What Festival comes close....

[chuckles07]

How do the Secret Garden Party, Beautiful Days and The Green Man compare? Which Glastonbury areas can they, if possible, be compared to?

They all seem really interesting especially if don't get glastonbury tickets............

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Ta

[stuartbert two hats]

I wasn't trying to draw parallels, I was pointing out that the person who has is very wrong.

Unless you can see Jessie Jay playing Reading/Leeds any time soon, or The Congos headlining Creamfields, or Chase & Status headlining WOMAD, etc, etc, etc.

Some are perhaps the best parallels that can be drawn, but they're waaaaay off all the same.

What do you think of the Truck/Park comparison?

[Amy Lawn]

What do you think of the Truck/Park comparison?

Not great, Truck is much more guitary than the Park, Festival No 6 is the closest one I can think of, but the who exercise is pointless because I don't think there any stages that are similar enough to any given festival that you can draw a direct comparison.

[Gnomicide]

.. and so wrong.

Care to draw any better parallels?

I wasn't trying to draw parallels, I was pointing out that the person who has is very wrong.

Unless you can see Jessie Jay playing Reading/Leeds any time soon, or The Congos headlining Creamfields, or Chase & Status headlining WOMAD, etc, etc, etc.

Some are perhaps the best parallels that can be drawn, but they're waaaaay off all the same.

Well yeah, but......

But.....

Oh, alright then

[Staff_Sav]

How do the Secret Garden Party, Beautiful Days and The Green Man compare? Which Glastonbury areas can they, if possible, be compared to?

They all seem really interesting especially if don't get glastonbury tickets............

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Ta

Secret Garden Party is pretty. Its got the most amount of beautiful girls in one place outside of sweden. It has some hidden secrets you gotta find. Its probably a bit more like the arts and crafts area of glasto with some stages thrown in. I did enjoy it, but dont think its worth the ticket price (I went with green stewards so had free ticket via that). plus they are proper strict on alcohol limits (something like 12 cans), unless you were staff

[MatthewBL]

I don't think you can even begin to compare Glastonbury with any other festival and probably shouldn't try.

Certain areas may have a similar feel but as a whole there is no comparison.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Anyone who enjoys spending time at the Acoustic tent (and the real ale bar next door) will enjoy Towersey.

That rules me and the misses out. We got to the Acoustic tent this year and burst out crying - my wife because she couldn't cope with people around her, but wouldn't immediately tell me that was the reason, and me because I felt helpless because I didn't know what was a problem for her and how I could help to negate the problem. We had a lovely steward come up to us and ask if we were alright. We told him we were and he accepted that but still kept an eye on us (in a beneficial way). What a sight we must have looked like. Anyway, when we eventually got back to our camping area my wife's son apologised for dosing us with extremely high grade acid. lol

[POKERDUDE]

How do the Secret Garden Party, Beautiful Days and The Green Man compare? Which Glastonbury areas can they, if possible, be compared to?

They all seem really interesting especially if don't get glastonbury tickets............

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Ta

As I stated earlier in this thread, GreenMan is the best festival I've ever been to in 17 years of at least one festival a year (mostly scottish festivals and only been to Glastonbury once) .

[matt1991]

I've been going to Bestival for the last two years and it's the only other one that has a similar vibe to Glasto IMO, just on a much smaller scale. The crowds seem to be as nice and the attention to detail is almost as good as at Glasto.

[LondonTom]

I've been going to Bestival for the last two years and it's the only other one that has a similar vibe to Glasto IMO, just on a much smaller scale. The crowds seem to be as nice and the attention to detail is almost as good as at Glasto.

Still falls short

I went this year and think in places its trying really really hard to be Glastonbury and I applaud it attempting it tbh but what I realised is that Glastonbury takes care of the small stuff so well, it makes everything else even better.

For instance campsite stewards that know where there is space, conveniently placed and lots of bins even if people still refuse to use them, public transport provision....just lots of little things that make going on site for a few days a tad easier.

