We’re a a month or so out before Splendour In The Grass (SITG) is here but there’s an extra level of spice to this year’s proceedings courtesy of Tinder.
A few months ago Tinder announced it was launching a new “festival mode”, which basically slaps a badge of an upcoming festival you’re going to onto your profile for all other fellow festivalgoers/swipers to see.
After waiting for festival mode to arrive Down Under, we can officially announce that it will make its big Australia debut on June 21 and SITG will be the first big music festival where this feature will be available to all. So for those who were hoping to get in on some swiping action at Byron Bay this year, your search just became much easier.
While this will be great for those hoping to find that special someone during Childish Gambino or James Blake’s set, this does throw up something of a red flag regarding STIs.
If you recall last year’s SITG, about 1,000 attendees there reportedly had chlamydia. With Tinder’s festival mode making hook-ups easier than ever this year, the ingredients are there for a worrying spike in chlamydia rates.
So before you get swiping, please take all the necessary precautions, get checked up before heading over to Bryon Bay, and make sure you are packing protection. Chlamydia is an awful disease that doesn’t always show itself and can wreck havoc on your health, especially for women.
Beyond the potential rise in STI rates at this year’s SITG, please also keep in mind the festival and app’s “I expect respect” policy. Festival mode doesn’t give you permission to go around and being creepy to other people so just be cool.
So if you’re headed to Byron Bay this year, just remember to get checked up, play safe, and be nice to people. Everyone’s there to have fun so don’t let chlamydia or creepy swipers ruin it.
