Festival/Glastonbury saturation point?

[gooner1990]

Just back from BoomTown and had a great weekend, but throughout a lot of it I kept thinking 'I need a break from festivals' but I also know that when Glastonbury tickets go on sale in October I won't be able to resist trying to buy one!

 

 

I almost think because I've consistantly gone to an average of 3-4 festivals per year since 1999 I've almost done too many, whereas mates of mine who have been going as long but perhaps only do 1-2 per year still really get giddy about going to each one.

 

Anyone else hit a similar (ish) number and then given it a break? Do you manage to get back into it ok?  I am thinking of just cutting back to Glastonbury only and should I fail with tickets pick one other to go to!

 

Never thought I would get to this stage....but I think the whole 'festival camping' thing is getting a bit tiresome now....late nights, back ache, muddy festivals etc etc.

[Bisque]

I've definitely started going to less festivals due to not being a student with a loan to burn for the summer, getting time off work & starting to travel a lot more. I haven't grown out of fests, it's now there are other commitments & finances to worry about.

[Spindles]

Yeah, I went through a period when my kids were growing up where other things took priority, then when they were old enough they joined me.  

 

I don't think I've got too many festivals left in me now, to be honest.  I'm started to feel a bit past it and with Glastonbury in particular that ticket could probably go to someone who'd get better value from it than this tired old fart.

[frostypaw]

The extraordinary can become quite dull and ordinary if it's regular and expected.

Think that's just the nature of human beings to some extent, though it says nothing about whether or not those individual experiences are something special or not. There has to come a time to take a year off to see how much you miss it and make it fresh again

But it could just be you're going through the change. Soon your hair will start falling out, you'll become weak and frail and just want to be left alone a while to listen to the play on Radio 4. Possibly while doing some crochet - maybe a little Will Young in the background to remind you of the party times

[Chris_Hayter88]

I'm planning on going to at least 3 or 4 festivals next year, I may make that consistent for future years depending how I find it all.

My first ever festival was last year at Reading, going back there this year, my only one this year.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Chris_Hayter88

[matt2007]

Bored yesterday I had a play around and could have bought tickets to Reading, Leeds, either V and Bestival, is the festival market saturated. I did also notice that lots of the same acts were playing and multiple festivals too

[Untz]

I only go to one or two camping festivals a year and combined with the non-festival period of Autumn/Winter/Spring it's manageable. I went to three camping festivals in 2013, one of which was only two nights, and I found it too much.

 

I don't know how people have the time/money to go to loads of festivals and do other things as well.

[Wanderlei]

I've been to 2 a year for the last few years, and I feel that's too much lol. Well done if you can sustain 4.

[Mezhyp1]

I feel I slightly over done it for myself a few years back, I went to 7 camping festivals in 2011 and 6 in 2012, that was too many for me, but 3 camping festivals, a hotel festival and a couple of one day efforts hasn't been too bad this

[Pinhead]

"The extraordinary can become quite dull and ordinary if it's regular and expected."

 

This^

 

I know what you mean though. With kids now and a full time job, getting all the time off and doing the organisation, travelling etc. becomes a big ask at 42. I would be happy with just doing Glasto each year tbh, but do a couple of small ones for Oxfam and to stay on the priority list for Glasto just in case I don't get a ticket. With BD tomorrow though and a 4 hour journey and not great weather expected, I'm feeling at bit meh right now.

[cdm22]

Having done 5 or 6 a year for the last couple of years I know exactly what you mean! I intend to only do a couple next year and actually have a 'proper' holiday.

[Hugh Jass]

I was doing 2-4 a year when I was in my twenties but as I've gotten older (33 now) and work and other things get in the way, as well as the rising costs of attending and the fact that I hate camping a little more every year,  I'm down to Glastonbury only these days.

 

Also helps that the likes of Reading/Leeds have declined massively in terms of line ups over the last few years. Last couple of years I've looked at that yellow poster and identified maybe two or three acts I'd like to see.

[Homer]

I decided to stop going to quite as many silly little free ones a few years back. I realised that the frequency that I did these was diluting the pleasure/novelty of big things like Glasto.

 

I'm 39 and I reckon two proper fests a year is probably optimum (I'd doing Bestival next then Shiiiine - but that's at Butlins so not proper camping).

 

Re saturation, it will be interesting to see if the Euros next year have an affect. They're going to be in June and July and they're in France, so I imagine a LOT of Brits will be going (I am for one - though we're deliberately going for the group stages in early June to create a gap between getting back and going to Glasto). This could flush out a few of the smaller fests I reckon.

[ivan]

As well as Glasto I was a regular at V , Leeds and others.  .

