It’s summer music festival time again. Here on the Isle of Wight we’ve had our own annual event which brings an additional 50,000+ people to the Island. We live in one of the ferry ports, and our road is on the turning circuit for the fleet of buses that carry incoming festival-goers to the site. In a way, I enjoy the festival feeling, but you’ll never find me there, and the reasons are mainly sensory.
To begin with, there’s the press of the crowd, not to mention the sheer volume of noise. Yes, I know I could wear earplugs, but they are not much defence. Add to the crowds and noise the frequent use of strobe lights and other bright stage lighting, and it would all become a sensory nightmare.
I’m not good in crowds. Even watching the TV coverage of the close-pressed festival-goers feels uncomfortable. Just one person walking close on my heels makes me nervous. The only time I’ve not been bothered by being with a large group was during two Peoples’ Vote marches in London in 2019, when being part of the action felt important. it was still exhausting, but it wasn’t too close-pressed and you could move in and out of it. In concert halls, theatres and conference spaces, I prefer to sit on the end of a row if possible for a quick exit.
Sudden loud noises make me jump, and a wall of sound quickly becomes overwhelming. My response to extraneous sound is variable. If I’m feeling well-regulated, I can ignore a bit of extra noise. However, thunderingly heavy traffic, road drills, chainsaws, petrol lawn-mowers, strimmers and leaf blowers all set me on edge, make concentration difficult, and can quickly dysregulate me if I am already a little off balance.
Light-sensitivity is another challenge. Like many autistic people, I find bright sunlight almost painful. Summer has me reaching for my sunglasses and a sun visor or baseball cap, and I tend to stay indoors at the brightest times of day. Room lighting has to be subtle. Everything in our house that can be dimmed is dimmed. Often the main room light is out altogether, and we rely on lamps. At the IoW festival, one act used a welter of strobe and other flashing lights. I couldn’t even watch the TV coverage.
In summary, any event I might want to attend comes with a set of considerations. Will it be crowded? Will it be loud? Will it be too bright? Can I compensate for any or all of these enough to make attending tolerable? If yes, or partly, what is my limit, and what will push me to leave?
In the case of the festivals, I know the answers. I don’t even think about going.
Photo: the peace and quiet of a local summer sunset.
