Ah festivals. Overflowing bins, no showers, toilets not fit for humans – we are all forced to embrace the grime.
But now, new research has shown that some of us are leaning into the grubby festival aesthetic a little more than others.
According to new research, over a fifth of 18 to 24-years-old aren’t washing their hands at festivals. At all.
Yep, even if they’re there for days on ends, Gen Z have forgotten all they learnt during the pandemic, and have decided that there is simply no need for soap and water to grace their fingers.
The study, by cleaning brand, Method, also showed that a concerning 26% of Brits only rinse their hands under a tap once a day, if at all, when attending a festival for multiple days.
Don’t get us wrong, the queues for the facilities are annoyingly long, but so is the wait for a doctors appointment when you get sick from the germs.
The top excuses given for not washing their grubby mitts include a lack of washing facilities (44%) and queues for sinks (28%).
However, one in ten simply claimed, ‘it’s a festival, I don’t need to’.
Sorry, what?
And it turns out festivals are a breeding ground for germs.
Staphylococcus is rife which can cause redness, infections, painful swelling and even pneumonia.
Enterococcus can cause infections caused by improper hand hygiene can trigger UTIs, meningitis and wound infections which will need to be treated with antibiotics.
E.coli is also present at festivals and all of the former can be passed from hand to hand, by touching surfaces like toilet doors and sauce bottles at food stands.
This all paints a particularly grim picture when the 1,500 strong study also found that almost a third of festival goers don’t wash their hands after the toilet and 53% don’t wash their hands before eating.
Microbiologist Dr Joe Latimer said: ‘The biggest vehicle for bacterial infection at festivals is right at our fingertips – literally.
‘Your hands touch all sorts of objects at a festival, then they also touch your face, your mouth and other sensitive parts of the body through which microbes might be able to get in.
‘The most effective way to target our festival hygiene, and to make sure we mingle only with the microbes we love, is by washing our hands regularly.
‘We don’t have to be super-sterile, but dare to venture to the toilet block? Wash your hands. About to sample the wonderful food on offer? Wash your hands.
‘About to get creative with the festival makeup and glitter? Wash your hands. And that’s it – go wild, have fun, be daft and enjoy hanging out with your friends. See you at the main stage!’
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