After a weekend packed with alcohol, drugs, fights, and live music, revellers departed Reading Festival weary and suffering from hangovers.
Some attendees were spotted wearing sweatshirts over their heads as they left the yearly music festival early today morning, while others used sunglasses to block their headaches.
As they waited to go, festival-goers were seen dozing off on the ground in their sleeping bags with their backpacks, rolled-up tents, and lawn chairs nearby.
Long lines of worn-out children lining up to take the journey home filled the escalator.
90,000 people attended the Reading Festival over the weekend, and a number of them fled the event early on Sunday when rioting, looting, and tent burning broke out on the festival’s last day.
Crowds tossed chairs and other things into massive bonfires as few security personnel attempted to maintain order.
Hip-hop and alternative festival attendees reportedly battled when various performers played on the same stage after one another, according to an eyewitness who saw the altercation.
After a young lady reportedly suffered a needle stabbing while waiting in line, other guests even claimed unsettling occurrences of spiking.
Meanwhile, a significant cleanup effort is under way at Leeds Event, another yearly music festival that included 75,000 people over the weekend and left behind mountains of trash due to revellers.
There were also reports of turmoil on Sunday night, with tents on fire and individuals attempting to flee the area in difficulty.
On Monday, exhausted festival goers wearing bucket hats, bum bags, and glum looks left Reading Festival.
Heads hanging low, sleep-deprived festival-goers left Little John’s Farm on Richfield Avenue, where the three-day event took place, on Monday.
As they packed up their tents and left, several others were dressed warmly in sweaters and sweatshirts.
As they waited for a means of conveyance out of the area, groups of guests were sleeping, some even in their sleeping bags.
After a fun-filled weekend that included concerts by bands including Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Halsey, Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, and Bring Me The Horizon, trash was left lying about the stadium.
In addition to the shows on the stages, the festival arena was crammed with stores offering eccentric festival attire, jewellery, a variety of foods, and even a “oxygen bar” that promised to provide pure air for the user to breathe.
Additionally scattered across the area were kiosks for alcohol, cigarettes, and phone charging.
The celebration was not without chaos, however, as participants began setting tents on fire around the Reading campground on Sunday at approximately 4 o’clock.
According to festivalgoers on social media, video footage during the daytime of the event showed flames being ignited between tents in the Orange Camp area of the festival, and additional fires continued to burn on Sunday night.
Amber Vellacott, a 26-year-old festival goer, said she and her partner had to leave after being engulfed in violence.
‘We saw flames start at about 4 o’clock in several camps, the staff & security were quick on them, but all the youngsters were surrounding and egging it on, throwing trash & cans into them,’ she said to The Mirror.
We noticed a shift in the atmosphere of the camping areas, and we decided it was best to pack up and go – inconveniently so as we saw individuals taking up tents and trash and dumping it into the trees and all over the campgrounds.
Numerous festivalgoers left the venue early as violence and tent looting persisted, according to witnesses, who also said that the highways out were congested.
Following the conclusion of the event hosted in Bramham Park over the weekend, cleanup personnel are also quite busy in Leeds today.
After the last Arctic Monkeys performance, hundreds of music enthusiasts began packing their belongings and leaving for home on Monday.
The event’s headliners were Dave and the 1975s.
As the curtain closes, festival employees have begun to take down the stages and site, and as the enormous task of cleaning the site begins, trash pickers will be on standby.
Fortunately, the weather was warm over the weekend, so there won’t be much mud to deal with as people travel back to their vehicles or wait for shuttle buses while carrying bags, tents, and other camping gear.
However, tragedy struck the Leeds Festival over the weekend when it was revealed a 16-year-old lad had died from what was likely a heroin overdose.
According to Yorkshire Police, they are looking into whether or whether he ingested an MDMA tablet.
There were also reports of turmoil on Sunday night, with tents on fire and individuals attempting to flee the area in difficulty.
A 16-year-old teenager dies at the Leeds Festival while consuming a “grey or black MDMA tablet,” prompting the authorities to initiate an inquiry.
According to authorities, a 16-year-old kid passed away today after possibly ingesting a “grey or black” ecstasy pill at Leeds Festival on Saturday night.
West Yorkshire Police have opened an inquiry into the teen’s death, which is thought to have been caused by narcotics.
Around 10.16 on Saturday night, officers received a report that the kid had been transported to the medical tent after becoming sick.
He was rushed to the hospital, but sadly he passed away on Sunday. His parents are aware.
West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said:
We have police assisting the boy’s family through this very trying time, and our thoughts are with them.
While the precise cause of his death has not yet been determined, one line of inquiry is that he may have consumed a certain kind of ecstasy (MDMA) pill, which was described as having an oblong form and being grey or black.
Currently, it is assumed that this was a unique incidence since there haven’t been any complaints of anything comparable.
Users of drugs that are not medically prescribed by a physician may never be certain of their contents or the hazards associated with taking the substance.
Anyone who feels unwell after using any drug should get help right once.
“We are carefully coordinating with the event organisers and are continuing to make inquiries on the ground.”
On social media, police issued a call for anybody with knowledge on the tragedy to come forward.
Since its inception in 1999, Leeds Festival has been a well-liked event for teens and young adults. It ran this year from August 25 to August 28.
This year, Leeds Fest had daily attendance of around 100,000 people.
US pop artist Halsey will perform on Friday night, rapper Dave, who was born in Streatham, will perform on Saturday, and the Arctic Monkeys will perform on Sunday at the event.
On Saturday night, The Arctic Monkeys, whose lead singer Alex Turner is from Sheffield, also had a performance in Reading, Leeds’ sister event.
Reading and Leeds usually share headliners and opening bands, and both events take place at the same time each year in late August.