An aspiring drum and bass DJ has seen his life transformed after a group of strangers at his first ever festival took him under their wing. Adam James, 23, travelled alone to Boomtown Fair in Hampshire, despite concerns from his father Andy that the huge five-day rave could become overwhelming due to his autism.
Instead, Adam found himself welcomed into a group of festival-goers who spotted him on his own and quickly made him feel at home. The experience has since led to him being booked for several gigs, after his dad's emotional thank-you post went viral.
A welcome within ten minutes
Adam, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, admitted he was nervous when he arrived at Boomtown. But within just ten minutes, everything changed. The group asked if he had a mallet to help them put up their tents – and before long they had invited him to camp alongside them.
Adam said: “Next thing you know they were asking me to camp with them. I wasn't very confident in myself but as soon as I was with them I was fine. They could have just ignored me, but the fact they saw I was on my own and took me in was just amazing.”
A message that melted fears away
His dad Andy had been so concerned about how Adam would cope that the family had even planned an emergency evacuation in case he wanted to leave after a day or two. But then came the message that changed everything as Adam texted his dad saying: “Dad, I think I've found my people”. Andy said his fears immediately “melted away”.
He later wrote a social media post thanking the “lads from Bristol” who had looked after his son, explaining that he wanted their parents to know they had helped Adam simply out of kindness. The post was shared and liked by thousands of people, with the heartwarming story quickly spreading online.
New doors open after the festival
It also led to Adam being reunited with his new friends at the Trident Pub in Bristol this week. Ciaran, one of the group, said Adam had fitted in so naturally that it was “almost like he drove to the festival with us.”
And the biggest surprise came after Boomtown, when Adam's passion for drum and bass began opening new doors. The aspiring DJ has now been booked for several gigs following the reaction to his story. Adam said: “It's been overwhelming, but absolutely brilliant.”
