Download Festival has celebrated 10 years of ‘Camp Loner’, the community that provides solo festival-goers to hang out together.
The camp was established in 2008 by a man called Jay, who sought companionship from other people who were heading to the legendary metal festival on their own.
But the camp has now endured for over a decade, and it’s still proving to be incredibly popular.
This year’s edition of the camp was organised by Louise, Ben and Chris – who don’t know where Jay is today.
“I lost track of him years ago”, Louise told BBC Newsbeat.
“He was from the Isle of Jersey. He’d booked his tickets and his flights, only to find out none of his mates had booked theirs.”
Anyone heading to Camp Loner??https://t.co/thhjdPIR30 pic.twitter.com/PMgewrczf1
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) June 9, 2018
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“There were only about 36 of us that year – and from there we’ve just grown and grown and grown.”
It’s also spawned some deep friendships, with Chris meeting the best man at his wedding at Download.
“I didn’t meet my wife here, but I did meet the bloke who was best man at my wedding”, he told BBC.
“It’s a really good place and I’ve met my best mates through it. It’s a different community and a completely different vibe.”
Download took place last weekend, with Guns N’ Roses taking top billing on Saturday night.
NME wrote of their set: “In those sporadic moments that Guns N’ Roses fire on all brutal cylinders, they’re frankly unbeatable. ‘You Could Be Mine’, ‘Nightrain’, a sumptuous ‘November Rain’ and a show-stopping ‘Paradise City’ are high-water marks of hard rock. It’s a shame all the padding only serves to lessen their stature.”