Taking young children to music festivals can enrich the experience for everyone, argues writer Iman Amrani, who has braved the raves with her twins and found that families add to the magic of events.
A mother's festival journey
Amrani says the woman she used to be died the day she gave birth to twins. That life of spontaneous travel, impulsive decisions and a decorated social calendar gave way to a blank canvas of motherhood and two little human beings. While she was inside that summer, many of her friends continued on their child-free paths, posting pictures of themselves enjoying festivals, sleeping in tents with pop-up communities she used to be a part of.
When the twins turned one last summer and the family had found its rhythm, Amrani decided to take on the challenge of sharing the magic of live music with them. It went better than she expected. Before their second birthday, they had danced at day festivals such as Situation Dance, put on by Femi Koleoso from Ezra Collective, camped out overnight in the Brecon Beacons for Green Man and been to the child-focused TOTFest.
Addressing the critics
Some people think it is wild, bordering on neglectful, to take children to festivals that also cater to adult punters. They tend to think children and families need to be separated entirely from spaces where there is any drinking or adult fun happening. Mothers, especially, are used to being told that everything they could possibly enjoy themselves is going to damage their children. Amrani says wise women around her whose kids are now grown up have reminded her to ignore these pressures and go with her maternal instincts.
Taking young children to festivals does require another level of research and responsibility. Ear defenders are packed, and festivals more aligned with drugs and debauchery are avoided. But different worlds can coexist. Selecting the family camping area when booking is game-changing. The adult audiences get their late-night raving in, and the early risers include not just families, but the wellbeing crowd heading to yoga or for a swim.
The positive impact of families
Having families around often has a positive effect on an event. People operate more within the realm of moderation when there are kids present, and it takes a real Scrooge to get upset at barefoot children with glitter on their faces having fun alongside their parents.
Amrani says she does not want to spend the rest of her life solely listening to the Wiggles, and made the tactical decision early on to expose her babies to a wide range of sounds. They have instruments at home and are fascinated by how it all works. They have taken to live music so easily, and it is a joy to watch them engage with something so human and far away from any screens.
A celebration of UK festivals
People often say other countries in Europe are ahead of the UK in terms of being inclusive of families and children, but Amrani says the UK really shines during its festival season. Her favourite festivals are a microcosm of what coexisting can look like in the real world. She has found her village in the fields and car parks that host these events. Her motherhood canvas is filling up with music, and she has found festivals are places where everyone can get a bit of something they want.
