Culture & Arts 2 min read 3h ago

Festivals Are Better With Children

Iman Amrani, a freelance writer and producer, took her one-year-old twins to multiple festivals — including Green Man in the Brecon Beacons — before their second birthday.
The family attended Situation Dance, organised by Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective, as well as the child-focused TOTFest, with Amrani reporting the experience exceeded her
Amrani argues that critics who claim toddlers spoil festivals are wrong, contending that families add to rather than detract from the communal atmosphere of live music events.

A freelance writer and producer who took her one-year-old twins to a series of music festivals — including an overnight camp in the Brecon Beacons — argues that children do not diminish the festival experience but add to it, countering what she describes as a dismissive attitude among child-free festivalgoers.

A summer of live music with toddlers

Iman Amrani writes that the birth of her twins brought an abrupt end to the spontaneous social life she had previously known: travel, impulsive decisions and a busy calendar gave way to the demands of new parenthood. Friends, meanwhile, continued attending festivals without her. When her twins reached their first birthday and a settled routine had been established, she resolved to bring them along.

Before the children turned two, the family had attended Situation Dance, a day festival organised by Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective, stayed overnight at Green Man in the Brecon Beacons, and visited TOTFest, a child-focused event. Amrani says the summer went better than she had anticipated.

Ad Unit · 728×90 / Responsive

Challenging the adult-only assumption

Amrani takes direct aim at those she calls "party poopers" — festivalgoers who maintain that toddlers spoil the atmosphere — arguing instead that families contribute to the communal spirit that defines these events. Her case is personal and anecdotal; she draws on her own experience rather than any broader evidence, and makes no claim to represent all parents facing similar choices.

The underlying argument is a challenge to an informal convention that music festivals are, by default, adult spaces. Whether that convention is as widespread as Amrani suggests is a matter of perspective, but her account of dancing at day events and camping in the Welsh hills with two small children offers a practical counterpoint — and a reminder that the composition of a festival crowd is rarely fixed.

##MusicFestivals ##Parenting ##FamilyLife

Ad Unit · 300×250 / Responsive