Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Culture

    Why you need to cut off your festival wristband now

    If you’re going to a festival this weekend, you need to read this

    By Marie Claire
    Published 11 August 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    festival wrist band
    festival wrist band
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    If you’re going to a festival this weekend, you need to read this

    Yes, we get that you had an amazing time at Glastonbury 2014. But if you’re still reliving the glory days by wearing your wristband, it might be time to stop.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/KmcABVI0cmsVO

    In a recent study, microbiologist Dr Nick Coleman revealed exactly how disgusting those old festival wristbands actually are. And trust us, they really are gross.

    Analysing three wristbands from 2009, 2010 and 2016, the senior lecturer at the University of Sydney found that after two days of incubation, the older bands had collected a considerable about of bacteria.

    You may like
    • How to keep long nails clean My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh
    • A woman on the beach, in a bikini, eating some fruit I'm an Exercise Physiologist—If You’re Feeling Puffy, Tired, and Achy This Summer, These Everyday Habits Could Be Playing a Role
    • hypochlorous acid sprays More Isn't Always Better—Why Top Dermatologists Are Warning Against Daily Hypochlorous Acid Sprays

    And by a ‘considerable amount’, we mean A LOT.

    The results showed that the 2010 band held 600 million bacteria, as opposed to the newer 2016 one which had just 80,000.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/KZvT5AWF4ADAI

    These bacteria were described as ‘possibly dangerous to human health’. ‘We can’t say for sure these are dangerous bacteria, but the numbers are so high that I would advise people against doing this and wearing them for years and years and years,’ says Dr Coleman.

    So if you’re heading to a festival this weekend, or you’re still wearing one, the message is clear: CUT THEM OFF. NOW.

    And then maybe stick them in a scrapbook instead? After all, it was a pretty great weekend… 

    Explore More
    Music
    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    How to keep long nails clean
    Beauty My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh
    A woman on the beach, in a bikini, eating some fruit
    Female health I'm an Exercise Physiologist—If You’re Feeling Puffy, Tired, and Achy This Summer, These Everyday Habits Could Be Playing a Role
     
     
    hypochlorous acid sprays
    Skincare More Isn't Always Better—Why Top Dermatologists Are Warning Against Daily Hypochlorous Acid Sprays
    Does your ponytail give you a headache?
    Hair If Your Ponytail Gives You a Headache—Your Hair Is Trying to Tell You Something
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    Notting Hill Carnival
    Culture The Agenda: How to Spend Your Finite Free Time Well This Summer
    B _ W - Woman reading book with wine in natural sunlight - TVS
    Culture 9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why
     
     
    Madonna's Confessions II: Madonna performs at TSX Stage in Times Square on June 4, 2026 in New York City.
    Culture Madonna's Confessions II Deserves to Be the Album of the Summer, But the Response Proves We Still Punish Women for Ageing
    Lexi Minetree in Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel
    Culture Legally Blonde's Prequel Elle Captures the Lost Joy of Analogue Adolescence
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Head Spas, Coco Mademoiselle Reimagined, and What the TPO Ban Really Means
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
     
     
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.