That said, I enjoyed Bestival not like a love like Glastonbury is...but overall its an enjoyable place to spend 4 days apart from the gangs of middle class chavs. (Weirdly it seems to have a more diverse range of ethnicities attending, but less diverse in terms of economic background!).

Also there are things I'd like Glastonbury to copy from Bestival, late night biggish acts after the headliners, the way the port is setup so you with the extra bank of speakers further back is better than Arcadia and also the 20/30s/rockabilly DJs about late at night rather than bassy dance stuff

[Tr234]

Still falls short

I went this year and think in places its trying really really hard to be Glastonbury and I applaud it attempting it tbh but what I realised is that Glastonbury takes care of the small stuff so well, it makes everything else even better.

For instance campsite stewards that know where there is space, conveniently placed and lots of bins even if people still refuse to use them, public transport provision....just lots of little things that make going on site for a few days a tad easier.

That said, I enjoyed Bestival not like a love like Glastonbury is...but overall its an enjoyable place to spend 4 days apart from the gangs of middle class chavs. (Weirdly it seems to have a more diverse range of ethnicities attending, but less diverse in terms of economic background!).

Also there are things I'd like Glastonbury to copy from Bestival, late night biggish acts after the headliners, the way the port is setup so you with the extra bank of speakers further back is better than Arcadia and also the 20/30s/rockabilly DJs about late at night rather than bassy dance stuff

The big firework display and music playing from the main stage with confetti after Chic was amazing.

[Barefooted_raver]

Yeah, Bestival is amazing!! I just don't see the comparison to Glastonbury though! Bestival's strength is in it's lineup, crowd, and the fact that everyone is seriously excited to be travelling to treasure island! Going there this year just made me realise how detailed Glasto actually is! Eg. Shangri La, The Temple etc. I think Glastonbury has got such incredible features and attention to design given the huge scale! Even things like The Blues and Beat Hotel are pretty inspired.

I was a tiny bit disappointed with Bestival's stage designs (the temple stage and Reggae area) as I had assumed these would be as interactive and in your face as say, Boomtown set designs?

That having been said, Bestival's music choice was sensational. That Confetti Tent by the inflatable church was fookin fantastic too. I can see that festival getting bigger and better!

[LondonTom]

The big firework display and music playing from the main stage with confetti after Chic was amazing.

Yes! While watching the rather fantastic massive world record beating Disco ball!

I didn't mean to criticise Bestival to much in my last post, it does so much right and I had a fantastic few days there. Its well worth going to...but it shows how good Glastonbury is when you come away from a great event like that and still think Glastonbury is miles ahead

Basically Bestival would still be line up dependent for me, where as Glastonbury is a I'll go regardless of what they put on.

Edited September 11, 2014 by LondonTom

[dondo]

Whilst I agree that there is nothing like Glastonbury I have been to Croissant Neuf Summer Party and Beautiful Days and they both have a Glastonbury vibe/feel to them

[Bisque]

Basically Bestival would still be line up dependent for me, where as Glastonbury is a I'll go regardless of what they put on.

Good sum up, however as they are either ends of the festival itinery I still think its worth going to both, financially both possible too. Bestival to me is the last hurrah of summer.

[Staff_Sav]

I didn't mean to criticise Bestival to much in my last post, it does so much right and I had a fantastic few days there. Its well worth going to...but it shows how good Glastonbury is when you come away from a great event like that and still think Glastonbury is miles ahead

But isn't glastonbury in effect made up of lots of smaller festivals all bungled into one? The southeast corner for example has Block 9 which does their area, Shangri-la which does there, the common etc. and then over at silver hayes they do their own thing, and arcadia is a travelling stage. They unite under the glastonbury banner, and have to negotiate who is player where, but i believe Bestival is organised a lot more in house. Arcadia used to be there, but they have replaced this with the Port, Swamp shack which was designed by Block 9 wasn't there this year. They still have a few corporate stages such as red bull music academy, but im pretty sure Josie Da Bank does all the artwork and decorations etc (the main stage is normally gloriously decorated). Of course, please correct me if i'm wrong, but that is what I was led to believe.

