Festivals strengthen family bonds

Recent research has suggested that families that celebrate festivals together have stronger relationships.

A survey from British camping company OLPRO showed that both children and parents enjoyed sharing the experience of festivals together, with 99 percent of children saying that they felt closer to one or both parents after visiting a festival.

The research was carried out with a thousand families with children aged between 13 to 18 years old.

It was suggested that a three or four day festival provides enough time for family bonding without the time elongation which makes tensions arise.

The research found that 84 percent of children preferred short duration and camping holidays rather than beach or activity holidays.

Live acts also proved to be a common ground for children and parents alike, with 57 and 59 percent respectively agreeing that it was easier to talk to each other while listening to music.

Dave Stewart, MD of the The Fresh Air Learning Company, commented: “Many of the boundaries normally encountered in the home limit creativity and relationships.

“These are relaxed or do not exist in the outdoors. This can create a sense of freedom, trigger significant shifts in perspective and enrich our conversations with one another.”

Henry Smith, a third-year Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, has attended both Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festivals with his family. He said: “I definitely agree that going with the family is good…

“me and my Dad share an interest in the same music and he knows exactly how to go about [festivals] with his past experience of camping”.

Fathers appeared to form stronger relationships with their children during festivals. 62 percent of children claimed that they felt closer to their fathers after a festival, while nine percent felt closer to their mothers.

Family relationships developed over festivals lasted longer than the event itself. 67 percent of children and 75 percent of parents agreed that the ‘feel-good factor’ lasted a week or more after a festival.

The consumption of alcohol was also brought up in the survey. A third of both children and parents said that they were surprised by the discovery that their parents or children drank more than they had previously thought.

However, the survey showed some disparities of interest. While parents enjoyed the family working together with activities like putting up the tent, children were more favourable to parents who were less strict.

Questions about technology also showed a difference of opinion. When asked what they most enjoyed about camping with their family, 76 percent of parents said that it was having less reliance on technology compared with two percent of children who agreed.