 

But the line up at V went down hill years ago so that got binned 

 

Then the line up at Leeds has not been particularly brilliant so I have not been for the last few years - considering I went to everyone from 1999 onwards until 2012

Edited August 18, 2015 by ivan

[justperfect]

One is enough these days to itch my festival itch.

Rapidly approaching the big 40

[Zoo Music Girl]

I only go to one or two camping festivals a year and combined with the non-festival period of Autumn/Winter/Spring it's manageable. I went to three camping festivals in 2013, one of which was only two nights, and I found it too much.

I don't know how people have the time/money to go to loads of festivals and do other things as well.

This. Staggers me how people manage 4 and up.

For me I like to do Glastonbury and one little one if poss. Sometimes just Glastonbury. That seems about right for me.

[ghostdancer1]

getting a bit sick of camping festivals anyway, and I'm only 30. been doing them for 14 years now, 3 or 4 for each of the last 10 years.

next year I think Glastonbury, and then Electric Picnic in September will be my only 2 camping ones.

 

thinking about doing a couple of city ones like Primavera or Dekmantel too.

if I don't get G tickets, I'll probably do either a camping festival here in Ireland the week before (Body & Soul), or go to Sonar in Barcelona for a combined holiday/festival.

Edited August 18, 2015 by ghostdancer1

[Homer]

getting a bit sick of camping festivals anyway, and I'm only 30. been doing them for 14 years now, 3 or 4 for each of the last 10 years.

next year I think Glastonbury, and then Electric Picnic in September will be my only 2 camping ones.

 

thinking about doing a couple of city ones like Primavera or Dekmantel too.

if I don't get G tickets, I'll probably do either a camping festival here in Ireland the week before (Body & Soul), or go to Sonar in Barcelona for a combined holiday/festival.

 

I'd certainly recommend doing a European one but not camping. I did three Portuguese ones in a row up until 2013 (diff fest each time) and they were really cheap.

[ivan]

This. Staggers me how people manage 4 and up.

For me I like to do Glastonbury and one little one if poss. Sometimes just Glastonbury. That seems about right for me.

Doing V Stafford  - then Leeds then -  Off The Tracks over 3 weekends can break ya !

 

In fact it probably has as I no longer do any of them

[Homer]

I've now got a run of: off to stay with friends in Glastonbury this weekend; Notting Hill Carnival next; Arcadia in Bristol the one after; then Bestival the one after that.

 

Something's got to give and I reckon I'll be selling my Arcadia ticket soon. At least I fly out to Sardinia for a week the day after I get back from Bestival!

Edited August 18, 2015 by Homer

[Gnomicide]

GET A GRIP! THE LOT OF YA!

[fatyeti24]

This year for the first time I did more than just Glastonbury, i went to Larmer Tree too. I'm not much of a festivaler really.

If I get to do Glasto and ibiza, it's been a good summer.

And I've just got back from Beefa.

Edited August 18, 2015 by fatyeti24

[Bisque]

I did 6 festivals one year (BBL, Glasto, Soni, GG, Reading, Bestival+a few day fests) & I was fine doing that back then. It scares me to think how much money I spent that summer.

[robu]

I'm at the other end of the tunnel from you

 

I did a lot of festivals, including Glastonbury, in the 80s and 90s, then stopped in about '95, when work got serious and I travelled a lot for work and pleasure. First kid followed in 2000, second kid 2001.

 

Then in 2007, feeling very out of touch with contemporary music and festivals etc, I dipped my toe back in the water and went to Latitude. After a very lost weekend, I wondered why I'd left it so long and got right back in the swing. I now do 2-3 festivals a year, one big one (usually Glastonbury) and a couple of tiny (5,000 people tops), usually with the kids, who are now teenagers and dragging me and my wife to see and do things that I probably would no longer experience as a 50+ bloke on his own.

 

And you know what? It's even better the second time round.

Edited August 18, 2015 by robu

[little_jim]

At one point I was hitting two/three a year. V-Fest, Reading and Glastonbury. Cost and the change in the festivals themselves are the bigger reasons to cutting down to just Glastonbury.

 

V Festival has pretty much become a big "Essex" weekend away with a very TOWIE crowd and the music to match. I started to bump into to many unsavoury people from my youth that would never of been seen dead at a gig let a lone a festival before it was hip and i was some kind of weirdo for going to said events. 

 

I stopped going reading when i started to realise the crowd were getting younger and younger (I refuse to accept that I'm getting older lol). Nah again the change in demographics, a younger crowd etc just me getting old and miserable really lol.

 

Had fun and the others but hey things change to keep up with the times.