Attending a festival with a mobility scooter — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

Attending a festival with a mobility scooter

kelics
kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
edited June 2021 in Coffee lounge
I Will be getting a mobility scooter hopefully soon, so plenty opportunities are opening up :).
One of them is to attend a Download festival, but because i have walking difficulties i thought that this opportunity is over for me, but with a mobility scooter its now a possibility!

I did a bit of research and found out that this particular festival has a special campsite for disabled guests. Only thing is, you will have to sleep in a tent which means you will have to get up from a very low position.

Can anyone share relevant experience?

Thanks \/
«13

Comments

  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,638 Scope online community team
    Hi @kelics
    I have quad CP and use a wheelchair. I have attended lots of festivals and events where I have slept in a tent etc. Thankfully now things are better. I have a friend who works with the fantastic organisation Attitude is Everything, they have great resources.
    Scope
    Specialist Information Officer and Cerebral Palsy Programme Lead

    'Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.

    Want to tell us about your experience in the community? Talk to our chatbot and let us know. 
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    @Richard_Scope thanks for response dude \m/. 

    Im sure the staff wont leave you dying :)
  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,638 Scope online community team
    The alcohol did that for me  :D
    Scope
    Specialist Information Officer and Cerebral Palsy Programme Lead

    'Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.

    Want to tell us about your experience in the community? Talk to our chatbot and let us know. 
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    @kelics a friend of mine has just been to Download this year and was in the disabled camping section.  They do it every year.  They informed me that a lot of venues are getting better for disabled attendees too if you tell them in advance (I've only had to do it with two venues who were both great at making sure I had a seat).  It's all fairly new to me so I'm learning all the handy tips from my friend.

    Have you looked at some of the blow up mattresses so it's more bed height to sleep on?  You'd probably need a large tent to use it.  Alternatively, have you looked at accommodation nearby so you could stay in an AirBnb type idea and drive in and out as you need to?  I know for the festival I'd love to go back to, which is in Germany, the town nearby has a lot of accommodation.

    Just be aware that a lot of the ground is really uneven at festivals.  Good thing about the likes of Download is that most people will move out of your way if you're on the pathways.  It's been a LONG time since I went to Download, but I remember Donnington being on a slope.

    If it were me, I'd be planning what bands you want to see so you give yourself enough time to move between stages.  It's often tricky weaving in and out of people to get where you want, so sit with the running order for each stage before hand and make sure if you've got a close call between two bands on different stages that you're prepared to maybe miss the end/start of a set.  I used to do that anyway before every festival and then you can work out food breaks as well.

    I miss festivals haha  :D 
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    The alcohol did that for me  :D
    Thats what im affaid of the most and something else hahahaha
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    Oh another thought, what about getting a camping cot?  That might be a better idea than a blow up mattress or having to pay more for accommodation :) 
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    @HanzRolo thanks! Ill be going with a mate who is like a music fest/gigs veteran at 28 lol, so he will keep me right. I will be on a small foldable mobility scooter, im sure the terrain is suitable for it.

    The high mattress is a good suggestion, but theres a risk of falling from it and smeshing your head after a couple of drinks :D. And nonono to accomodation im staying at a camp site with my pals and getting seshed :D

    So have you stopped attending fests completely? 
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    @kelics great!  Good to have someone who knows all the handy tips of festivals.  Just thought it was worth knowing what the terrain is like, especially with the weather too.  Plenty walkways though so you should be fine.  Good thing about rock/metal fans is they're usually pretty supportive of each other :)  Though I wouldn't recommend crowdsurfing with the mobility scooter ;) 

    Hahahaha!!!  That's true, maybe a camping cot is a better idea then.  Less bouncing around feeling seasick after a few shandies  :D Plus no risk of it deflating!  

    My last camping festival was 2016 but I've been to a couple of weekenders in venues (North of the Wall Festival in Glasgow).  My chronic pain started in 2019 so Covid's kind of wiped out all the gig and festivals since finding out this was a long-term thing.  It's been something I have been thinking about a lot though because I started going to festivals young and I love being able to watch a load of bands I love over a few days.  The line up for Hellfest next year reminded me how much I miss live music haha.  
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    @HanzRolo yea dude its good to have festival experienced friend but its also good to learn some things from people similar to me.

    I agree regarding rock/metal community, it has been the best community atleast from my experience, you know some songs are about eating other people, but in reality people who listen to that are very humble.

    Hahaha thanks for the suggestion  i think i will have to give it a shot and surf the crowd on a mobility scooter :D, i did see once a video of a guy crowd surfing on a wheelchair.

    Ive not checked other line ups yet, Download is number1 atm, just need to get the scooter and hopefully if my health allows me,  would love to see a lot of bands!

