The Reading and Leeds festivals are happening in the UK this weekend. Music festivals are synonymous with the British summertime, as both culturally and economically important events. They are characterised by escapism and freedom, an opportunity to relax and, often, behave in ways that may be different to the everyday.
Academics writing about festivals have often described them as liminal events, as they offer a temporary suspension of the mundane and normative everyday order. Although there are many positive aspects to attending festivals, with people reporting mental health and social benefits, there are also risks or negative consequences reported by some. Alcohol and/or drug use can lead to dangerous physical health outcomes, but they have also been associated with aggressive behaviour at festivals. Surprisingly, there has been little research on music festivals.
We conducted research, funded by the British Academy, to explore experiences and perceptions of safety at music festivals. As well as a survey of festival-goers (of all genders) we interviewed 13 women who had attended at least one festival in the last few years.
The women we interviewed spoke about the normalisation of unwanted attention, harassment, touching and violence at festivals. Unwanted comments from men were a recurrent experience, and several described being groped in crowded stage areas as being a routine part of attending a festival, whilst others shared experiences of being followed back to their tent, or raped.
As a result of these experiences and the expectation of harassment or assault at festivals, women adapted their behaviour to reduce the risk of this happening. Tactics included staying with friends, moderating or avoiding alcohol, avoiding certain areas or, in some cases, avoiding festivals altogether. This ‘safety work’ is common in all public spaces and our research shows festivals are also spaces where women have to adapt to the risk of violence, limiting their freedom to enjoy the festival experience.
Some women described a more direct resistance to the culture of sexual harassment and violence at festivals, by challenging unwanted behaviour, for example by calling out the behaviour, or physically defending themselves. However, resisting sexual violence itself is associated with further risks and several women said men had continued to harass them after being rejected, and, in some cases, this led to an escalation in the violence and abuse.
The spatial and cultural design of festivals was identified as conducive to harassment and sexual assault by the women we interviewed. They described crowded areas providing the perfect space for men to grope with minimal risk of detection and, when they were identified, logistical difficulties in reporting meant there was little chance of them being held accountable. Similarly, quieter areas, particularly campsites which often had minimal lighting and limited security or staff present, were ideal places for men to perpetrate harassment or abuse with little option for getting immediate help or reporting to staff. In this sense, one woman likened harassment and abuse at festivals to a ‘drive-by’ act, since perpetrators could quickly disappear after perpetrating the act.
Feminist scholars have identified that ‘lad culture’ is often enabled and encouraged in the night-time economy, promoting heavy drinking, aggression and harassment of women, and our research has shown that this extends to festivals. Although festivals are different to bars and clubs – they are bigger, spread across a number of days and often involve people staying on-site (rather than returning home) – our research has shown that many of the attitudes and behaviours that are problematic in night-time economy settings are also observed at festivals. The heavy drinking and/or substance use that often occurs at festivals, the messaging by festival organisers that festival spaces are ‘free’ and the different ‘normality’ during festivals contributed to a cultural atmosphere of sexual violence. This atmosphere required careful navigation, as many of the things that attract women to attend festivals – the promise of escapism and freedom, fun and, for some, drinking and using drugs – were also the features that contributed to the conditions that enable sexual violence.
Although we only spoke to 13 women, this was the first UK study to examine experiences and perceptions of harassment and violence at music festivals. The findings reflect much of the research on other public spaces, particularly nightlife spaces, but the unique features of festivals may create opportunities for harassment and violence that are not observed elsewhere.
However, these also create opportunities for intervention. One of the unusual features of festivals compared with other nightlife and live music settings is that the venue is not fixed; it is changeable and adaptable, providing opportunities to (re)design and reimagine the spatial layout of festivals. Festivals are already working to raise awareness of sexual violence and many have made strategic commitments to addressing the issue. Several bands and acts have also spoken out about harassment at festivals and called out inappropriate behaviour. This collective action provides opportunities to create safer festival spaces so women are able to enjoy music festivals in the same way most men do.
Hannah is Associate Professor in Criminal Law and Deputy Dean (Research) of Durham Law School. She is Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA). Between October and December 2023 Hannah will be a visiting fellow at Exeter College, University of Oxford.
Perceptions of safety and experiences of gender-based violence at UK music festivals by Hannah Bows, Hannah King, and Fiona Measham for the Journal of Gender-Based Violence is available on Bristol University Press Digital here.
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