Exploring young peoples’ use of alcohol at outdoor music festivals in Australia

Outdoor Music Festivals (OMFs) are a large part of the summer culture in Australiaand many other countries across the world – especially with young people as theytransition from adolescence to adult life. The purpose of this study was to exploreyoung people’s use of alcohol when attending OMFs. Current understanding ofalcohol use at OMFs suggests that young people aged 25 or younger are morelikely to engage in high levels of alcohol consumption and associated risk-takingbehaviours. Using a qualitative descriptive exploratory approach to examine thisuse of alcohol and the experiences and beliefs of eight young people who regularlyattend OMFs, it was found that young people routinely pre-plan their alcohol use,either resulting in pre-loading or budgeting for excessive alcohol use at events.The young people portrayed a general acceptance of behaviours at OMFs that, inanother context, would be deemed inappropriate, risky or even reckless. Thesebehaviours, perceived as social norms and mainly centered on excessive alcoholconsumption, were motivated by the anticipated gratification, enjoyment or socialstatus that such norms suggest or present