    Ironically i only started to have interest in festivals after being less able :D

    So you are unable to go because of chronic pain?
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    @kelics Yeah definitely.  Every year I went with my friend, we learnt something new to remember for our next year.  The boring things like taking your own bin bags, Andrex wipes rather than toilet paper, hand sanitizer...  Boring stuff.

    Hahahahaha!!!  I guess it depends on what bands you listen to  :D  Lots of bands I like I've no idea what they're singing because it's in German/Finnish/Russian/Norwegian/Japanese etc.  Definitely a good community spirit though on the whole.

    YEAH!  That was so cool!  That was exactly what I was thinking about :D  Having crowdsurfed a few times in my youth, I know how you can suddenly be dropped, so a wheelchair might stand more of a chance than the scooter :D 

    My first rock/metal festival was when I was 14 so I've been doing it on and off for more than half a lifetime.  My boring suggestion of sitting working out who you're going to see is because of the number of bands I would accidently miss.  Going with another female friend, we were able to work out when and where we'd meet after going off to watch our own bands (I'm not into all that symphonic stuff unless there was nothing else on  :D ).  Also when we could both get food, have a loo break and walk back to the campsite together.  

    Yeah, I can't stand for more than 10 minutes without pain in my back and legs.  I can't really walk far either.  It's all pretty new knowing this is something that won't go away and trying to manage it.  No more mosh pits for me :D 

    It sounds like you're in a similar boat with walking and the scooter? 
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    edited June 2021
    @HanzRolo andrex wipes? there are no showers ???
    I used listen to a lot of Cannibal Corpse so their lyrics is all about rape, murder, torture etc Now more on a chill side like Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle etc.  what ab90ut u ?

    Can you actually be dropped :O ops....
    ps. sorry if i make any mistakes, i j7ust had a shower so my hands are struggling toi type a bit.

    aah so nice u managed to see a lot of bands :L) im jealous @(in a good way) of this years semi Download or whatever its called, post covid download or something did not impress me much and plus i dont have the scooter yet(actually Scooter is a great |German techno band)

    yea dude I have progressive form of MS im 32 but already suffering froim it a great deal, once a strong and healthy lad isd struggling toi type on kb or eat food at tymes haha, its lifesnt it :D

    I dunno about these fests tbh, id love to go to all, but i actually feel like a ****, very fatigues and tired most of the time,

    so did u had an injury or something ? 
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    @kelics sorry, just saw you'd replied  :# 

    Andrex Wipes are always a bonus for portaloos.  Always a bonus!!!  There are showers, erm...  I've always just taken baby wipes and dry shampoo.  I don't think anyone I've camped with has used the showers  :s 

    Haha, I have seen Cannibal Corpse.  I had no idea on their lyrics.  It just sounded like they were going "Norman, Norman, Norman!"  We've now got a joke that we should start a band using those lyrics...  I listen to all sorts of stuff from Justin Timberlake to Bloodbath and a whole load of things in between.  I listen to a lot of Finnish and German bands so I've always had to travel to see the majority of them at European festivals since they never play the UK.  I think I've ticked off a lot of my bucket list over the years.

    Yeah, I was dropped (on my feet) during a crowdsurf to Slipknot and was suspended from my waist during another to Placebo.  I was a lot skinnier then though  :D  Almost feels like a lifetime ago back in my teens (I'm in my late 30s).

    Ah MS is a tough one, especially when you were fit and healthy before, but I'm sure you can find ways to continue to rock out with it :)  It's just working out your limits and adjusting to it, but I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir there!  As I said already, working out the bands you want to see might be good for working out rest time, though if you're sitting watching the bands it's definitely a lot more chill than being in the mosh pit!  I have been known to fall asleep watching bands at festivals  :D  I remember seeing Iggy Pop... the first song and the last song of his set.  I crashed and didn't realise I'd fallen asleep until I woke up.  Oops!  :lol:  Set your own pace with it and find a good viewing point to sit and watch, the big screens are a bonus for sure (especially when you're as short as me).

    Well I have chronic pain.  I originally had sciatica that meant I took some time of work one year and the following year I turned funny in my sleep and BAM!!!  Sciatica down both legs right down into my toes and across my lower back.  It's been almost 2 and a half years with two different physios, a tonne of different meds and I've been told it's lifelong and I need to learn how to adjust.  I can't stand longer than 10 minutes without pain, I walk with a stick but only a couple of blocks without starting to feel it.  I've lost control in my legs with the muscles went "nope!" so I'm really anxious about going anywhere by myself now.  No answers as to why, just been told it's probably muscular.  I am dyspraxic too so I keep wondering if it was my walking with lack of balance/coordination that's built up to everything going kaput!  I just thought I'd wake up with it back to normal, but not this time.
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    The accessibility of live music festivals is getting much better @kelics, as you say most festivals now have camping for disabled attendees, and most will allow a complimentary personal assistant ticket so you can take somebody with you free of charge. 

