25 replies to this topic

[shae]

I'm planning on going to a festival this year, but can't decide between V or Reading. I went to Glasto for the first time last year and it was amazing but unfortunately its not on this year. The lineup for Reading comes out a similar date to the release of the tickets for V, so it's a bit of a gamble.
I was just wondering generally which festival has better acts/atmosphere etc. and which would you recommend going to this year?

Also, when is the lineup for V announced?

[thetime]

V announced march time.

V usually full of pop acts
Reading full of nme/ radio 1 acts

Try bestival.

[shae]

thetime, on 29 January 2012 - 11:24 AM, said:

V announced march time.

But the V tickets come out very early March? Is the lineup announced after tickets are released?

[shae]

And also, who do you think will headline V/R&L?

[thetime]

shae, on 29 January 2012 - 11:37 AM, said:

And also, who do you think will headline V/R&L?

stone roses more or less confirmed, dont know about the other day probably coldplay.

r&l foos are a more or less a cert I think, and who knows the other 2. Its been very quiet on the headliners for reading and leeds.

atmosphere wise there both not the best, certainly not the way glasto is. But if you want the big names there your fests in england I suppose, wouldnt touch v with a barge pole nowadays. Which is a shame as I live 10 minutes away from weston park.

you do have alternatives though if you want the vibe of glasto(but not as good). Theres festivals like bestival, latitude and european festivals.

[thetime]

shae, on 29 January 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

But the V tickets come out very early March? Is the lineup announced after tickets are released?

You will have pre sale tickets for a few days for virgin customers, then the lineups released and a couple of days later they usually got on sale.

r&l the lineups announced and then pretty much on sale straight away. Reading and leeds are doing a deposit scheme this year so they dont expect to sell out straight away.

[Couchy]

How old are you? I'd recommend Reading if you're going with a big group of teenagers. Atmosphere has picked up the past couple of years whilst V (Chelmsford anyway) seems to have got worse from what I've heard on here. Reading is 3 day fest compared to just 2 at V. A 2 day festival to me sounds a bit crap.

Edit: Otherwise better off a Bestival which is cheaper than both too. Not much of a gamble on the line up as it is always great & much more to do than just watching music. Music goes on right into the next day too unlike R&L & V. It's more like Glastonbury than any other festival I've been to & in some ways better. You might find it difficult persuading people as you need to get a ferry but it really isn't that difficult to get to at all.

Edited by Couchy, 30 January 2012 - 07:44 PM.

[shae]

Couchy, on 30 January 2012 - 07:41 PM, said:

How old are you? I'd recommend Reading if you're going with a big group of teenagers. Atmosphere has picked up the past couple of years whilst V (Chelmsford anyway) seems to have got worse from what I've heard on here. Reading is 3 day fest compared to just 2 at V. A 2 day festival to me sounds a bit crap.

Edit: Otherwise better off a Bestival which is cheaper than both too. Not much of a gamble on the line up as it is always great & much more to do than just watching music. Music goes on right into the next day too unlike R&L & V. It's more like Glastonbury than any other festival I've been to & in some ways better. You might find it difficult persuading people as you need to get a ferry but it really isn't that difficult to get to at all.

im going to be 16 by the time the festival is on, and its just me and my girlfriend going.

[Couchy]

shae, on 30 January 2012 - 08:28 PM, said:

im going to be 16 by the time the festival is on, and its just me and my girlfriend going.

Bestival would be right up your street if it's just the 2 of you.

The only couple I know of ever going to Reading on their own were stewarding, dunno if I'd recommend it but if you camped next to people of similar age & offered them a few ciders I'm sure they'd be friendly enough in Purple camp. Most people there are large groups of school leavers.

[mrtourette]

I think it depneds on the music you like, as neither offer much more than that (certainly compared to Glasto). There is some crossover between the two and some of the acts that play Glasto, V tends to be more commercial indie/pop/dance/rnb while R&L is mostly indie/rock/punk (still with a nod to the mainstream).

Both tend to be looked down on and get shit from patrons of other festivals for just being full of young drunken idiots who want to wreck the joing and throw cups of piss around, you do get that sort of thing but I know it's wildly exagerrated at Reading so I assume it isn't as bad as people make out at V as well (although I've never been). If you're a young couple going if you camp at one of the outer sites away from the madness at Reading you'll be fine, it'll be more relaxed. Most people in those fields will be there because of that and will be friendly.

V tickets go on sale at the start of March (2nd I think), Reading will be the third or fourth Monday in March. Both will generally release the line-up at the same time as the tickets go on general sale, although Vodafone (or some other sponser) will have a presale a few days before.

