This past August Bank Holiday weekend, I decided to do what seemingly everyone does at some point over the summer: attend a music festival. For the weekend, I found myself at Creamfields for four days, with thousands of people and rainy weather.
Prior to attending, I had been to a few festivals back home in the US. I had done both day and weekend festivals, ranging from family-friendly events to the post-high-school-exams-with-your-friends variety. Specifically, I had attended Outside Lands (which now I would be horrified to attend, having gone at 17) and BottleRock, where I once watched Megan Thee Stallion with my stepdad. Needless to say, I was curious to see what the difference would be across the pond.
I also wasn’t going into ‘Creams’ completely blind, I had been to a few raves in Glasgow as well as an event at the Warehouse Project in Manchester. Still, was I walking into a weekend filled with 18-year-olds doing balloons and pink, or 25-year-old ‘‘ibeefa’ final bosses? Honestly, it was TBD.
So, Why Creamfields?
For the past 4 years, I have pretty much exclusively listened to house music. As my friends can attest, whether I’m sitting on the top floor of the library attempting to reach flow state, walking to the gym, or being on AUX for pres, Chris Stussy or now Stassy, can usually be found blaring through my Beats earbuds. So, Creamfields felt like a natural choice.
The lineup was stacked: Calvin Harris, Kettama, Chris Stussy, Disclosure, Holy Priest, Josh Baker, Duke Dumont, McVicar, Prospa and plenty more DJs I already had on my Spotify liked songs rotation. I paid £310 for a four-day ticket, but I can confidently say I got my money’s worth.
History of Creamfields
Although Creamfields has become the UK’s biggest electronic music festival, its history actually goes back to a Liverpool nightclub. The original ‘Cream’ club night was held at Liverpool’s Nation nightclub, and the first Creamfields festival took place in 1998. What began as an extension of the club night eventually evolved into the four-day festival at Daresbury Estate that thousands of people attend each year.
This year was especially significant, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and bringing close to 80,000 people.
Creamfields vs. American Festivals
The biggest difference I noticed between Creamfields and the festivals I’d been to in America wasn’t even the music, it was more so the culture surrounding the festival.
At the festivals I had previously attended, there was often a huge emphasis on the festival outfit. Obviously, people still dressed up at Creamfields; with women wearing Edited 2-piece sets and cowboy boots, and guys wearing athletic neon coloured shirts, but it felt considerably less like everyone was dressing for Instagram.
People were primarily there for the music, their friends and, frankly, whatever else they had decided to get up to that weekend. Yes, drugs are clearly a part of the festival culture, but I wouldn’t say that this represented the majority of the crowd. For the most part, people genuinely seemed excited to see the sets.
Who Actually Goes to Creamfields?
I would put the average age somewhere around 20–25. We definitely weren’t the youngest people there, but I never felt out of place either. There were lots of students, people in their mid-twenties, festival regulars and the occasional person who looked like they had been attending Creamfields since before I was born.
One thing I appreciated was how friendly everyone generally was. Despite some of the stages becoming incredibly crowded, I experienced surprisingly little pushing or aggressive behaviour. Most people were there to have a good time, and the atmosphere was very positive.
While the majority of people came from the Manchester/Liverpool area, we met a group who came up from London for the Saturday and even a solo traveller from Canada.
In the Festival
Before Creamfields, I was never particularly interested in techno, but one of my friends convinced me that there was more to techno than I had initially given it credit for. Amelie Lens and Holy Priest in the Teletech tent ended up being two of my biggest highlights of the entire weekend.
I also knew going in that I definitely wanted to see Kettama. Unfortunately, they had him in one of the smaller tents, which quickly became very overcrowded.
The alcohol selection had quite limited options, with £32 for a bottle of wine, BeatBox, or various combinations of vodka and soda.
Despite the size of the crowd, I was surprised by how small the festival itself felt. There were nine indoor and outdoor stages and tents, but I rarely had to walk more than ten minutes to get where I wanted to go. We mainly stayed around Steelyard, ARC, and The Forest.
The music generally started around midday and ran until 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, while Saturday went significantly later, finishing around 4 a.m.
The Rain Problem
My biggest complaint about Creamfields was, unsurprisingly, the weather. At one point on Sunday, several of the outdoor stages were shut for around an hour because of the weather, so we ended up huddling beside one of the tents while hearing lightning.
My Top Tips
Prioritise comfort over the outfit.
I know the temptation to wear the cutest possible festival outfit is strong, but if the forecast says rain, bring the rain jacket. I promise that you will care more about being warm and dry than looking good in a photo by day two.
Also, bring extra plasters, bandages, and hair ties in your bag every day. You do not want to trek all the way back to your tent or accommodation because your new cowboy boots are destroying your feet.
Do not wear your favourite trainers.
This is perhaps my most important piece of advice. Bring wellies, cowboy boots or literally anything other than your Air Forces. By the first night, the ground was already getting muddy.
Decide whether camping is actually for you.
Camping can absolutely add to the festival experience, especially if you’re going with a big group of friends. There is something fun about waking up surrounded by hundreds of other people who are equally sleep-deprived and questioning their life choices.
But if you’re someone who values a shower, an actual bed, and eight hours of sleep, consider staying nearby instead.
Other Recommendations for Events
If you’re around 17–19 and want the stereotypical ‘first festival with your friends’ experience, Reading & Leeds is probably the most obvious choice. One of my friends actually volunteered at Reading through Oxfam this year, and she had a great time (and a free ticket).
If you’re thinking of dipping your toe into a festival, I’d recommend going to a single day event. Edinburgh and Glasgow host the FLY festival and Terminal V, while a few solo DJs come to Dundee for one-off events.
Was It Worth It?
Yes. Despite the rain, the mud, the questionable alcohol selection, and the fact that I probably lost several years of my hearing, Creamfields was absolutely worth it. I’ve already bought tickets to my first Teletech event in Manchester in November, so clearly Creamfields did something right.