NO! Not a summertime of silence at music festivals

If you are reading this then you are unlikely to be at Glastonbury, taking place this weekend after a two-year break.  

Our year-round campaigning, however, reaches out to men who will be there.  

Our campaigns reach both the majority who know it is their responsibility to make sure outdoor music events are fun and safe for everyone, and to the minority whose behaviour is abusive and causes fear and harm to women. The number of women who have experienced sexual violence at music festivals is shocking and needs to stop.  

Last August, as some live music events were restarting, we launched a drive to communicate with men about changing the experiences of women at festivals. Supported by the agency Wunderman Thompson, thousands of billboards displayed subverted festival posters promoted the White Ribbon Promise with messages such as, “let’s confront any problematic behaviour from our mates and promise to never excuse or ignore men’s violence against women”. 

 We will be resharing these messages throughout 2022’s festival season, and we encourage everyone to share them on your platforms too. We need to make sure everyone can have fun and feel safe in these spaces.  We cannot leave it up to women to keep themselves safe. Men must step up, call out other men, and have conversations with their mates about how to make a difference.