My first sober festival: finding connection and balance

I stopped and asked myself this question whilst preparing for my first sober festival: “How do I connect with the place, people and the music here in a way that feels good?"

I had a brief moment of panic when I realised what I was getting into. This was not a cosy little wellness festival, nor was it alcohol-free or substance-free for the majority of other attendees. Boomtown has volume, both in the number of people and the levels of chaos in the inescapable ‘booming’ loudness of it all. So, why did I decide to go sober? Simply put, it was a personal choice for me to explore new ways of interaction and fulfilment as a festival goer. A decision that led me on a journey with unexpected conclusions — ones I will never forget.

*Information in this article is not to be taken as a substitute for professional advice. If you are affected by addiction or alcoholism, please seek advice from an accredited organisation or speak to your GP.

Everyone will have a different relationship with sobriety and making a lifelong commitment is very serious for some.

Firstly, I’m definitely not new to partying sober. My journey began a number of years ago with a few stops along the way.

After some pretty bad bouts of ‘Hangxiety’, sobriety initially appealed to me when I found the motivation to focus on my mental health. Previously, I had set myself the goal of being sober for life. But in time I came to understand that my personal relationship with alcohol was flexible. Therefore, being sober at the festival was not an exercise in self-restraint. However, it was a challenging experience for reasons I hadn’t anticipated.

Day 1 & 2: The highs and lows

When I first started partying sober, calling it early always felt like a defeat. I mourned the joy I once had when I could dance til dawn with no complaints. Reflecting alone in the peace and darkness, I realised it was ok to allow myself to embrace rest and the quiet that my body was pleading for.

Needless to say, fully recharged with a fresh face and an open heart, the next day was everything I had hoped for. I basked, mesmerised in the rainbow glow of stage lights and laser beams well into the early hours, with nothing holding me back.

As an adult, I don’t like to think I could still succumb to peer pressure. However, throughout our lives, our ‘peers’ still hold a massive amount of influence and power, even when it is not in our conscious thoughts.

Yet, the power of our peers is not always a negative one. It is more an illustration of how our connection with others deeply integrates with decision processes and our outlook on life, no matter how independent we believe we are.

That night I thought about how lucky I am to be surrounded by a close network of friends and loved ones who are truly understanding of my decision to go sober. Many of them haven’t explored sobriety as I have. Yet, with them, I feel comfortable enough to express myself in any way I need to. Even if they are on a different wavelength to me when we’re out together nowadays. So, sober or otherwise, remember to always look out for those around you — it really counts for a lot.

"How do I dance in a way that feels more me without having to have something to loosen up?"

Sober, one thing that didn’t come naturally straight away was the way I felt in my body. Despite the voice in my head telling me this was silly because nobody really cared, in the blinding daylight I was aware of every single movement and I hated feeling so exposed. Soon, I found an alternative to alcohol that relieved me of my anxiety. The secret was in my breath. I took deeper breaths to complement my movements and it surprised me how good it felt to get into a flow this way. Lost in the movements and the rhythms around me I soon forgot my sobriety and got into the Boomtown spirit, both hands flailing freely.

‘Looking within’ might feel a bit clichéd. However, it was something that resonated with me throughout my sober Boomtown experience.

All You Need is Love

Without a hangover, I emerged early into the bright sun of the yoga class. It felt great. Previously, I hadn't explored the morning after the night before at a festival. And I couldn’t help being amused at the title ‘Hangover Yoga’, but reminded myself not to draw any comparisons. This was, of course, my journey and a victory for my own good.

Or was it? As much as I was satisfied with myself for taking part in this healthy morning exercise, during the course of the guided meditation, I was overcome with a realisation that the healing I was doing for myself would inevitably affect everyone around me. The meditation blessed me with a sense of togetherness.

By the end, we burst into ‘All You Need is Love’ by the Beatles at which point I felt immensely grateful to be at the class and part of the festival itself. I went off in search of some matcha lattes to celebrate.

Have your cake and eat it 

"The treat mentality can be a dangerous one. Reframing it as balance is probably the most important lesson here. When you really fancy cake and then you eat it, you know it tastes so good! Then you might not think about it for a bit"

I won’t sugarcoat it. Being open to change is one of the main lessons of my first sober festival experience. Don’t expect it to feel the same as when you are not sober, because it might be completely new and different for you. And that isn’t always a bad thing.

I am proud of getting this far, however, personal growth is a changeable path and I intend to remain open to all possibilities.

“Let's just flow and see what feels right"

Above all, remember to check in regularly and show yourself some love.

To me, sobriety at Boomtown was a choreographed balancing act of connection and self-discovery. In the end, it was a unique festival experience I'll cherish — proving all you need is a positive and loving mindset to feel at one with your surroundings, no matter how chaotic they may be.