A fest.
What do you imagine when you hear that term?
The general interpretation is that when you say fest, it’s short for the English term rock festival and refers to a music event where hollering, partying extroverts gather to not just go all night, but, worst case, party for days.
With booze in one hand, they’ll headbang, mosh, stage dive, or sling arms over shoulders for a chicken fight, or get on a portable shrine and call out wasshoi, wasshoi like Mirai Moriyama in Moteki, to connect through music, even with total strangers, and have an exciting time and share an experience they would surely be unable to forget—that has to be what people imagine is a “fest.”
That’s about what I imagine, personally. I’ll acknowledge my impression is somewhat biased and prejudiced.
But it’s not necessarily a bad one. Joining together with others through music and having a good time is actually a great way to enjoy yourself, and I would also say it’s one facet of a fest’s purpose.
When you get down to it, a festival is the same as matsuri in Japanese. It’s a public occasion.
As they used to say way back when:
Chiba is famous for festivals and dancing. There are idiots who dance and idiots who watch, so if you’re an idiot like the rest, you’ve got to dance and sing a song.
A wise saying. Truly a wise saying. It’s so wise, I’m gonna get Megu-Megu-Megurin-Megurisshed.
I won’t reject that means of enjoyment.
If you read about history, you find that in any era, festivals are a sort of release from constraint, where everyone has permission to indulge. You don’t even have to dive all the way into ancient history; it’s said that in the banquets following the traditional Shinto rituals starting in the middle ages, everyone regardless of status would drink until they puked… Wait. That’s not permissive at all, is it? These days, that’s called alcohol harassment, and pulling that even once is in violation of workplace standards.
Modern fests, however, demand a new measure of permissiveness.
That is, namely, giving everyone permission to enjoy themselves in their own way.
Some people like to be a part of a big group that gets all worked up, while others like to privately bask in the music. Therefore, it should be valid to enjoy a fest without yelling, just feeling the vibrations welling up inside you as you remain silent and alone in the venue.
Of course, it’s not only fests that have a wide variety of acceptable ways to enjoy them. You could say that’s the same for just about all content—movies, music, anime, novels, manga, stage plays, Mewkledreamy, and everything else.
Of these, however, fests are exceptional, and I argue that should be recognized.
Judging content by type instead of quality is incredibly foolish, but if you are to make a distinction between a fest and other content, then I’m forced to say that line is drawn by its transient experience.
Movies, anime, and other recorded content are replayable. Being able to watch it many times over if you want to see the same thing is a major plus, but you can’t re-create an original experience or the initial impulse of the moment.
Of course, then you can argue that fests and live concerts can be recorded to enjoy a different way a second or third time—and I am compelled to heartily agree. And of course, you can also watch the same movie repeatedly, bragging about the number of times you’ve watched it to assert dominance within a community.
But it’s also inarguable that your very first encounter with that media is unique. There’s a certain impact that can only be felt when you come in contact with something for the first time.
That inimitable moment is what makes a fest the ultimate experience. The once-in-a-lifetime enthusiasm and atmosphere created by the venue’s audience and the performers onstage can only ever be experienced in that moment.
I can understand the joy of sharing that with friends, and I will offer my unstinting approval for that. But it’s also wonderful to meet the challenge alone and meditate privately on the preciousness that must be protected at all costs.
At the end of the day, everyone should enjoy it in the way that they please.
Speaking personally, I strongly contest that a solo battle without interruption, where I can yell and wave my penlight all I want, and then get emo-emo on the way back and write up a concert report as a poem, is all a part of the true pleasure of a fest.
It’s fine to go to a fest alone, too. That’s what freedom is all about.
Inviting all your neighbors to march with you is also good. Sallying forth alone without any prior arrangements is also good.
So long as you’re not causing problems for others, you’re allowed to enjoy it in any way you want.
Which means, in other words…
…going to a fest with your little sister should also be allowed.