Festival-Goer Discovers Ultimate Luxury, Not Waiting 40 Minutes for Friends

For many festival goers, the experience is all about sharing music, memories and muddy adventures with friends. But for 18 year old Tilly Davies, going solo has turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable way to experience Reading Festival. The Northamptonshire teenager is attending the festival alone for the second time, after discovering last year that not having friends with tickets did not necessarily mean missing out. Tilly said solo festival-going could occasionally feel a bit lonely, but that quickly became less important once she settled in, enjoyed the music and started meeting people. It’s a lot nicer going alone,she said, explaining that travelling solo meant she could choose exactly which performers she wanted to see without having to negotiate plans with a group. No Friends? No Problem Last year, Tilly had originally planned to attend the annual festival with friends. However, they were unable to get tickets. Rather than abandon her festival plans, she went by herself and ended up enjoying the freedom so much that she decided to repeat the experience this year. She has once again made her way to Richfield Avenue alone and says she is having “such a great time”. For Tilly, one of the biggest advantages is not having to coordinate every decision with friends. Instead of lengthy discussions about which stage to visit, she can simply follow whichever act she wants to watch. Making Friends Outside the Comfort Zone Going to a huge festival alone might sound intimidating, particularly when thousands of people are arriving with established groups of friends. Tilly, however, believes it is possible to meet people by simply being willing to step outside your comfort zone. It’s scary getting there by yourself at first, she said, but added that once inside, making friends can be much easier. Her advice to other people considering a solo festival trip is straightforward: take the plunge and don't assume you'll be alone all weekend. The festival is expected to welcome around 100,000 people this year, with major acts including Charli XCX. Tilly is particularly looking forward to Sunday, when Florence and the Machine and Chase & Status are scheduled to perform. Freedom Comes With Its Own Perks While some people might see attending a festival without friends as an awkward experience, Tilly has found an unexpected benefit: complete control over her schedule. There is no need to ask, What do you want to watch ? every hour, negotiate between different artists or abandon a favourite performance because the rest of the group wants to go somewhere else. For Tilly, that freedom is enough reason to return. Her experience also offers a different perspective on the traditional festival formula sometimes the best festival companion might simply be yourself. And if nothing else, there is one less person to argue with over which stage to go to.