11 things you'll only understand if you wear glasses at a festival

Thankfully we don't have to worry about that this year!

Looking through a pair of glasses which are misted up
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 15th Jun 2020
Last updated 22nd Jun 2020

Summer festivals won't be happening this year due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, but that hasn't stopped us reminiscing about festivals we've been to in the past.

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

So, while we don't have to deal with some of the problems of wearing glasses at a festival this year, here we take a look at ways glasses can get in the way at festivals. Here are some things that you'll be able to relate to...

1. Dancing

You love the tunes but when you dance too much your glasses fall off.

via GIPHY

2. Silent disco

Although fairly uncommon silent discos are great fun, until the headphones push your glasses into your head that is. Painful!

Woman wearing glasses holding headphones over her ears

3. Steamy 'windows'

When you go into a packed tent be prepared for the 'wall' of hot air to hit you and with it your glasses steaming up.

Pair of glasses steamed up at a festival

4. Which glasses?

You're constantly swapping between normal glasses and prescription sunglasses.

Two pairs of glasses

5. It's getting hot in here!

When your nose gets sweaty and your glasses keep sliding down.

Woman pushing glasses up her nose

6. Mr Popular

Everyone wants to try your glasses on, but you need them to see. Give them back!

via GIPHY

7. Unhappy camper

You're camping and roll over onto your glasses hearing them snap. The rest of the festival will just be a blur then.

Silhouette in a tent

8. Wet weather

When it rains and all you can see is water droplets, you may as well not have them on.

Looking through wet glasses at a stage

9. Dirty lenses

When you try to clean your glasses with your clothes, but they are either muddy, sweaty or the wrong sort of material. Everyone hates smears!

Man trying to clean his glasses

10. Selfie time

When you want to take a selfie without your glasses you can't see a thing.

Girls taking a selfie holding glasses

11. And tonight I'll be...

When you decide to wear glasses instead of contact lenses and your friends don't recognise you.

via GIPHY

Now take a look at 12 reasons a virtual festival is better than a real festival:

Real: The website keeps crashing

We all know that feeling when we join an online queue to buy some highly sought after tickets, only for the website to crash when we finally get to position one!

Virtual: There’s no need to buy an expensive ticket

No queue, no ticket and no money spent, wins all round.

Real: Losing friends at a festival

We've all been there, we lose our friends, not just for an hour, but all day! Festivals are so big, the mobile reception is terrible and you can't hear anything anyway, even if you did get through.

Virtual: You have a Zoom party with your friends

You know exactly where your friends are when you're on a Zoom chat with them, so turn up the tunes, grab a bite to eat and catch up with them.

Real: Phone battery goes flat halfway through the first day

Hands up, who's had a flat battery after just a few hours at a festival? Thought so...

Virtual: No need to worry about your phone battery!

You can use your phone as much as you like, there's no chance of it running out of battery. And, on the off chance that it does, well, you're in your house so just plug it in!

Real: Horrendous weather

It's a good job we 'like' the wet weather in the UK, because most of our festivals are blessed with it!

Virtual: Blazing sun all weekend

Sod's Law, during the weeks you CAN'T go out, the weather is gorgeous! Pass the sun cream please.

Real: Endless fields of mud

And with horrendous weather comes a very muddy field, or five! British festivals wouldn't be the same without a bit of mud would they?

Virtual: Mud? What’s that? You have haven’t seen a muddy field for months!

That's right, the weather is nice and there's not a muddy patch in sight.

Real: A weekend of being crammed in a hot tent with no space to dance

Whether you're crammed at the front of the crowd, or at the back where you can't see or hear anything. Being crammed in a festival tent isn't much fun.

Virtual: Plenty of space for dancing, whether it’s in your kitchen, living room or garden

Space isn't a problem when it's just you and your household. Time to cut a rug.

Real: It’s a VERY long weekend in a terrible tent

Admit it, we all thought the cheap pop-up tent was a perfect buy, but in reality it's no match for the torrential rain.

Virtual: No camping needed here

You have plenty to celebrate with all your home comforts around you. You've got a sofa, shower, food and drink, now you're wondering why you ever slept in that leaky tent, on an airbed with a puncture.

Real: Long queues for the portable toilets

Not only do you have the long queues to contend with, they're pretty dark, dirty, and unhygienic.

Virtual: You’ve got your very own toilet

And you know it will have toilet paper and running water. Bonus!

Real: Having to live in socks and wellies for the weekend

Wellies are pretty much a necessity at all festivals, there's no escaping it.

Virtual: You can wear whatever you want

You could even wear your wellies in your house for the 'complete' experience, or go barefoot, the choice is yours.

Real: Music from other stages interfere with your favourite band

No one wants to hear the stage over there, when you're right in front of your favourite band, but it ALWAYS seems happen.

Virtual: Amazingly good audio coming straight from Northsound 1

We've got this covered on Northsound 1, the audio quality is brilliant and you can listen on DAB or online!

Real: All your favourite acts are on at the same time

It seems to happen at most festivals, who should you see? Your friends want to see one band and you want to see another, but they're on at the same time!

Virtual: No headline clash because you can listen again

No need to worry if there are two artists on at the same time, you can catch up with the performances on listen again through our website or app.

Real: Expensive drinks and long queues for the bar

Queuing for the bar at a festival can take longer than your favourite band's set, then carrying a round of drinks for your mates can be hard too.

Virtual: You can help yourself to a drink whenever you like

There's only you and your household to worry about, so you can help yourself whenever you want to!
Remember to always drinks responsibly.

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

For great music, brilliant banter and incredible competitions tune into Northsound 1 on 96.9, 97.6 or 103.0 FM, online, on our Northsound app, your DAB digital radio, or say ‘Play Northsound 1’ on your Smart Speaker. We give you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years.