It’s the age-old festival dilemma. Two clashing headliners. Two main stages. You want to see Angus & Julia Stone, but your mate is here for Tame Impala. If you want to stay together, someone’s going to miss out.

OR:

You hit a festival solo. You plan your day in advance and achieve the perfect itinerary, lining up every act you want to see. You miss out on nothing. It’s a perfect day.

Music festivals can be so much fun. Seeing your favourite artists, hanging out with your friends, dancing till your feet ache. But they can also be… not so fun. We’ve all been there. Being forced to babysit that one friend that went too hard at the pre-game, and is now passed out on the lawn at 1pm. Or losing your mates in the mosh pit and spending 5 hours wandering the festival while no one answers the group chat. One big perk of going to festivals alone is there is no need to worry about anyone but yourself. You can enjoy the festival without any guilt or stress, and have the time of your life.

It’s a stiff competition to decide the most annoying people at a music festival, but there’s a strong argument for ‘The 5+ Group of Friends Who Try to Push Their Entire Group To The Front of the Mosh Together’. These groups always manage to piss off everyone in the crowd while getting no closer to their goal. But one solo person, nimbly weaving and ducking through the crowd to get to the front? A piece of cake.

By sneaking through mosh pits solo, I’ve managed to be front row for Macklemore, P!nk, Mumford and Sons, Janelle Monáe, Florence + The Machine, and Lizzo. And the rumours are true: the front row is 1000% better. You get to experience the vibes of the mosh without getting claustrophobic, there are NO tall people ruining your view, and you get to make actual eye contact with your idols while getting the perfect, unobstructed concert photo.

Another part of the mosh experience is meeting new people and making new friends. Walking into a festival alone can be daunting, but spending 3+ hours in a mosh pit surrounded by people means that making friends is inevitable. Just last week I went to a four-day European festival alone. I didn’t expect to befriend a bunch of teenagers from Belgium who love Vance Joy as much as I do, or bond over Lizzo with a group of Irish girls while we waited, but a simple “hey!” can go a long way (and this is coming from a major introvert!).

This comes to my final point. Going to music festivals alone isn’t always easy. No matter how independent you are, it will always be daunting to try new things. But I guarantee that taking the leap will be worth it, and will only build your confidence to try new and scarier things. First a concert, then a festival, and next you’re moving to a new city and travelling the world solo!