Should I let my 16 year old go to a Festival?

lisa110rry

Absolutely depends on the child. We let our 16 year old (might have been 17, now I think of it) go to Aya Napa (sp?) with friends. When he came back, he said the condoms I had bought for their use had made excellent water balloons, but he thought he might wait until he was "older" before going again.

Loz01

Don't have any kids but I would say no to a 16 year old going to a 5 night festival, seems too much for someone only 16, however sensible he is at home... get him in a group of 20/30/50 boys aged 16+... chaos.

theEnd

Can't people leave home and get married at 16?

Brighton_belle

theEnd wrote: »

Can't people leave home and get married at 16?

I think they can only marry with their parents permission.

annandale

They can marry at 16 in Scotland

lewishardwick

Having worked as a medic at V Festival I have encountered many teens who have 'over done' themselves on drink or drugs... But they are the exception, not the majority.

One thing I noted, at that age, when things go a bit wrong they want mum and dad. That's cool, they're young.

5days is quite long, they're more likely to come unstuck losing their wallet/phone than through alcohol.

How well do you know his friends and their parents? If something goes wrong and they need help are there parents who can get there quickly and most importantly WILLINGLY.

Most parents want their children have fun and are well aware of the risks. If you have a similar idea of what to expect and can have a plan of something goes wrong, that should ally some worries...

cashewnut

It will be a fantastic experience for him. I went to Reading festival after my a levels (so aged 18) but there were loads of 16 year olds there. 16 year olds (and younger) go to Glastonbury and that's a five night festival.

Don't see a problem myself...

If he does go:

Tell him to split his money so it's not all in one wallet. if there are lock ups (like at Glastonbury) then use them for anything he doesn't want to lose.

Sleep with his bag by his head. Really important to look after it if it has a lot of money in it.

Make his tent a mess so any thieves think it's already been gone through (thieves at festivals aren't common but there might be a few especially in the first couple of days when people still have the majority of their spending money).

I think legal highs are not quite so legal anymore so shouldn't need to worry about those but he needs to stay away from anything recreational being offered/sold by strangers.

Remember where he's pitched his tent and have regular meeting points with his mates.

The efestivals forum is an excellent source of info.

I went to Reading twice and Glastonbury nine times and never came to any harm. There are lots of nice people who go to festivals who would help look after a 16 year old if they were in trouble for whatever reason.

onomatopoeia99

Brighton_belle wrote: »

I think they can only marry with their parents permission.

You don't need parental permission to buy a train ticket to Gretna and marriage law in Scotland is different from the law in England and Wales. There are no border guards turning away eloping teenagers trying to get north of Carlisle.

If a 16 year old is determined to marry, and not being coerced, then they can. And stay married when they get back, "ran away to Scotland before their 18th birthday" is not a reason to nullify a legally conducted marriage provided in s11 of the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1973.

[Deleted User]

I went to an international youth camp in Germany when I was 16, just after gce exams. I went with three girlfriends of the same age and we travelled to London and from there, catching several trains, it lasted a full week and was mixed sex. We were all trustworthy and we had a great time and came back in one piece. No doubt about it, he will value your trust in him, so my advice would be to let him go. It is part of letting go of the apron strings

Caroline_a

I knew a lovely 16 year old who went to Cornwall with mates after GCSEs. Too much drink and he walked over a cliff. Such a waste... :sad: