Allow me to begin with a disclosure that some of you might find unusual. You see, I don’t like festivals. I’ve been to a couple of them over the years – never willingly, always under duress. And speaking from my admittedly limited experience, I just do not see the appeal of the damn things.

Queuing for ages to get into what is essentially a large field, then queuing all over again whenever you need the toilet, to buy a drink, to buy some food, and then standing around hoping that the weather doesn’t take a turn for the worse – I can’t say this is my cup of tea. If I never attend another festival again, it’ll probably be too soon.

Yet I fully understand how essential festivals have become over the years in dance music culture. Let’s face it – they’re one of the best ways of getting the music in front of large numbers of people these days, not to mention it also gets you paid. Which is why, this weekend, I felt happy. Seeing photos coming in from the likes of an absolutely rain-sodden 51st State Festival in London or Defected’s festivities in the sun-drenched Croatia, it’s nice to see such images once more after a period where people have been encouraged to stay away from each other.

This pandemic has been a long old slog – not least during the dark period that followed Christmas. Back in January, the summer seemed even further away than even during a normal cold winter. And of course, this pandemic is not over.  The incredibly catchy Delta variant which seems to have taken over could yet have some nasty surprises in store, and we could find out when schools reopen in September. So it’s entirely possible that these pictures could be short-lived – at least for the moment.

So savour every moment if you’re going to a festival – or a nightclub, come to think of it – this summer. Seeing people having fun again, seeing them coming together to party and listen to great music is something that’s cheering me up right now. As I said previously, festivals aren’t my bag – but it’s great to see those who do like them able to enjoy them once more.

See, I do post nice things sometimes…

By The Editor

Editor-in-chief at Amateur’s House.