I guess it depends on what you and the girlfriend enjoyed about Glasto and what you're looking to get out of this year. If you just want a chilled weekend in a campsite with music during the day and like indie/rock/punk go to Reading, if you like pop/rnb/dancey/mainstream stuff then go to V, if the two of you want to make friends, do 'crazy' stuff and aren't too bothered about the line-up then yeah maybe Bestival is a good shout (although more of a pain to get to).

[eFestivals]

mrtourette, on 31 January 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

tickets go on sale .... Reading will be the third or fourth Monday in March.

as far as I'm, aware that's not quite right.

I believe it's the case that Reading/Leeds try to make their first announcement on the last Monday of March (there's been trhe occasional exception) - which would be the fourth or fifth Monday in March.

[rug568]

mrtourette, on 31 January 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

I think it depneds on the music you like, as neither offer much more than that (certainly compared to Glasto). There is some crossover between the two and some of the acts that play Glasto, V tends to be more commercial indie/pop/dance/rnb while R&L is mostly indie/rock/punk (still with a nod to the mainstream).

Both tend to be looked down on and get shit from patrons of other festivals for just being full of young drunken idiots who want to wreck the joing and throw cups of piss around, you do get that sort of thing but I know it's wildly exagerrated at Reading so I assume it isn't as bad as people make out at V as well (although I've never been). If you're a young couple going if you camp at one of the outer sites away from the madness at Reading you'll be fine, it'll be more relaxed. Most people in those fields will be there because of that and will be friendly.

V tickets go on sale at the start of March (2nd I think), Reading will be the third or fourth Monday in March. Both will generally release the line-up at the same time as the tickets go on general sale, although Vodafone (or some other sponser) will have a presale a few days before.

I guess it depends on what you and the girlfriend enjoyed about Glasto and what you're looking to get out of this year. If you just want a chilled weekend in a campsite with music during the day and like indie/rock/punk go to Reading, if you like pop/rnb/dancey/mainstream stuff then go to V, if the two of you want to make friends, do 'crazy' stuff and aren't too bothered about the line-up then yeah maybe Bestival is a good shout (although more of a pain to get to).

Completely agree with all of this. However my sister goes to V and apparently is rains piss all the time, i never really noticed it at Reading. Also is sounds like the crowd is a lot more tame at V, my sister says there are no crushes (there aren't even any barriers)

[TYLER_4]

go to R&L its so much better than V.

[ArcticGorilla]

V is the same price for less a whole less day of acts.

V is a pop festivals, R+L is a rock festival.

Who would you rather watch, The Saturdays or Foo Fighters?

Your call man.

[JID]

went to v for weekend last year and leeds for the sunday. Leeds seemed a lot more chilled out than V and barely any piss cup throwing in comparison

[JID]

From the V fest website:


key dates

6 FEB 2012 - 19 FEB 2012

Virgin Media customers' Early Bird Pre-Registration

27 FEB 2012

Virgin Media customers' Pre Sale opens at 10:00

23 FEB 2012

V FESTIVAL 2012 Line-Up announced at 22:00

02 MARCH 2012

V Festival General Tickets go on sale at 10:00

[mrtourette]

Don't they normally make the announcement and open general ticket sales at the same time? Seems odd that they'd announce the line-up a week before tickets go on sale.

[eFestivals]

mrtourette, on 01 February 2012 - 06:04 PM, said:

Don't they normally make the announcement and open general ticket sales at the same time? Seems odd that they'd announce the line-up a week before tickets go on sale.

for the last few years they've announced the acts on (I t5hink it's) the Tuesday and then tickets go on general sale on the Friday.

Presumably it's been done like that so they can sell a presale to a phone company.

[luckysalt]

Depends what you're looking for from a festival, if its purely line up based and you like V's line up, go V. It opens Friday morning and Friday they have DJ's playing and then the main line ups are Saturday and Sunday.

Ive been to V 7 times and Reading twice. Reading camping for me was too many kids going crazy on their first weekend away from mom, first time I went was 2002 and it was nothing like that but in 2005 it was.

In the end ive started going Download, and its the best of the three by far. Take a look at Download line up, if you like it, maybe try that. You go Weds morning and come back Mon, much like Glasto.

Id also recommend TITP if you're willing to go Scotland, its a mix of acts between Reading and V. Ive done that twice, and really enjoyed both times I went.

In the end Id say go to as many fests as possible and see what you like

[mrtourette]

eFestivals, on 01 February 2012 - 06:10 PM, said:

for the last few years they've announced the acts on (I t5hink it's) the Tuesday and then tickets go on general sale on the Friday.

Presumably it's been done like that so they can sell a presale to a phone company.

Christ my memory's terrible.