gooner1990

When did glamping first appear? I know at Reading it first appeared in 2006 Worthy View was 2013 IIRC I do wonder if all the glamping/pre-errected options are why now some of the Western parts of the site are now so sparce throughout the weekend.

I think I first saw them in 2003, before that everyone sat on the grass or a mat if it was a bit muddy! Yes, BDs was ridiculous last year...we were stood near a couple for The Levellers who refused to put theirs away, only until some poor bloke was coming back from the bar with a few pints in his hand and went straight through the middle of them and onto the floor (it was dark and he didn't see the chairs)

I think people in general now want as many creature comforts from home at festivals, I'm now 40 and I take an inflatable mattress, pillow and a camping chair (which stays at the campsite) with me...things that I didn't take when I was in my mid 20s and when I started doing festivals in my late teens, didn't exist. I think a lot people go to festivals for different reasons now, it used to be as you say to disconnect from the outside world and go back to basics and not hear about anything for a while. Sadly, the world has changed and people want to have the experience of getting high on booze and drugs, watch some bands whilst also living in relative comfort at their chosen camping spot, whilst also being chained to their phones for the most part.

I think (and I may be wrong here) this is where the fact that people who previously might have given up festivals now keep going to them because of the options now available to them. Up until the 2000s it was 'couldn't do standard camping or standing up for five days anymore so then stopped coming to the festival' now instead of that its 'camp in worthy view and bring a big camping chair for the main stages' Possibly seated areas would work...but people would then moan about where they are or then probably put chairs down if those areas are full. I've lost count the amount of times I've gone near to the front for acts and people just don't seem to read the room (field) and keep chairs out even though its plainly obvious that they are causing an obstruction...also trying to get back from the bar or toilet in a dense crowd only to have your path blocked by 7-8 people who all have chairs out, are stood in front of them with a blanket is just plain knobbery. If you're going to watch the band and stand up then put the fucking thing away.

The problem you would then have is that if you want to stand in the back portion of one of the bigger fields is that it will be completely rammed with chairs. I honestly think they should ban them from the main fields or at least have signs on the screens to say 'please fold away chairs during performances' Was even worse when I went to Beautiful Days last year.

Not one of mine, but a friend of mine said a couple of years ago 'they should get rid of all the glamping options, if you can't hack slumming it anymore then you should give up going' (this was after a number of our other friends booked WV/Sticklinch/Tipi for the 2020 festival that never was)

Not the same I know but I live about 5 miles from where Truck Festival is held which has about 20,000 punters plus then crew, artists etc....I've missed it a couple of times over the years and you wouldn't even know its on it affects us so little, the only thing you notice is the pubs in our town being a fair bit quieter as most locals go to the festival!

I don't think they are controversial! 😄

Camping Chairs and picnic blankets should be banned in front of the main stages.

A mate of mine (who used to do a lot of festivals) bought a ticket for Reading on autopilot one year because he 'always went' and then realised he didn't like much of the line up. Not one to turn down five days at a festival getting mashed, he sat in our campsite for the entire weekend apart from getting convinced to come into the arena on the Saturday evening, he saw 15 mins of Beck and then decided that he preferred sitting in the campsite talking rubbish to randoms and taking drugs and left the arena. 20 years later (and now a very sensible man with a wife and children) he still claims that it was one of the best festivals he ever did 😄

Its got too big (site size and capacity)

How far back do you have to go for it to just be camping fields? Lost Vagueness was already going when I started in 2004

Yes, I worked in 2019 so was going in post 3am most nights so not sure what it was like at the normal post-headliner rush but like you say it stopped the bottle neck/queue so every cloud and all that. 🙂

2011

I think they've got this wrong, its a MASSIVE set up and to have the field 2/3rds empty most of the time is a bit of an own goal.

At 8pm when that was taken I was enjoying Rob Rinseout dnb at Spaceport, had a bit of a wander elsewhere....then dived into the Temple gone 1am for the end of something and then Miss Pink till 3am.

We went in there about 1am or so and there was no queue whatsoever and were stood on the right hand side, roughly where that really big guy in the salmon/pink t-shirt is stood.

Oh a slightly related note, The Temple is open on the Thursday too albeit only until 3am so if you're on one and fancy it without the big crowds but not going on so late then give it a go then. (We did in 2019)

The Blues bit is alright when they pump out the dnb in the early evening, not sure if that was there in 2019 as I worked the festival and didn't go down to that bit.

I actually found getting in the SEC corner at 3am ish a doddle in 2019....not sure if the lack of big names on IICON was an influence but didn't seem as manic as before. 2017 we went in at a similar time on the Saturday night and spent a good 30 mins waiting at the barriers to get in which was a total buzz kill.

Whole area feels like Global Gathering.

I've never heard of people being asked to provide their payment card, as long as you have a drivers licence/passport/ID card you'll be fine.

any idea what that is?

When you say into Emily Eavis I don't get what you exactly mean? What was the context of him going to meet her? Can you help explain to someone that's not YouTube generation!

From what I recall the last time Joe Bananas was there was in 2010....for whatever reason I think they ceased to exist after that (I know they used to be at other festivals and were nowhere to be seen after that year either)