    I was quite jealous of those who went to Download Pilot this past weekend as I've missed live events so much, hopefully they'll be back soon. I'm due to go to Slam Dunk Festival in September which I'm very much looking forward to. As suggested by Richard further up this thread, Attitude is Everything are a great charity to contact if you ever have any concerns or want further advice and support about the accessibility of live music events.
    Online Community Coordinator

    Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.

    Did you receive a helpful reply to your discussion? Fill out our feedback form and let us know about it.
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    edited June 2021
    @HanzRolo Well the Canni song names tell a whole story [Removed by moderator - profanity and potentially triggering language] do u really want to know the lyrics?! :D
    Nobody use showers? **** loos? man, I'm anxious now, will you be able to use a toilet in peace atleast?

    Iggy Pop? can't say I heard anything about this band :/

    In terms of walking aids, the stick would just put me off balance I have a very poor balance, glad the stick helps you. does anything at all help to reduce your pain?

    hahaha Norman Norman, when I try to sing Cannibal Corpse song I just bark like a dog :D
  • HanzRolo
    HanzRolo Community member Posts: 60 Courageous
    @kelics Yeah... I never got into them.  I love my heavy stuff (lots of melodic death metal and progressive metal, some melodic black metal), but I think the album covers along with the names of the tracks just made me a bit too uncomfortable.  They were on during a lunch break so we just sat in the grass while they played.  Seen a lot of random bands that way over the years, like Iggy Pop... Well, not so much of Iggy other than his first song and The Passenger which was his last.  You'll know The Passenger, it's been on loads of adverts and films over the years.  

    People do use the showers, others just chuck water over themselves.  Too cold for me  :D It's been a long time since I've done a UK festival, but I did upgrade my ticket at Download so that I could use better toilets.  The ones at the earlier festivals I went to were horrendous but the ones in France and Germany were far nicer.  I don't know if there are more accessible toilets, might be worth having a look into that because they might be nicer.  Your friends might do festivals completely different to mine, though for a few years it was myself and one female friend for the weekend and rucksacks contained baby wipes, face wipes, dry shampoo, anti perspirant/deodorant, Andrex Wipes and hand sanitiser.  When we went to the portaloos one would stand with the handbags and ready with hand sanitiser.  The other bonus of the Andrex Wipes is because they're wet wipes, you can wipe the seat if it's really bad (or look for another portaloo...).

    @Richard_Scope and @Ross_Scope might have a better perspective of it as well with their experiences.  It's been a LONG time since I did a camping festival in the UK so the facilities might have vastly improved. 

    Pain for me?  I'm taking max dose of pregabalin and then paracetamol on top if I need it.  I over did it yesterday meeting family for lunch so I'm struggling a bit today  :s It's when you're trying to focus on calming the pain and stopping yourself from crying with it in public :s  We've tried a lot of pain relief over the last couple of years and this is the only thing that takes the edge off of it.  I had my heated belt on when I got into the house to try to calm it a little but I've ended up exhausted and really sore today.
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    edited June 2021
    @HanzRolo hahahaha the Canni song names were removed by admins, it says it all, dont really need to know the lyrics :).

    Ive never been to a UK fest nevermind abroad, Download would be dream come true.

    What you metioned is a lot of hassle for me, as i suffer from like severe fatigue at times but proper showers/toilets is imnportant for me...

    wots best/worst things about the festivals apart from seeing lots of great bands of course ?
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,638 Scope online community team
    Showers at festivals!  :D  I guess I haven't been to many high-class festivals. The best part of festivals for me (apart from the music) is making random connections with people. Not worrying about bills, money, work. You are in the moment. 
    Scope
    Specialist Information Officer and Cerebral Palsy Programme Lead

    'Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.

    Want to tell us about your experience in the community? Talk to our chatbot and let us know. 
  • kelics
    kelics Community member Posts: 84 Courageous
    @Richard_Scope i defo agree with that mate! I never been like i mentioned above, but can imagine! Really hope to attend one
  • Emilyb81
    Emilyb81 Community member Posts: 530 Pioneering
    Thought I was the only person that hadn't been to a festival before?! I have said I wanted to be able to go to one before I turned 40 then lock down kind of peed all over that I didn't even bother looking into it all..... So im now newly 40 and still not been to one! I don't know if I will be able to due to lung/ breathing problems and obviously there's a lot of people so my anxiety would be ginormous and that will trigger the dreaded panic attacks too and I wouldn't want to spoil anyone else's fun! It's been great reading you guys comments/posts about it I'm excited for you! It gives me hope that maybe I will be able to get to one myself because if you can get past things then maybe I can too! Thanks peeps for making me smile before mid day which doesn't normally happen ???? take care and stay safe! 

Brightness