Leeds Festival: A 'rite of passage' for young people announces new stages
Leeds Festival is a "rite of passage" for young people not just in Yorkshire but across the North, directors have said, as excitement builds for the August Bank Holiday event.
The music festival, to be hosted at Bramham Park, near Wetherby, from August 27 to 30, is set to draw crowds of up to 80,0000.
Major names on the bill include Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Florence + The Machine, RAYE, Fontaines DC, Kasabian, Dave, and Sombr.
Founder Melvin Benn, originally from Hull, is now director of Festival Republic, which runs Leeds Festival, Reading Festival, Latitude and many other music festivals and shows.
He said his own sons used to camp in the main sites at Leeds Festivals, refusing the fancier camps backstage.
"I delight in the fact that it's become a rite of passage," he said. "It is, for an awful lot of people, their first foray away from mum and dad, or from parental or school control."
And when it comes to welfare, with tens of thousands of school leavers set to attend, he set out assurances to families over support measures in place.
"People don't give young people enough credit for how responsible they are," he added. "And they are incredibly responsible, they do look out for each other. It's a place where incredible friendships are developed."
Weekend camping and day tickets are still on sale, with sister event Reading Festival having sold out.
This is a festival that "constantly evolves", said Mr Benn.
"The most important thing is that the bands evolve. That the music is relevant,” he added.
There has been some suggestions the festival is becoming more “pop-focused” than it once was, but Mr Benn insisted that pop is more “festival-focused”.
And one of the key messages from festival chiefs, and from families, is over the safety of young people, with the Leeds event having become a school leavers' tradition for many teens.
Hubs have been set up for Assistance, Information and Response (AIR), meaning that within the campsites nobody is further than 200 metres from help.
Staffed by charity volunteers, rather than security teams or police, they are there to support anyone, said Mr Benn, even for topping up a Pot Noodle or charging a phone.
"We really do look out for each other and we really do work hard to provide as safe an environment as is humanely possible," said Mr Benn.