WILL THE KIDS BE ALL RIGHT HERE?
Presence of children at music festivals may be a thing but it’s not for everyone,
Music festival trends ebb and flow: flower crowns, tie-dye T-shirts, offensive headdresses and cut-off jean shorts have all had their moment in the sun in recent years. A scroll through Instagram reveals strolling through a festival with your photogenic progeny in tow might just be the trend of summer 2017.
While there have always been pioneering parents toting their kids to concerts — see photos of Woodstock in 1969 or Lilith Fair in the ’90s — more are making it a family affair these days.
“When I was growing up, music festivals were almost 100-per-cent child free,” said Lisa Orr, an etiquette expert and music lover.
“It was really pretty rare. Now kids are becoming festival fixtures.”
This spring, a young boy was praised for “dancing like no one was watching” after video of him sitting atop a man’s shoulders grooving along to Migos as the n-bombs flew at Coachella Valley and Music Arts Festival in California was posted online.
Coachella lets kids 5 and under in for free. On this side of the border, many outdoor festivals let those 12 and under in free when accompanied by an adult. Field Trip Music & Arts Festival is among the new breed of hip and kid-friendly fests since its debut five years ago. The downtown Toronto event had a special “Day Camp” section complete with bouncy castle, hula hoops and a lineup of kid-friendly acts this year.
Whether everyone agrees kids should be dabbing to Migos at a night concert in the desert — it’s happening. Parents today tend to take their kids everywhere, whether to an indie coffee shop or an indie-rock concert, Orr said.
Silas Remedios wasn’t doing any dabbing at the family-friendly Field Trip this June, but he did fit right in with his romper, cap, sneakers, oh, and adorable noise-cancelling headphones.
His music-loving parents, Lucia and Jeffrey, always planned on Silas being among the hipsters-in-training that are well on their way to becoming fest vets before they start kindergarten. He’s not even six months old yet and he’s already been to eight concerts (in utero) and one festival IRL, joked his mama in a recent phone interview.
“It’s part of integrating him into our lives,” said Lucia, a music photographer and owner of Toronto’s Analogue Gallery, whose husband Jeffrey is a co-founder of Arts and Crafts and the president and CEO of Universal Music Canada.
They brought their bundle of joy to California in April, but ultimately decided against bringing Silas to the Coachella festival grounds as it was quite dusty and sunny, Lucia said. Since the couple lives near the Field Trip venue in Toronto’s west end, they were able to bring Silas for a few hours each day of the two-day event, then drop him off with family to have some adult time.
Like flower crowns and sad songs, the issue of whether babies and young children should be at grownup concerts at all, stirs strong emotions in adults.
Dr. Michael Dickinson, a pediatrician in Miramichi, N.B., did not mince his words in a recent phone interview. “It’s a horrible idea.” In his view, the loud noise, crowded spaces, sun exposure, bugs and germs at many large outdoor music events such as Coachella are not a pleasant or safe experience for the very young.
He added, if you must bring your young children to loud concerts aimed at the grown-up set, ensure they are wearing noise-cancelling headphones.
Children are still developing, and
“When I was growing up, music festivals were almost 100-per-cent child free . . . Now kids are becoming festival fixtures.” LISA ORR ETIQUETTE EXPERT
thus more susceptible to hearing damage than adults — especially if they have sustained exposure to sounds greater than 85 decibels, Dickinson said.
Etiquette expert Louise Fox, the director of The Etiquette Ladies, agrees with Dickinson. “It’s ridiculous,” she said. The mother of two grown children never brought her kids to grown-up music events when they were little, as she feels little ones are likely to get cranky fast due to all the loud noise, bright sun and big crowds. She believes leaving very young kids at home is often the most polite and practical thing to do.
Orr disagrees. The horse is out of the proverbial barn, so both sides should focus on treating the other side with respect, she said.
Parents should remember that many of their fellow concertgoers have spent hundreds of hard-earned dollars to attend. Live music can move people to tears and they don’t want that moment ruined by a crying child. If your offspring melts down, be prepared to leave early, advises the mom of three.
And adults who are irritated by kids at a concert shouldn’t start throwing a toddler-like hissy fit by intentionally being loud, foul-mouthed and stomping around, Orr added.
Since Silas’s first fest didn’t hit any sour notes, Lucia and Jeffrey plan on bringing him to WayHome Music & Arts Festival this weekend and the Boots & Hearts Music Festival in August.
Lucia said the way to have a fun festival experience with a baby is to be relaxed, but also to plan in advance, have an exit strategy, and she echoes Orr that parents should be prepared to call it a day if their little one turns cranky.
Unlike flower crowns, kids rocking out with their parents is one festival trend that’s not likely to die any time soon.