Your (potentially) Contraversial Changes to Glasto

[rpfranks]

5 minutes ago, Glasto peaches said:

They are not free they are around £85 which includes coach 

Correct but I believe people in Pilton and the immediate area surrounding the festival get free Sunday tickets but pedantry is beside the point. Sunday is busier than any other day in the main areas, so something needs to be done either way... whether that's make areas bigger, make the paths bigger or fence them off with one way systems like in certain areas. I tend to avoid the main stages on Sunday now where possible because of it.

What doesn't help is people plonking themselves down on chairs and picnic blankets on the main paths. It's a real hazard to people getting crushed in the first place, let alone those sitting down.

[Bonaneas]

22 minutes ago, Penrhos said:

What about going back to its "contemporary arts" background - bin off most of the dance tents and have bands playing in the venues instead.

Would have the added advantage of discouraging some of the "pill-heads" - There's plenty of other EDM festivals they can go to instead.

Also reduce the number of bands playing on the main stages and give them longer sets, especially further up the bill - sometimes less is more!

 

This! I'm into all sorts of music, mostly rock / indie / alternative, and do like dance, was a raver in the old days, and go to odd one now, but Jesus it was driving me mad by Friday, the constant boom boom shite coming from every little bar and tent, the bleed from one onto the next. And that's during the day. 

Didn't help at night either camping in healing field where we could hear glade, Arcadia, Stonebridge, the circle and others all at once. Will take me years to listen to dance ever again it was that excruciating! Why can't there be bars and small tents with a bit of guitar music? Surely there's not that much demand for EDM ?!? 

[frostypaw]

4 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Glastonbury don't need any acts to sell tickets because people trust the lineup will be amazing. So what happens when they scale back on the acts? Do people continue to book no questions asked? 

I think you're presuming too much about the festival's population. The lineup WILL be amazing - but there's no need for that to be all down to the top acts. It's the spread throughout that makes it so good, and all the other options and choices besides just the music. There are a lot of people who want to go for other reasons, nowadays they have to ruthlessly compete with people just going so they can be in a free-for-all all-night pillfest in the SE corner, or just to be seen at a couple of huge headliners with their flag on tv etc.

So yes, there are an utter buttload of people who'd still continue to book no questions asked. So far the only thing that's really slowed sales down is a lot of mud.

[Purple aki squat]

Eavis should flog his tickets in October and then say fuck all until the gates open. No line up announcements until it starts.

That would be sound I reckon.

[dj matt james]

Definitely reduce the overall amount of tickets sold. There were quite a few occasions where we were stuck not moving for 5/10 minutes , shuffling a bit and then doing it again in areas. I appreciate that this was by the main stages at certain times but saw quite a few occurrences of people in bad cases of anxiety and panic. A few of these were on the railway track trying to avoid the other stage. There will always be bottlenecks but we did feel that the festival as a whole was busier this year.

Loads of things were improved though - think a great festival was had by many.

PS - on a security side of things - my wristband was checked so many times it came off in the hand of security on saturday morning. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

2 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

I think you're presuming too much about the festival's population. The lineup WILL be amazing - but there's no need for that to be all down to the top acts. It's the spread throughout that makes it so good, and all the other options and choices besides just the music. There are a lot of people who want to go for other reasons, nowadays they have to ruthlessly compete with people just going so they can be in a free-for-all all-night pillfest in the SE corner, or just to be seen at a couple of huge headliners with their flag on tv etc.

So yes, there are an utter buttload of people who'd still continue to book no questions asked. So far the only thing that's really slowed sales down is a lot of mud.

But you can't just rely on existing people who like it with or without big acts, eventually they'll get old/get bored/die. Glastonbury works because they can pay acts 10% of what other festivals pay, the reason they can do this is the acts either want to play Glastonbury or know the TV coverage will make up for the lower fee. New people then want to go and it remains constantly oversubscribed repeat ad nauseam. I'm not saying Glastonbury couldn't work if you reduced numbers and big acts, but if the acts stop accepting the lower fees/and or punters no longer buy tickets without seeing a lineup then the festival will change completely from what it is now.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

It would be interesting to see the correlation between the posters who went and now want ticket numbers reduced and the amount of posts after ticket day about it being unfair because they didn't get tickets 

[frostypaw]

13 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

But you can't just rely on existing people who like it

Nobody is. You realise you're arguing the equivalent of someone who thinks the gas pedal in their car ONLY works when pressed to the metal?
There are points inbetween - you know that right? It's not WORLD MEGASTARS or Hobo Jones, there are other acts that people want to see and lots of other bands that deserve to headline. It's not all about the biggest bands in the world - that's obvious isn't it?

[rpfranks]

1 minute ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

It would be interesting to see the correlation between the posters who went and now want ticket numbers reduced and the amount of posts after ticket day about it being unfair because they didn't get tickets 

I've been lucky enough for 5 in a row without real struggle, would be absolutely gutted to miss out at any given time but I also know how incredibly annoyed I get and how dangerous it is to be stuck in these crushes... so is it for the best if numbers were lowered a bit ?

not that they will be, but you know.

[Bonaneas]

5 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

It would be interesting to see the correlation between the posters who went and now want ticket numbers reduced and the amount of posts after ticket day about it being unfair because they didn't get tickets 

Ha yeah. I wouldn't say reduce numbers just more thought into foot traffic would help. One way system in and out of Arcadia for example, or widening the exits out of pyramid and at bottle necks would help even if losing a stall or hedge row. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

12 minutes ago, rpfranks said:

I've been lucky enough for 5 in a row without real struggle, would be absolutely gutted to miss out at any given time but I also know how incredibly annoyed I get and how dangerous it is to be stuck in these crushes... so is it for the best if numbers were lowered a bit ?

not that they will be, but you know.

