Hi, I haven’t posted here before and came across a link to this thread as I’ve been sporadically checking Twitter since Saturday morning seeing what others had to say about the Park/Arcadia situation on Friday night the group I was with found ourselves in.
A bit of personal experience/context to the festival. I first went 19 years ago when I was 17 and think I’ve only missed 2 festivals since. Those first couple of years completely blew my mind and inspired my mother to start going herself. The farm became such an important place for our family (like many many of you I’m sure!) that when my mother tragically discovered she really didn’t have very long left in this realm, chose the ever expanding wooded area above the sacred space as the place she wanted her ashes spread. We planted a tree in the same spot and it’s such a special treat to visit it/her with our nearest and dearest each festival. Everyone involved with Worthy Farm were amazing in making this happen.
Over the years as the festival and particularly what’s on offer late at night has expanded you tend to get a pretty good idea where will busy at any one time and where the throngs will be moving. Those throngs are usually going in the same direction and although slow and cramped at times, it’s expected and easily avoided should you choose. This year was something different though. We were on-site up near the ribbon tower having some drinks by late Wednesday morning. There was already loads of people up there, far more than you’d usually see only a few hours after gates had opened. I’ve got a habit of looking at other peoples wristbands and noticed then and throughout the weekend a huge amount of crew wristbands. I’m not sure on the official stats for number of people there who weren’t general admission but am convinced the number is way more then usual and the reason why there were just so many people this year (my own theory anyway).
As many others have said poor scheduling and poor choice of stages for some acts were major reasons why fields had to closed and general crowding, but almost everywhere was rammed at all times apart from the obvious quieter parts.
The festivals statement in reaction to questions about crushes really isn’t satisfactory either. Yes it’s been a while since we’ve all been at a huge event and you expect huge throngs around the Pyramid or SE corner etc. but what I experienced on Friday night was total mismanagement. There was 4 of us who’d just seen Four Tet (unreal) and there was a decent number there but by no means heaving. Knowing how certain areas can get when it is heaving we probably wouldn’t have headed down the hill towards Arcadia but it didn’t seem too hectic. Once near the entrance at the bottom of the Park before we knew it we simply weren’t moving anywhere, nobody was. People trying to move in 5 directions and nobody going anywhere. After 10 mins of this I managed to spot a pocket of space behind a metal fence on the perimeter path running up towards the top of the Park and somehow somehow managed to squeeze us out. We waited there trying to be calm and catch our breath and honestly pretend to ourselves that didn’t just happen, but I know from how tightly my friend was holding my arm trying to get out how scared she was. They are so so lucky there wasn’t a huge panic and really it was the relative calmness and patience of everyone there that stopped that becoming a serious situation. That’s why that official statement irks, there was no organised security or system and the ones I did eventually see looked like rabbits in headlights.
big crowds, bottlenecks have always seemed just about in order and monitored in years gone by but something went really wrong here and by the sounds of it elsewhere.
Sorry for the long rambling rant but given my own personal affection to the festival and farm I can’t bare the idea that a tragedy happens in the future. It’s like going home each time and it truly is the most special ridiculous fun life-affirming place on earth, but they really really need to address the failings this year.
