In the absence of Glastonbury, the Olympics were the festival of the year. Public parks were filled with free festivals, where families could watch the sport while bands played in the background. So much of the best of the Olympic mood – Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony, the Paralympics closing show, the party-starting DJs pumping out tunes at every possible moment – borrowed heavily from the culture of gentle anarchy and the ethos of determinedly enjoying yourself, whatever the weather, at which British festivals have always excelled. If Boyle’s theatrical transition from smoking chimney stacks to raving youths symbolised anything, it was that British festivals are one of our great modern industries.