Nothing Like A Bit Of Festival Spirit

By Community Correspondent Louise Saul

I am sitting listening to music on my laptop as I write this article. I am currently listening to artists whom I saw perform at T4 on the beach on Sunday. The melodies trigger memories of the sea swishing in and out in the background and 50,000 people chanting and swaying along as one.

However along with the unique setting and great music were the usual let downs of a British music festival. The beach was carpeted with litter, there were huge queues snaking down the street for toilets and public transport couldn’t cope with the sudden influx of visitors to a small seaside town.

In addition to this rain pelted down for nearly half of the concert, turning the soft golden sand we had been expecting, into slushy mud. As a result of this, after standing in the same spot for more than a few minutes, you simply sank, until you were ankle deep in wet, muddy sand. Many experienced festival goers combated the problem by wearing wellies, however for those of us who had been optimistic enough to wear flip flops; we got very wet feet.

Nevertheless, these minor problems did not put us off. Despite all the negative things about festivals, the good things far outweigh them. If you are crammed on a train full of other festival goers, the only logical thing to do is have a chat with them and a sing along on the way home. Once the concert finally begins, the atmosphere is electric. The crowd surges and bounces to the music around you, and the volume pulses through your body.

These are the things, which ultimately make a festival memorable; the intense atmosphere, the friendly people and the feeling of unity (and perhaps a bit of mud!) Nothing like a bit of festival spirit.