I was thinking the other day about experiences that I have had regarding inclusion/exclusion in leisure time/nightlife and I began to think about festivals. Festivals are all encompassing events with different kinds of music available-which means everyone can feel included at one of these events which happen mostly during the summer months. I feel that festivals foster politics of inclusion and social change which has been apparent since Woodstock in 1969 which was billed as "3 days of peace and music".
Woodstock is not only infamous because of the sheer size of the festival but because it has become a cultural touchstone. Half a million young people attended, they lived in peace for the duration of the festival without any visible form of security, and they all cooperated with one another to create shelter and share food (Reese). It is clear that this music festival created an arena of inclusion and exclusivity for all those who attended which now resonates in all current festivals.
I had a very unique experience when I attended Leeds Festival last August, as one of my good friends family member is one of the major organisers of the event , which allowed me to experience backstage as well as the rest of the festival.
While backstage, I noticed how incredibly exclusive it was and all the steps that had to be taken in order to get there-from passes to bracelets and even with permission from the organiser we still had to have mountains of checks. However, once behind the scenes (although an incredibly amazing experience) it seemed the magic of the show slipped away as the technical elements were a lot more visible. The atmosphere behind the scenes was more stern compared with the experience of the crowd as those who were allowed behind the scenes had to be on their best behaviour- no screaming, jumping around etc so in that way we had to be silent spectators. So although it was very exclusive and a special type of inclusivity amongst the others who had this experience, the assimilation with the music and crowd was quite different.
Woodstock is not only infamous because of the sheer size of the festival but because it has become a cultural touchstone. Half a million young people attended, they lived in peace for the duration of the festival without any visible form of security, and they all cooperated with one another to create shelter and share food (Reese). It is clear that this music festival created an arena of inclusion and exclusivity for all those who attended which now resonates in all current festivals.
I had a very unique experience when I attended Leeds Festival last August, as one of my good friends family member is one of the major organisers of the event , which allowed me to experience backstage as well as the rest of the festival.
While backstage, I noticed how incredibly exclusive it was and all the steps that had to be taken in order to get there-from passes to bracelets and even with permission from the organiser we still had to have mountains of checks. However, once behind the scenes (although an incredibly amazing experience) it seemed the magic of the show slipped away as the technical elements were a lot more visible. The atmosphere behind the scenes was more stern compared with the experience of the crowd as those who were allowed behind the scenes had to be on their best behaviour- no screaming, jumping around etc so in that way we had to be silent spectators. So although it was very exclusive and a special type of inclusivity amongst the others who had this experience, the assimilation with the music and crowd was quite different.
(behind the scenes)
(the passes we had to get)
However, once in the crowd the experience was entirely different- I watched the BBK set and the interaction with the crowd and the artists was very different. The atmosphere was that of inclusion, if you were there to watch the set, you all waited there to get a prime spot and were there to experience the same thing. In that way, it was enjoyable to be part of something bigger, despite the drink throwing and pushing haha.
(BBK Set)
In terms of camping- the sharing of showers and toilet facilities meant that there was an atmosphere of camaraderie as most of the time it was quite gross haha. The camping on muddy ground also meant that friendships were fostered because of the shared experience. Although I was in a different campsite to most of the other people attending the festival, there was still an air of this shared experience.
Because of my unique experience while at Leeds festival, I think it is interesting to note the politics of inclusion and exclusivity when it comes to looking at these events. The fact that behind the scenes fostered its own kind of exclusivity yet had its own kind of exclusion is quite interesting-where as the atmosphere of the crowd fostered an air of inclusion and camaraderie despite cramped and muddy conditions.
Anyways sorry for the long post guys, but just wanted to share my experience with inclusion/exclusion with festivals!
Here is a site I looked at about woodstock: https://www.quora.com/Why-was-The-Woodstock-festival-important
Hope you are all doing well
Charlotte.
(the passes we had to get)However, once in the crowd the experience was entirely different- I watched the BBK set and the interaction with the crowd and the artists was very different. The atmosphere was that of inclusion, if you were there to watch the set, you all waited there to get a prime spot and were there to experience the same thing. In that way, it was enjoyable to be part of something bigger, despite the drink throwing and pushing haha.
(BBK Set)In terms of camping- the sharing of showers and toilet facilities meant that there was an atmosphere of camaraderie as most of the time it was quite gross haha. The camping on muddy ground also meant that friendships were fostered because of the shared experience. Although I was in a different campsite to most of the other people attending the festival, there was still an air of this shared experience.
Because of my unique experience while at Leeds festival, I think it is interesting to note the politics of inclusion and exclusivity when it comes to looking at these events. The fact that behind the scenes fostered its own kind of exclusivity yet had its own kind of exclusion is quite interesting-where as the atmosphere of the crowd fostered an air of inclusion and camaraderie despite cramped and muddy conditions.
Anyways sorry for the long post guys, but just wanted to share my experience with inclusion/exclusion with festivals!
Here is a site I looked at about woodstock: https://www.quora.com/Why-was-The-Woodstock-festival-important
Hope you are all doing well
Charlotte.
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