Should the permit be increased to allow more people?

[crazyguy]

Given there's clearly a demand for it and the site is larger these days surely the council should increase the number of people allowed on the site? I was just watching some of David Bowie's 2000 set and it's a massive crowd compared to many of the current audiences, why did they reduce capacity? Health and safety or some nonsense like that? Especially sad to think of the amount of money being missed out on for good causes by the lower numbers these days.

[John_P]

The higher number for Bowie was due to all the fence jumpers that year. If I'm correct the actual capacity increased after the super wall was introduced.

The number of times I was caught in crushes going away from the pyramid stage was worrying, all it would take is a few people to fall over for a serious incident to take place and then there'd be likely no more festivals to enjoy.

[Mouseboy11]

For me, you only have to look at the late night areas to say no...

[Yokel Again]

Fence jumpers in 2000. I would argue it was better before the increase in 2007, but there you go, was lucky enough to get a ticket in the preceeding years!

[whisty]

Can't get out of car park as it is, without evenote people!@

[cdm22]

No, if anything it should be lowered. in fact didn't Emily even suggest that it may go down in future years recently?

[crazyguy]

The higher number for Bowie was due to all the fence jumpers that year. If I'm correct the actual capacity increased after the super wall was introduced.

The number of times I was caught in crushes going away from the pyramid stage was worrying, all it would take is a few people to fall over for a serious incident to take place and then there'd be likely no more festivals to enjoy.

 

There can't of been that many people hopping the fence? Gigs with hundreds of thousands of spectators have happened for years - why can't Glastonbury become another one of them.

[UEF]

I was just watching some of David Bowie's 2000 set and it's a massive crowd compared to many of the current audiences, why did they reduce capacity? Health and safety or some nonsense like that?

 

2000 is famously quoted as the one where "150,000 came through the turnstiles and another 150,000 jumped over the fence".

 

In that respect, it sounds as if it was neither healthy or safe

[tumbles]

I'd like it to drop to 100k personally.  Won't happen but 135k is probably better than the 150k of mid naughties.

Edited June 29, 2015 by tumbles

[SloopJohnB]

No....absolutely not! The site was rammed all weekend making it a nightmare to get round. Last night on the other stage was mental will huge queues for toilets etc....people we pissing everywhere!

I know the demands there and I'd be gutted if I didn't get a ticket, but the site is already at breaking point in my opinion

[rachmac]

There's too many people on site if anything - Thursday this year was just so busy everywhere as there's limited things to do that day and I really didn't enjoy it much (heat didn't help me either). We tend to stick to (relatively) quieter spots - circus, cabaret, craft fields etc and just see a few bands we want to see. But even then these areas are feeling busier and busier every year. 

[fatyeti24]

i take those reported number of fence jumpers in the 90s with a pinch of salt.  even though i was a fence jumper in the 90s.  i've got enough old aerial shots and they don't show the huge crowds in front of the stages that we get today, and the campsites were not as packed.  if there was 100,000 people in over the fence, they hid themselves, their tents and their cars very well.

 

if anyone has any solid evidence to the contrary, i'd love to see it.

 

i find the site far more crowded these days, even though it's much bigger.  there's much more stuff crammed in.  and i have never seen a crowd like the one lionel got.

 

so it's a no from me, not without expanding the site.

[5co77ie]

There's licence capacity for over 190,000 now, but that includes the 70,000 needed to keep it running.

[crazyguy]

i take those reported number of fence jumpers in the 90s with a pinch of salt.  even though i was a fence jumper in the 90s.  i've got enough old aerial shots and they don't show the huge crowds in front of the stages that we get today, and the campsites were not as packed.  if there was 100,000 people in over the fence, they hid themselves, their tents and their cars very well.

 

if anyone has any solid evidence to the contrary, i'd love to see it.

 

i find the site far more crowded these days, even though it's much bigger.  there's much more stuff crammed in.  and i have never seen a crowd like the one lionel got.

 

so it's a no from me, not without expanding the site.

 

Why not expand the site then to make it rival Woodstock in terms of crowd. At least everyone who wants to and can do would be able to get there and enjoy it and you could bring ticket prices down a little bit over time.

[ICGenie]

Why not expand the site then to make it rival Woodstock in terms of crowd. At least everyone who wants to and can do would be able to get there and enjoy it and you could bring ticket prices down a little bit over time.

