if you liek the music, go, no1 is stopping you, and those that have a problem with it are not worth even listening too and shouln't be there. Festivals have always had a wide range of people there, and ive alway met random people who are all individual yet cool in their own way.

I would suggest however camping in green or brown to keep away from the knobs as it were. I plan to camp here anyway for the same reason.

Never should anyone suggest you to not go to something you will enjoy, f**k em and show them how its done!

[Manic Man]

Our group of 17 year olds befriended a group of 25-30ish year olds - we're pretty friendly if you don't prejudge us as 'chavs out to burn things and drink more alcohol than they can handle'.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Manic Man

[stephen07]

32 myself , just go for the fun factor and Leeds Festival does that in alot of diffrent ways for me.

Sometimes its so cold i just wanna go home , sometimes its so wet i just wanna go home , but come monday morning all i wanna do is stay and wish it went on longer.

Burger King for the best meal ive eaten all weekend then home to the kids , roll on next year.

[craig-g]

I'm 32 now,been going to festivals for years.I'm now the oldest one in the group of us who go now, the next oldest being maybe 4or 5 years younger, they refer to me as the veteran just coz I've been going more years than they have to festivals.

My point is that the age thing doesn't bother me at all I still love everything about festivals just as much as I did a decade ago, I'm probably just a bit more mellow than I used to be,not so wild these days,I was still the last one up every night last year though!!

[riizch]

Well, it's clear from this thread that there are still plenty of older people going to Leeds, so there's definitely no reason to hang up your wellies just yet Festivals can be enjoyed at pretty much any age - no particular generation should ever be written off. A lot has been said about the teenagers at festivals (a lot of it by me, it has to be said...) but a heck of a lot of the kids are just as cool as the older people to hang out with, even if there are a lot of immature "getting away from mum and dad" people there (and it's not just the teenagers!), so I don't think anyone should be going to the festival with an age prejudice of any kind. So long as people are kind, friendly, respectful and having fun, it's all good. At the end of the day, the knobs will just give us all something to moan about on the forums for next year's festivals... Age is just a number

[bollyhead]

I class my self as not old yet (im 39)

I was at V in 07 when some guys camped next to me where in their 60's .

They where smoking and drinking away with the rest of us.

[rexclark]

I'm 28, my mates 28 and my Girlfriend is 23, I've been going to festivals since I was 16 and I hope I'll have many more years to go! The thing I noticed when I was at Glastonbury was the older folk were the ones who were partying the longest! So it just goes to show you.