My Facebook feed is filling up with pictures of all the festivals I couldn’t attend and I’m getting a bit impatient. You see, dear readers, next week it is my time to ‘shine’ – relatively speaking though, because admitted on festivals ‘shining’, as in looking good, is NOT easy to maintain. Anyway, I'm finally going to Dour. This is an alternative 4-day festival in Wallonia and I really just want to pick up my bag and go go go! I have managed all the necessary equipment to take there this week: tent, sleeping stuff, soft blanket, dry shampoo and enthusiasm and I’m mentally blocking out how horrible it will be to actually take the stuff from the car to the camping. For the festival crowd out there: Picture that horrible road carrying your bags all the way to a camping… Got it? Now put gigantic stairs in the middle of that road… That’s Dour for you! Another treat about this festival is that the last two years it is known for its muddy environment… No seriously, check the picture. People were knee deep in mud and a walk from your camping to the festival grounds took about an hour and a half – instead of 10 minutes – and this for four days in a row.
Why am I still going, you ask? Well, I love festivals. You forget about the busy life for a while and just wake up, put on clothes, check out a few bands, drink some wine, try to convince yourself that it’s natural to drink alcohol at 1 in the afternoon and crawl back into your tent with one of your friends next to you.
Festivals are the ULTIMATE Friend-test you can go through. If you can survive in a tent for 4 days with the same person without wanting to strangle them, you know you’re good. Also, most of the people are friendly, you can strike up a conversation with everyone and no one will stare at you and question your motives. Admitted, the conversation topics might involve a lot of yelling, especially things like ‘ Beer and boobies’ or something like that.
Will I find any DAA-lovers at Dour this year? We could strike up a conversation about beer and boobies… and safe sex?