Its just funny how people want numbers reduced to essentially improve things for themselves, they don't like all the people, the crushes the busy stages etc, yet they join the clamour for tickets every October like everyone else and would be gutted if they missed out. It's a bit like being in a traffic jam and moaning about traffic.

[coco23]

When I was very drunk on half a litre of vodka on Saturday I was telling everyone I came across that I was going to start a petition to have as many she she-wee facilities as there were urinals. Seriously, Glasto need to up their game. Toilet queues were ridiculous in the mornings and after big acts.

My friend actually saw a girl using the urinals. Pretty ballsy but tbh I don't blame her!

[CaledonianGonzo]

3 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Its just funny how people want numbers reduced to essentially improve things for themselves, they don't like all the people, the crushes the busy stages etc, yet they join the clamour for tickets every October like everyone else and would be gutted if they missed out. It's a bit like being in a traffic jam and moaning about traffic.

Yup. People arguing that the festival should alter a phenomenally successful business model - for who knows what expense and to what outcome - because they were personally inconvenienced for a few minutes.

[rpfranks]

1 minute ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Its just funny how people want numbers reduced to essentially improve things for themselves, they don't like all the people, the crushes the busy stages etc, yet they join the clamour for tickets every October like everyone else and would be gutted if they missed out. It's a bit like being in a traffic jam and moaning about traffic.

Short of reducing numbers it just needs a proper traffic flow system in certain places, some areas are not managed well enough - if at all - and it's particularly difficult for those with small children, anxiety etc.

No security to be seen in some areas like that

[rpfranks]

1 minute ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Yup. People arguing that the festival should alter a phenomenally successful business model - for who knows what expense and to what outcome - because they were personally inconvenienced for a few minutes.

I think that comment is just as ignorant as the opinion you are portraying others to have. You obviously don't know what issues people may have in situations like that, let alone whether any children are right in the middle. God forbid you ever get stuck in a crush and have a panic attack.

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, rpfranks said:

I think that comment is just as ignorant as the opinion you are portraying others to have. You obviously don't know what issues people may have in situations like that, let alone whether any children are right in the middle. God forbid you ever get stuck in a crush and have a panic attack.

How the fuck do you know what issues I do or don't have to deal with?

[rpfranks]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

How the fuck do you know what issues I do or don't have to deal with?

The same way you flippantly assume it's just an inconvenience for a few minutes. It's not to more people than you think.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just now, rpfranks said:

The same way you flippantly assume it's just an inconvenience for a few minutes. It's not to more people than you think.

So it was a figure of speech.  Forgive me for generalising.

[rpfranks]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

So it was a figure of speech.  Forgive me for generalising.

Fine, but areas of the site are becoming particularly dangerous and not exactly just 'inconvenient'.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

3 minutes ago, rpfranks said:

I think that comment is just as ignorant as the opinion you are portraying others to have. You obviously don't know what issues people may have in situations like that, let alone whether any children are right in the middle. God forbid you ever get stuck in a crush and have a panic attack.

That happens at all big events and festivals though. At Stone Roses the other week the crush to get out was ridiculous and dangerous, I went to a festival back and May and people were being held back in a pen and pushing against the security until the gates fell over, it's not an issue unique to Glastonbury.

[rpfranks]

Just now, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

That happens at all big events and festivals though. At Stone Roses the other week the crush to get out was ridiculous and dangerous, I went to a festival back and May and people were being held back in a pen and pushing against the security until the gates fell over, it's not an issue unique to Glastonbury.

Of course it is, I've been stuck in them everywhere I go, but the point here is more that Glastonbury tries to prevent them in some areas i.e. SE corner entrance but then they don't in others that have been problematic for years. So if they have noticed some areas are like that then it should really be their responsibility to do the same elsewhere. That's all.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just now, rpfranks said:

Fine, but areas of the site are becoming particularly dangerous and not exactly just 'inconvenient'.

Personally I've never been in anything as potentially dangerous at Glastonbury as a crowd collapse at Oasis over 20 years ago.  The only show I've not seen due to the crowds was Portishead doing a secret set I'm the Acoustic Tent the same year.  Huge concentrations and disparities of people aren't a novelty.

I'm not saying the festival does nothing to address where there are issues, but that needs to be met both ways by people susceptible to the sort of issues that could possibly be experienced applying a bit of common sense and not, say, wheeling prams into headliner crowds.

[rpfranks]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

I'm not saying the festival does nothing to address where there are issues, but that needs to be met both ways by people susceptible to the sort of issues that could possibly be experienced applying a bit of common sense and not, say, wheeling prams into headliner crowds.

This is fact, a couple of pages back I was highlighting the fact that people sitting down outside heaving tents and on main paths are part of the problem too and that's a huge part of what I mean needs to be addressed really. There should be more public awareness that this is not OK and to use your common sense when sitting down...unfortunately a lot of people don't have this and crowds are often held up due to a row of chair w*nkers sitting on a path.

after the Killers, literally outside the tent where its pegged down, everyone was trying to get out and I actually saw a woman turn her chair sideways so that people would not keep stepping over her picnic blanket, blocking even more people in just so she didn't have to get up.

[Badlands]

The pinch points and stand stills on the edges of big stages have been happening for years and are fairly easy to avoid with some preparation and organisation.

[CaledonianGonzo]

26 minutes ago, rpfranks said:

This is fact, a couple of pages back I was highlighting the fact that people sitting down outside heaving tents and on main paths are part of the problem too and that's a huge part of what I mean needs to be addressed really. There should be more public awareness that this is not OK and to use your common sense when sitting down...unfortunately a lot of people don't have this and crowds are often held up due to a row of chair w*nkers sitting on a path.

I don't think anyone would disagree that people could often be a lot more considerate and look out for everyone else a bit better.