Navigating Festivals with Food Allergies

lucylox

June 1

Boardmasters 2023

Festivals have become a real rite of passage for teens in recent years, especially in those years where the end of exams need to be celebrated and steam let off from months of hard work and pressure. Last year Little S ventured to Boardmasters, and I thought it may be useful if I pass on my tips for anyone with a food allergy teen who is venturing to a festival this summer.

I have to say I was super nervous about the whole thing, and while there were no food related disasters, I certainly felt happier once it was over! But Little S had a wonderful time, and I think it was a really important lesson that she could do the same as her friends, and despite the challenges she would come out the other side, happy, if rather tired and hungry!

So here's a little check list of what we did, if you have any tips to add please let me know as I find these kind of blog posts about recommendations and tips get a lot of traffic and if we can help other young people with allergies to fulfil their dreams and desires then that would be amazing 😊

BE PREPARED! As this was such a new experience to us we starting planning months in advance. I contacted the Boardmasters team directly and I have to say they were less than helpful. They would not release the list of caterers until it was in the public domain, they would not allow the heating of any food at the festival (there went our idea of having instant noodles as a back-up). I had really wanted the details of the food stalls early so that we could check out their online menus and contact them in advance. In the end the list was published with a couple of weeks to go, so it was definitely a case of getting our skates on!
RESEARCH We directly contacted every single catering van we could find details for (some didn't have emails or websites) and asked if they could cater for her allergies (milk, eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds). Obviously, some didn't reply and some were very much a no we can't help. But we ended up with a handful of really good options, and some incredibly kind people who said 'ask for ….. and I will make sure we take extra precautions and look after you'. It was really heartwarming that a handful of people took our enquires so seriously and really wanted Little S to have a good and safe time. I'm not sure if it helped, but we wrote the emails as if from her and maybe that made people be a little bit more helpful and caring.
PACK We packed loads of snacks and easy meal replacements – here's an example of our shopping list:
- homemade flapjacks, this recipe is great 😉
- cereal bars such as Dove's Farm
- Biscuits - Lotus, ginger nuts etc
- wraps/flapbreads and squeeze honey
- Bottle of dairy-free iced coffee, Califa only contains almonds
- Tartex veggie spread
- tins of sweetcorn
- squeezy fruit purees
- Dextrose tablets or smalls packs of sweets (you're only allowed to take a small sized bag into the main arena)
- multi-pack of crisps
- bagel thins
- small Oatly or Alpo cartons of milk/chocolate milk
TEACH – Little S made sure her closest friends had epipen training and were aware not to bring nuts or milky items into the tent.
ORIENTATE - Try to make time on the first day, when it's a bit quieter and you have a bit more energy, to scope out the area, check out the nearer food stalls, speak to the staff and earmark those safe go-to places.

We also learnt a few lessons:

Little S ate very little, but to be honest I don't think that was unusual amongst the group as food is super expensive. She ate a lots of chips as they were the easiest, safe and cheap option.
Despite all our research, it took her and her friends a few days to find their way around the site, so they didn't come across that amazing safe Gyros stall until the very last day. So next time I think she'll try and explore the site earlier and find where those good options are ( I know this is especially hard when you're in a group as you move en masse and it's hard to steer people in a different direction)
Luckily Little S had no food disasters but the medical facilities looked really lacking – by what she described I don't think I'd be very confident in their ability to correctly diagnose and treat an allergic reaction.
The phone signal is AWFUL, so even if you buy a mobile charging pack they will be unlikely to be able to call in an emergency unless it's 4am when most people are asleep!
We chose to spend the weekend in Cornwall to be closer to the festival should anything happen, and whilst it was really good to be close by I don't think we'd have been able to help much as it's a bit of a nightmare getting to the festival and then them getting to the right gate to meet up.
When we picked her up we had a thermos full of homemade pasta and I don't think I've ever seen her enjoy any food as much!
Yes having allergies at a festival adds another challenge, but it is possible. Be prepared, pack well, don't take any unnecessary risks and you'll have an amazing time.
Others tips I've read which may help: never order food after drinking alcohol as you may be tempted to not ask those questions.
Make sure your friends have your parents contacts details – or have a parent WhatsApp group – this was really helpful because if one text got through it could be passed to all the parents.