It's Sunday night and I am weary, muddy and blissfully looking forward to a night on a non-air filled mattress having just returned from a weekend away with friends and my three year old at the Summer Sundae festival in Leicester.
Pre-children I was a regular festival attender and Glastonbury stalwart, but once the babies started coming I couldn't think of anything worse than facing three hours in standing M5 traffic only to spend the weekend dragging a screaming baby through the mud filled trenches of a Somerset dairy farm. However last year I made a decision that this summer I would take my boy to his first festival, and this has now been achieved!
We survived torrential rain, a head first dive onto concrete resulting in an egg sized lump to the head (the boy), several over-tired and over-stimulated tantrums (me), some great bands (highlights were Kirsty Almeida, The Abrahams, Summer Camp, Eliza Doolittle and Seasick Steve) and some not so great (The Go Team and Tynchy Stryder - not for me thanks).
My son, who is normally tucked up in bed for 7pm (officially wine o'clock), loved the treat of being out until midnight, although was normally parked in the beer tent fast asleep by 10.00 whilst Mummy was sat next to him enjoying a (responsible) beer or two with friends. He was also delighted at learning the trick of nightime pee'ing in a cup....gross I know, but the lesser of two evils when faced with tramping across a dark field to an even darker, smelly portaloo....
Here he is enjoying his chips at 9.30pm (as part of a healthy balanced festival diet - namely bacon butties for breakfast and chips for everything else) whilst listening to the Saturday night headline act.
And here he is as his daytime alter ego:
We had a great time and I'm definitely up for trying a larger festival next year, although was very covetous of my friend's caravan - a hot shower and flushing, clean toilet being in rare supply at these events, so may well look into hiring one. In the meantime I'm off to my comfy bed, without fear of some drunk tent diver interrupting my sleep, and with some happy memories. Festivals are great.....where else can you sit with a fair trade cup of chai tea whilst watching a policeman being taught to hula hoop?!