Why? It's already too big and too busy. I'd happily risk not getting a ticket and also pay more if they reduced capacity by 20,000.

[greenArmy12]

Definitely seemed the busiest that I've been to, compared to 2013,2011&2010 everywhere you went seemed to be crowded

[atomised]

There's licence capacity for over 190,000 now, but that includes the 70,000 needed to keep it running.

I thought the tickets sold was much higher than 120000

[5co77ie]

I thought the tickets sold was much higher than 120000

very tired so I may be wrong but I think it's 135,000 tickets sold

[phil the shrew]

It's not just about numbers on site but the infrastructure needed to support the extra numbers like car parks, toilets, ticket entrances etc.

Big stages are becoming a bit tricky to navigate due to the big crowds and the deck chair lot who plonk themselves down all day near the stage and take up space and make it difficult to get round without tripping over them. Ban them and you can probably fit in an extra 60,000 people (possibly)

Edited June 29, 2015 by phil the shrew

[5co77ie]

Definitely seemed the busiest that I've been to, compared to 2013,2011&2010 everywhere you went seemed to be crowded

I think this was the best year for most spread out audiences - everywhere seemed busier, but overall there was less intense crowd densities I think, during the day at least

But one question - why do people walk herd like on the metal tracks, when there's masses of grass to walk on - it's not like it was to muddy this year

[Alcatraz]

Why not expand the site then to make it rival Woodstock in terms of crowd. At least everyone who wants to and can do would be able to get there and enjoy it and you could bring ticket prices down a little bit over time.

It's all very well saying expand the site but what are you going to fill it with?

 

The area where there has been expansion remains largely empty, underused sitting space, which you have to climb up a fuck off big hill.

[fowls]

The problem is crowd management.  With so many stages and such an eclectic audience and line up, it's pretty much impossible to guess the proportions of audience at each stage.  George Ezra this year had a HUUUUUUUGGE crowd - I had real difficulty walking around the back.  With more people, how can you guarantee that most the audience aren't going to crowd out a particular stage, especially the Pyramid and Other stage?  Would further barriers be needed for safety reasons?  And when it's packed it can pretty much take the entire interval for people to get out and others to get in, with more people it would become unmanageable.

 

 

In short, I think Glasto has reached the largest size any festival can viably withstand logistically.

[Peetle]

I was there in 2000 (Bowie was awesome). The crowding was insane and there were people camping *everywhere* including by the Accoustic tent and on pretty much anything flat, apart from the main arenas, by the Sunday. The fence was completely down in many areas, allowing people to come and go as they pleased.

2003, 2004 and 2005 were great. I think the organisers didn't realise how many people came over the fence so they set the capacity lower than they needed to. But eating, drinking and having a slash without having to queue was great.

They can increase the camping all they like but there is only one Pyramid and with the current numbers there will always be crushes. I last went in 2010 and vowed not to go again as it's become a complete pain getting around and getting anything to eat or drink.

[Yokel Again]

I was there in 2000 (Bowie was awesome). The crowding was insane and there were people camping *everywhere* including by the Accoustic tent and on pretty much anything flat, apart from the main arenas, by the Sunday. The fence was completely down in many areas, allowing people to come and go as they pleased.

2003, 2004 and 2005 were great. I think the organisers didn't realise how many people came over the fence so they set the capacity lower than they needed to. But eating, drinking and having a slash without having to queue was great.

They can increase the camping all they like but there is only one Pyramid and with the current numbers there will always be crushes. I last went in 2010 and vowed not to go again as it's become a complete pain getting around and getting anything to eat or drink.

Exactly this, except haven't stopped going it because of it.

[crazyguy]

It's not just about numbers on site but the infrastructure needed to support the extra numbers like car parks, toilets, ticket entrances etc.

Big stages are becoming a bit tricky to navigate due to the big crowds and the deck chair lot who plonk themselves down all day near the stage and take up space and make it difficult to get round without tripping over them. Ban them and you can probably fit in an extra 60,000 people (possibly)

 

 

It's all very well saying expand the site but what are you going to fill it with?

 

The area where there has been expansion remains largely empty, underused sitting space, which you have to climb up a fuck off big hill.

 

Move the camping areas nearest to the stages into the expansion area. You can fairly safely bet the largest bottleneck points will be around main stages if the line ups been done well, create a bit of room there by extending the site, ban deck chairs and we could look at 250-300k audience easily.