hOOkup CulTurE aT FESTiValS pagE - 52

Even if you end up on the shoulders of an absolute worldie whilst Mabel sings about not calling your ex in the background, the option to exchange numbers, compliment their awfully patterned shirt and never see them again is always on the table and can be carried out a lot safely and easier in a festival setting than in real life.

Once you have made it past the festival security who are clearly fed up of searching underage festival-goers underwear for bottles of contraband cider, you are welcomed by an obscenely muddy field and hundreds of scantily-clad fellow festival adventurers like yourself all fired up for a weekend of questionable toilet’s and casual hook-ups. Hook-up culture at festivals has never been more prolific than today due to the golden age of the dating app. Your friends turn to dating apps they have secured specially for the weekend to make it easier to find people to bond with and make navigating a mosh pit for their true love a lot easier when they have already swiped right. This close proximity makes it easier to reach out and find someone you can bond over the over-priced festival food with, providing both parties with a hit of instantly secured gratification.

As millions make journeys to all corners of the world to bask in the rays of freedom and sun, cherished music that is passed down from generations will be enjoyed by couples meeting for the first time and by individuals keen for some festival fun. As nervous are-you-sures are whispered in the dark by teenagers who are yet to explore each other, strangers will be meeting in mosh pits for the first time and saying goodbye moments later after a brief but thrilling exchange. Saying goodbye to a festival fling can be a bittersweet way to end a weekend of high emotions, yet sad thoughts are later dispelled on the bus back home when a follow request comes through and discussions surrounding future meet-ups are had, potentially turning a festival hook-up into a partner for life.

Words by: Lucy Matthews Design by: Holly Chapman

SeX FES tiVaLS

Firstly, no we don’t mean catching a UTI (or worse) at Reading and Leeds festival in a tent filled with a lynx aroma. Though I’m sure many of us get around at Glastonbury, Creamfields and even going worldwide with the fanciest of them all: Coachella. The music festival’s prime function is not to engage in sexual intercourse if we are going to get all fancy with the terms to describe it. There are no terms and conditions to what occurs inside a shaking, sweaty tent and the boundaries of consent become blurred with major intoxication. A festival could be defined as a release of emotion, whether this be side stepping in a muddy field with a pint or a toe tingling orgasm as we are about to uncover. Then, questioning further from the emotional side of a sex festival, is it polyamorous? Are there boundaries set based on consent for all? Are condoms provided? Why do people go? Is it a safe place for self-expression? Sex festivals happen year in, year out worldwide and I’m sure many people’s first thought is to picture BDSM (bondage, discipline/ domination, sadism/ submission, masochism) but just on a larger, festival scale. This is not always untrue with San Francisco’s ‘Folsom Street Fair’ existing, which is an annual BDSM and leather subculture street fair which fits this assumption. Though I think we must look deeper than this, the festival has been described as San Francisco’s ‘kinkiest’ event where lovers gather to share their ‘weirdest fantasies’. But looking beyond the leather and hundreds of booths selling toys you wouldn’t find in Hamleys, there are no rules concerning the visitor’s appearance. Like any festival, it is a time to truly be yourself and self-express away from the constraints of a 9-5. You are free to not stress about getting rubbed the wrong way… Sex festivals could be viewed as a form of self-betterment, working the same way a yoga retreat might do. Australia’s, ‘Festival of Really

Firstly, no we don’t mean catching a UTI (or worse) at Reading and Leeds Good Sex’, which leaves little room for explanation is surprisingly much festival in a tent filled with a lynx aroma. Though I’m sure many of us get more than just sex. Workshops at the festival include: ‘Hold Me Tight’ around at Glastonbury, Creamfields and even going worldwide with the which explores hugging techniques and ‘Porn yoga for porn lovers’ fanciest of them all: Coachella. The music festival’s prime function is not where participants are encouraged to develop a more mindful approach to engage in sexual intercourse if we are going to get all fancy with the to masturbating and pornography. Sex Education is sorely lacking in terms to describe it. There are no terms and conditions to what occurs schools and is learning about pregnancy and sexually transmitted inside a shaking, sweaty tent and the boundaries of consent become diseases enough? We are never taught that sex can be both fun blurred with major intoxication. and non-shameful however you may choose to partake. The festival ‘Kutemajrvi’ in Finland is also the more intellectual of the sex festivals, where professionals lead lectures in all aspects of sexuality. Whilst reading about all these festivals I had asked myself would I ever attend, and the answer changed the more I discovered. I think as a form of selfbetterment, maybe I would. Moving closer to home, Europe’s largest sex festival ‘Swingfields’ was located about an hour from the Welsh sanitizer became the norm. Ticket holders who came as a couple paid £170 for a ticket, which works out cheaper than most music festivals. Sun cream was provided by organizers to stop participants getting burnt in places out of the norm and where the sun does not usually shine though I did not find any mention of free condoms. I presumed that practicing safe sex at these festivals must of course be followed out and that those attending were liable for this on their onus. What shocked me was the secrecy surrounding the festival, ticket holders were only told about the location 48 hours before the festival occurred. The safety procedures were both familiar and separate from that of a music festival, taking wristbands as an example which had to be worn but were different in colours to present a person’s sexual preferences. There was also a glossary of terms issued to festival goers which included, ‘bull’, ‘unicorn’ and ‘full swaps’. The glossary proves that the festival is not only for those who are polyamorous, everyone is welcome to explore how they please. I

A festival could be defined as a release of emotion, whether this be side stepping in a muddy field with a pint or a toe tingling orgasm as we are about to uncover. Then, questioning further from the emotional side of a sex festival, is it polyamorous? Are there boundaries set based on consent for all? Are condoms provided? Why do people go? Is it a safe place for self-expression? Sex festivals happen year in, year out worldwide and I’m sure many people’s first thought is to picture BDSM (bondage, discipline/ domination, sadism/ submission, masochism) but just on a larger, festival scale. This is not always untrue with San Francisco’s ‘Folsom Street Fair’ existing, which is an annual BDSM and leather subculture street fair which fits this assumption. Though I think we must look deeper than this, the festival has been described as San Francisco’s ‘kinkiest’ event where lovers gather to share their ‘weirdest fantasies’. But looking leather and hundreds of booths selling toys you wouldn’t find in Hamleys, there are no rules concerning the visitor’s appearance. Like any festival, it is a time to truly be yourself and self-express away from the constraints of a 9-5. You are free to not stress about getting rubbed the wrong way… Sex festivals could be viewed as a form of self-betterment, working the same way a yoga retreat might do. Australia’s, ‘Festival of Really Good Sex’, which leaves little room for explanation is surprisingly much more than just sex. Workshops at the festival include: ‘Hold Me Tight’ which explores hugging techniques and ‘Porn yoga for porn lovers’ where participants are encouraged to develop a more mindful approach to masturbating and pornography. Sex Education is sorely lacking in schools and is learning about pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases enough? We are never taught that sex can be both fun and non-shameful however you may choose to partake. The festival ‘Kutemajrvi’ in Finland is also the more intellectual of the sex festivals, where professionals lead lectures in all aspects of sexuality. Whilst reading about all these festivals I had asked myself would I ever attend, and the answer changed the more I discovered. I think as a form of selfbetterment, maybe I would. Moving closer to home, Europe’s largest sex festival ‘Swingfields’ was located about an hour from the Welsh boarder back in 2019 before masks and buckets of