Big sporting events, concerts, gigs,

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Just out of interest how many people can attend large events with no adverse effects, overloads, meltdowns etc?

My dream is to attend a tennis tournament. I think I could cope with anything (except maybe triple digit heat) to see my favorite player in action. I have to work to build up my heat tolerance. I'm getting a lot of practice right now.

I'm usually fine with large events. I've been to music festivals and NFL games with crowds of 80,000 or so and I've never felt overwhelmed at any of them. I might get a bit agitated if I don't leave early to beat the crowds on public transport but I certainly don't suffer meltdowns or anything like that.

IstominFan, tennis tournaments are great fun. I've been going to Queens in London for the past few years and that's always been a fun tournament to attend. I managed to get tickets for the final this year which was really cool. I also don't live far from the venue either which is a nice bonus. I hope you do get a chance to go to a tournament at some point.

I attend but we try to get seats on an aisle so I can keep some "space" around me. I also wear my ear muff style hearing protection to keep the volume were I can tollerate it and not have a meltdown from sensory overload. Dodger

Never had a problem with these, but then I've never had an incident that I can conclusively call a meltdown or shutdown.

I had one case that I can think of that *might* have been a mild shutdown, but if it was, it was brought on by stress and office politics, not sensory issues.

I seem to be doing pretty good. Not only do I go to my hometown teams hockey games, but I have gone to other cities and watched them on the road. In short, it's not that different except most people are cheering for the other team.

I used to be a volunteer first responder at the local stadium and saw many concerts for free. Nothing I would classify as an overload although I just don't see the thrill of music concerts in general.

i can cope with large gigs, sporting events and festivals ... but usually need to take precautions. precautions include : avoiding crowds, getting very intoxicated to mitigate anxiety/sensory issues, being able to leave or having a place to go to to get away from things/deal with overload/meltdown. my ability to deal with any of these situations is finite depending on various factors, but will always require a recovery phase of total isolation.

I can get overwhelmed if the event has more than 25,000 people in a closed area, like a stadium. I found that out by going to a KC Royals game that had at least that in attendance that day. In a contest, I received 4 tickets to one of their home games the year that they won the World Series back in 2015. It caused me to partially shutdown about an hour before the game. Once the game started, I was fine as it distracted me from the crowd around me. If it is an open space event, I can tolerate a much higher number of attendees before I have issues. Now, that still does not stop me from being impatient when in long lines with people not paying attention to moving forward (d#mn smartphones!).

I only really go to a couple of test match cricket games over the summer. Usually, cricket (Unless you end up the barmy army party stand which is autism hell) There are regular breaks in play and everyone knows what is expected. I do need a little recovery time after so try not to have too much on the next day.

I can handle large events, club gigs, etc as long as I can keep my personal space guarded. If I start getting jostled or have to start defending my space I will lose it.

That depends on the event. Some I can manage to go to, it's just miserable.

I have only ever attended ones where my desire to see that band or artist or event gives me motivation that out-strips the negatives involved in being at a loud and crowded event.

So it's kind of a situation where it has to be "worth it" for me. When that is strongly the case, I can cope with the negatives as my enjoyment and excitement and happier feelings seem to balance out the parts that would normally overwhelm me.

It has to be something I'm interested in. Going to a concert sounds super stressful and I wouldn't want to deal with it but going to watch powerlifting at the World Games? Yes please. I don't think you could sign me up fast enough if the opportunity presented itself.

This last Monday, we went to the evening church service. There were only about 20 people that came to it and they used the piano instead of the church organ. But it was a stormy night and I did not have my Service Dog or sensory tool kit with me.

I had to close my eyes or shield my face for most of the service. That helped block out some of the sensory input but there were still times when the noise alone started to send me into sensory overload.

My sister helped me out by guiding me for communion and signaling me when it was our turn to leave but I cannot believe how much I have come to depend on my Service Dog.

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31st of July, 2013
Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder, and Visual-Motor Processing Speed Disorder.

Weak Emerging Social Communicator (The Social Thinking-­Social Communication Profile by Michelle Garcia Winner, Pamela Crooke and Stephanie Madrigal)

"I am silently correcting your grammar."

I go to concerts and large events like street festivals and hockey games all the time, they don't bother me much. As long as the music isn't something obnoxious to me like pan flutes or avant-garde jazz, I'm fine, otherwise I develop a migraine and get nauseous.

I think in those situations, as long as you know what to expect and are prepared it helps since those events progress fairly predictably. You can catch YouTube vids of live performances or games to see what it's like. I mostly like concerts because you can really feel the music reverberate through you and then you can rock/bob/flail to the music in public without anyone judging you (at most, you'll look like you're high, but so is everyone else most likely ). For arena concerts, there's less of a crowding situation if you're in the seated section. Just gotta wait till the crowd thins before you leave.

NOPE!

although i WANT to go to things like this, i cant handle them, a meltdown or shutdown is guaranteed and headphones and sunglasses and medication is required!