The Festival Season

The connection is “temporary toilets”.  Here are some in a more familiar setting.

It’s the festival season and the success of such events can be determined purely by how good or bad the toilet facilities were.  This image comes from a folk music festival in 2007 that effectively ran from arriving on Thursday to leaving on Monday morning, so it was critical that the loos should provide a decent service throughout the whole period.  Needless to say they didn’t but at least the heat wasn’t so stifling that being inside one the plastic boxes was unbearable.  Instead we just had wet weather and therefore mud, which are the other determinants of festival success/distress!  The loo facilities at the festival were basic, with nothing provided for hand-washing, so it’s a wonder that with all the fast-finger-food on offer there wasn’t an epidemic of stomach upsets.  I gather this particular festival has better facilities these days.

I shouldn’t dwell too much on the loo situation because up until a few years ago it was accepted that there would be a few such hardships to endure at a music festival.  At least the music would be enjoyable and you could strike-up memorable conversations with strangers.  Also, at least the plastic box loos do provide some comfort if emptied before reaching the brim and toilet paper replenished in a timely manner.  The situation a generation before the year of this festival might’ve been entirely different, but the attraction of the music would’ve ensured that any thoughts of loo quality would not matter.  The music is usually the main reason for going (that’s nearly a pun).

As for festivals in general, do bands perform better outside?  Do audiences enjoy the music more than at an indoor venue?