Benj

As someone who lives in America, I’d say Oasis are bigger. neither would be filling stadiums nationwide any time soon

The introducing ones have always been bands otherwise on the lineup I believe. Can’t remember one who’s not been anyway

It’s a fair point... no need to be a ‘global’ star. UK is good enough, otherwise Biffy would’ve never been in with a shout. Post Malone and Stormzy fit the bill this year, Liam Gallagher at least is a household name. The b-list headliners are all as reflected by their time slots. Sub headliners at best these days (Biffy may still just about get away with topping the bill)

Has the BBCC novelty hype not died yet?

I'm not sure many on here were saying that you should have to be vax'd to enter Reading. Testing is probably a better way to ensure minimal COVID spread anyway although I agree re the LFTs not being the best way to do this. Its what we have though and with current risk levels, unless we're going to be going for a zero COVID country (its a little late now), I think the many reasons for the festival to go ahead outweighs those for it not to.

They’ve made no effort to protect people fully. Having a festival now is far more ‘safe’/ sensible than planning to open for Xmas last year or sending the kids back in March ever was. Those decisions made zero sense, this one now does, esp in the context of what went before. If we are to apply the same level of lockdown now, eventually bought in at Xmas last year, we should have been locking down for the flu each winter for the last 20 years+. it’s not double standards as the situation is very different now

Its obviously an economic decision, the economy needs to turn though and no great number of people are dying unecessarilly. The current COVID deaths/ day are roughly now the annual equivalent of Flu in 2019 (despite this being a COVID surge, (Flu surge takes far more per day). The vaccines are protecting the at risk, cases will occur but we can't stay shut down, unless we're now basically gonna lockdown every winter for all the communicable diseases that take thousands every year that we've lived with for decades

Are you advocating a full lockdown of everything? What should be allowed and not be allowed in the UK at the moment? If you’re sitting in a position where by we should be going for zero Covid that’s fair enough but not really a convo for this thread. As the situation stands in the UK it seems highly unlikely that Reading/ Leeds will be a huge contributor to increasing rates and therefore there is no reason for them not to go ahead under the current restrictions.

Aye, its deffo way more than 20. Anecdotally I know a friend of my neice caught it there (based in Sussex), it needs to be more than 400 to be above the expectation, significantly more to suggest a festival is any riskier than going the pub or similar right now, there is nothing to suggest it has done that at the moment

Defend what, the festival going ahead? Case rates are falling, the death rate is a fraction of previous waves, the vaccine is doing its job. The festival will no doubt lead to spread, a huge amount above the norm though? It doesn’t look like it

I don’t think there has been a thing official released as yet. They reckon 3-400 would be expected as that was the going rate nationwide at the time for the number of people at Lattitude Anything below that and it’s safer to be at a festival with the sage guards they had there than out in the wild!

Where do people think the new 'main stage' will go?? All the below is on the huge assumption, that capacity remains as is/ will increase somewhat and no other stages are lost. Here is the current layout (2019). Assuming no loss of stages its hard to imagine the additional stage could fit in anywhere, so the only real option would be losing the second stage (tent), even then would there be enough room for another outdoor stage there on a scale similar to the current main stage?? Hard to imagine without also losing the dance stage