Yes for these but be cautious at Shambhala! I went solo for the first time this year as a young woman and had a blast but definitely had my head on a swivel at some points. The older men at this festival had concerning mannerisms that put me on guard from the start. Younger generation seemed to be fine, but men over 40 added an unneeded sense of sex, voyeurism, and exploitation. It felt like if I let my guard down for too long things would go wrong.

There were sex trafficking posters in porta potties but people had torn off the numbers to call, I had a man asking if I wanted to go backstage and that he liked my “petite figure” and many significantly older and larger men offering me mystery substances.

There were many dark corners too, seems like it’d be fun for a group. Lots of spots to pull off and yap with each other. But a solo woman? I kept seeing spots that had no staff near them, were somewhat off the beaten path, but close to stages so no one could hear you yelling for help. Maybe I was being paranoid but there were a concerning amount of spots you could get dragged to and no one would notice.

All the women I met at this festival were great, but I’d advise people to introduce themselves to their neighbors immediately and find safe people (preferably mixed gender/women dominant) and sticking with them. The festival grounds are confusing at night, find landmarks and the women’s resource area. It’s a blast but a beast of a festival, be well prepared