It would be good to see more bins, glastonbury is the only festival i've been to that has enough. Toilets could be worse, as far as portaloo's go, they usually manage to keep a hold on them and not let them get too bad (although i'm male so dont have to go in them that often). I wish there were water taps at every block of toilets though.

The effort involved in fancy dress is beyond anywhere else as well.

Yeah I'm a bit of a bestival fanboy, but its the first festival I really fell in love with. Its a shame the ferry is just so bloody expensive (the ferry companies obviously cancel all their discounts and deals that they do at all other times of the year which is a shame, but you've got very little choice in the matter)

Edited September 11, 2014 by Staff_Sav

[LondonTom]

But isn't glastonbury in effect made up of lots of smaller festivals all bungled into one?

Essentially yes, I believe even individual stages like Other/West Holts are run as almost separate mini festivals/empires! (With the Eavi having overall say across everything).Which makes it quite hard to compete with I guess! Plus its bigger/been going for longer

I guess infrastructure wise, it helps alot of it is Michael's land so there's loads of permanent stuff about rather than having to erect and take it all down/storage costs are low etc.

I actually met Josie Da Bank after Foals! (That was another cool aspect, that they all hung up just in front of the sound desk for headliners! Never understood the idea of standing side stage unable to full see the show ), she was really proud of the disco ball (and designing the port actually!),

[AdamSheff]

Hi. Me and the Mrs have decided we are having a break from Glastonbury for a few years but are looking for a festival abit closer to home. We live in Sheffield, could anyone recommend a smaller festival closer to home? Seen there are a few in Derbyshire (y not and bearded theory). Also seen Bingley festival. Has anyone been?

[salvador wali]

Hi. Me and the Mrs have decided we are having a break from Glastonbury for a few years but are looking for a festival abit closer to home. We live in Sheffield, could anyone recommend a smaller festival closer to home? Seen there are a few in Derbyshire (y not and bearded theory). Also seen Bingley festival. Has anyone been?

Been to Bearded Theory and couldn't recommend it more. The only other festival iv'e been to in the past few years that come close is Alchemy, less than 2 hours away from where you at

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Been to Bearded Theory and couldn't recommend it more.

I like this information.

[Spindles]

I've always fancied Bearded theory (on the basis of the great video on this site a couple or 3 years back, which really made it come across as a very chilled festival with some lesser names, that has the atmosphere that I enjoy most with a lack of the bits I enjoy least).

The description of Glastonbury as being the coming together of many festivals is very apt.

[kerplunk]

Hi. Me and the Mrs have decided we are having a break from Glastonbury for a few years but are looking for a festival abit closer to home. We live in Sheffield, could anyone recommend a smaller festival closer to home? Seen there are a few in Derbyshire (y not and bearded theory). Also seen Bingley festival. Has anyone been?

Just the one? Without knowing your tastes recommending 'a' festival is tricky but Y-Not and Bearded Theory are both good festivals imo, I would also point you to Off the Tracks, Beat Herder and Shambala. In fact that's a pretty darn good (and varied) festival year right there and all in easy shooting distance. Read the reviews on this here site.

[Gnomicide]

Yup, get yourself down to Bearded Theory, reminds me of the Avalon part of Glastonbury so if you like that part of the festival, you'll love it. Good range of music, great crowd and the added bonus that you can take in your own alcohol.

[AdamSheff]

Thanks for the replies people. Had a look at the reviews and think we are going to give Bearded Theory a go next year.

Thanks Gnomicide for the video. It looks great. Also it looks good for children as we are 50/50 if we will be taking our 2 year old. I always said I would take her to Glastonbury but after this year we decided to wait a few years yet. It's far too big.

Thanks for the other recommendations kerplunk, I will have a gander at those over the next few days.

The line up seems pretty decent too at Bearded Theory too. What is the name of the main stage there?

[Gnomicide]

What is the name of the main stage there?

I didn't go last year so don't know if this is the first time but the first headliners have been announced for 2015 and is says The Pallet Stage. I think it used to just be the 'main stage', don't know the significance of pallets.