Isle of Wight Festival Nightmare

[Mid Life Crisis]

Originally Posted by Toto'sDad

I'm sure it's an interesting story but please put some paragraph breaks in next time!

Must be a UK thing.

Yeah, maybe the trauma of his visit to the UK has affected his ability to write paragraphs, and has stayed with him even now that he's back home in Ireland.

[Thorby Bislam]

At first I was just going to put tl;dr but then I read it through. This bit >>

I looked at my son who was standing there staring at me wide-eyed, clutching his green lantern action figure that was covered in mud and looked at my exhausted wife. Both having not eaten in over 12 hours. I felt like crying. I told them that the campsites were full, people had even pitched tents in the mud. She said that whatever decision I made right now, she would support it. I said that we are leaving.

She's a diamond!

Here's an idea, next year go to this outdoor festival >> http://www.americana-international.co.uk/
It will be fun, you'll have a positive camping experience that your family will enjoy. Loads of good music at five onsite venues, loads of vintage cars, trucks bikes etc, loads of non-music attractions like fashion show, trade and food stalls and funfair for kids. If you're lucky the wall of death will be back too.

There's hard roads going through the showground and even if it rains heavily the ground is pretty quick draining. Most of all, customers are treated well and not like cattle. I should add; I have no connection with the event other than being a satisfied customer. I go back every year, it's a must-not-miss for me. Even in this year of heavier than normal rainfall, I have no hesitation in attending. Their FB page >>http://www.facebook.com/events/122157154545119/

[octatonic]

I had a friend go this year.
They said it was a complete waste of a weekend as well.
She called it "Isle of Brown".

[Toto'sDad]

Originally Posted by Toto'sDad
I'm sure it's an interesting story but please put some paragraph breaks in next time!

Must be a UK thing.

Yeah, maybe the trauma of his visit to the UK has affected his ability to write paragraphs, and has stayed with him even now that he's back home in Ireland.

Must be a UK thing.

[colorado]

Yeah, you know the Irish really don't have a literary tradition, so don't expect to much from them.

[garyd5158]

Your wife is still talking to you.
At least enough to say "Let It Go."
Easy for me to say, but I'd work on letting it go.
In two months the new baby will have you so high on life, the Isle of Wright won't bother you as much as it does today.

[spook69]

Thanks for that report Torresfan. News paper report below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...-festival-rain

That sounds an awful disappointing experience & I hope your family has recovered.

I went to a 3 day Blues festival a few weeks ago, it rained of course, but it was on a campus & camping for campervans I was in was on a hard standing & no mud.

Most folks there were middle aged. The main artists each night came on at 10.30PM & it was standing gig. I wore ear plugs because it was so loud.

I bailed out on the third day early as I could not endure the final evening 10.30PM start, & standing for the 3rd night.

But thats live festivals. Go to another, dunno ........

[cosmiccowboy]

What a drag, you still have your (pregnant) wife and son and an experience none the less. "Theres a little bit a good in the worst experience, and a little bit a bad in the best ..."

Food for thought

[Big_Bend]

Ya not a good idea to take a 9 year old child and a 7 month pregnant wife to a huge camping outdoor music festival. The odds of it all working out and everybody coming home happy were about 0 % I say., even if the weather had cooperated. Not a good plan, you should have gone with 2 buddies instead.

Sorry for the nightmare.. wow!!

[neocaster]

Originally Posted by musicalmartin

And ?

My sentiments exactly. This, my friend, is not a nightmare. This is a first-world hardship. You gave your family an indelible experience, and I assure you nobody was scarred. This isn't going to come up in a family therapy session in 10 years when you're trying to find out what went wrong. I would be upset about the festival ticket money, but I bet you can get that back, or free tickets to try again in a few years when the new guy is a bit older. Heck, you can probably talk your way into a 4th free ticket. In any case, the festival was a bust, and the 450 for ferry fare was mostly wasted.

Here's what will happen. Over the next 40-60 years, this story will change quite a bit. The good ones always do. You will have a great time telling your grandchildren this story, because you'll never forget it. After you're gone, your son will be able to tell his grandkids, "I remember the time your great grandfather took me and your great grandmother to the Isle of Wight Festival, or at least he tried to..."

Such is life. Thank whatever makes such things possible.

Just the thoughts rolling off the top of my head. I promise at least those are worth every cent you paid for them.

[neocaster]

Originally Posted by spook69

I went to a 3 day Blues festival a few weeks ago, it rained of course, but it was on a campus & camping for campervans I was in was on a hard standing & no mud.

If I went to a Blues festival, I'd want my money back if they couldn't deliver some rain. I might even ask for it back due to the unacceptable lack of mud.

[winny pooh]

My sympathies, I would would probably have cried! Write to the organisers with your experience..

[winny pooh]

Originally Posted by neocaster

My sentiments exactly. This, my friend, is not a nightmare. This is a first-world hardship. You gave your family an indelible experience, and I assure you nobody was scarred. This isn't going to come up in a family therapy session in 10 years when you're trying to find out what went wrong. I would be upset about the festival ticket money, but I bet you can get that back, or free tickets to try again in a few years when the new guy is a bit older. Heck, you can probably talk your way into a 4th free ticket. In any case, the festival was a bust, and the 450 for ferry fare was mostly wasted.

Here's what will happen. Over the next 40-60 years, this story will change quite a bit. The good ones always do. You will have a great time telling your grandchildren this story, because you'll never forget it. After you're gone, your son will be able to tell his grandkids, "I remember the time your great grandfather took me and your great grandmother to the Isle of Wight Festival, or at least he tried to..."

Such is life. Thank whatever makes such things possible.

Just the thoughts rolling off the top of my head. I promise at least those are worth every cent you paid for them.

You are so off the adoption list

[mohair_chair]

That's a crazy thing to do with a pregnant wife and a 9-year old. But that's the kind of epic adventure that you'll all remember forever. I both admire and am baffled by your perseverance! I have little tolerance for traffic in general, so I probably would have given up a LOT sooner than you did.

[Thorby Bislam]

Btw, Ireland is not in the UK.

[StratBluesRock]

Damn. That has got to be one of the most "bummer" stories I have ever read, fact or fiction. If I were you I'd never be able to let it go. Stay strong.

[chrisgblues]

Originally Posted by spook69

Thanks for that report Torresfan. News paper report below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...-festival-rain

Reading that report it looks like the OP's story was repeated by about 55,000 other people trying to get to the festival that day. So no need to feel like a failure, it was the organizers who failed completely in their lack of preparation.

And by the way, the organizers are saying in writing that if you return your tickets they will give you a refund.

[DeepSouth]

As Mrs Brown (from the TV show Mrs Brown's boys) said on the topic of Noah. "Raining for forty days - in Ireland that's feckin summer" . I would have thought you were used to it.

[Scantron08]

If that's the worst experience of your life, count yourself very fortunate.

[Torz Johnson]

That story makes The Out of Towners sound like a walk in the park.