How can Glasto be improved in 2010?

[NeilVJ]

I'd remove the flag shop from the site. This would reduce the number of flags that were around. A few are fine but there were too many at the weekend.

As said, ban chairs from all main stages after 3pm

Have more things on on the Monday to encourage people to stay and maybe ease the traffic

Avoid the mad scheduling which forces people who like certain types of music to walk from stage to stage

Force Tom Jones to come back again for another Sunday singalong

[chuckley]

sorry but why cant u post vids on youtube???????? surely u own the copyright as u recorded it? they didnt say u couldnt record so whats the problem?

[Storm_NL]

My main issues this year were mainly down to the number and behaviour of the people at the festival.

Firstly;

10,000 extra people this year.

This may not sound like a large number, and it doesn't make much of an impression in the major performance areas. However, "town" was mobbed this year. The walkways between different areas, were also to busy too do anything other than a slow shuffle.

Secondly;

I saw the usual amount of agro around an about, but that's to be expected. There will always be a proportion of aresholes who come to Glastonbury.

However... what I really noticed this year was the random of acts of violence and disprespect caused by teenagers and kids. There appear to be large gangs or groups of them who just have no idea what Glasto is about, and spend their time ruining stuff. Breaking signs, kicking over, or setting fire to bins, pulling down fences, etc.

Also, small children with seemingly no parental guidance. Maybe it's time to get rid of the free tickets for children. Kids seem to be running around destroying stuff with impunity. I also don't think people should be pushing kids around in pushchairs at 2am in the morning either, but that's a whole different set of arguments... Meh.

[Langdale Wolf]

Make sure my mate brings his tent to next years festival so i dont have to sleep with him for 5 nights.

[Langdale Wolf]

Why am I a prick for suggesting that if you want to ban one thing, I can find reasons for banning a whole host of things? Im finding it rather tedious on the boards tonight about people wanting to introduce rules for this, rules for that, rules for a load of stuff that doesn't need rules.

Glastonbury doesn't need a great long list of rules or a host of can and can't dos - it just needs people to be tolerant and friendly and accept they aint going to get everything their own way. Just accept that at times there are going to be 10's of 1000's of people all moving from one place to another at the same time - you aint going anywhere fast. Instead of trying to, chat to that person next to you - cos they aint going anywhere fast either. Ban chairs? It's no harder walking round a chair than it is walking round me if Im sat on the floor. Ban flags? Even without them, I still obscure the view of anyone smaller stood behind me. Sitting down and waving a flag are as important to some people as not sitting down and not waving a flag is to me - and why should I dictate someone else's experience just to make mine better?

It's a town of 175,000 people - some of them will be tw*ts. Ignore them, spend time with the 99.9% that aren't. Ive had a superb 5 days - my first Glasto in 15 years. It has changed beyond recognition - and all for the good, Glasto could be a scary place in the early 90s. It is, by a country mile, the friendliest festival Ive ever been to. Ive met only really lovely people (maybe I was lucky) of all ages and from across all walks of life and social backgrounds - teenagers, older people (even than me!), posh people, not so posh people, rich people, poor people, families with kids and on and on and on. There is room for all of us at Glastonbury. Instead of this silly talk of banning this and banning that, let's just accept not everyone wants the same as ourselves, that what i find enjoyable, other's find tedious (and vice versa)and tolerate it. Embrace it even and try and understand that it's only inconveniencing if you think what you want is more important than what someone else wants.

Is that ok?

[dirk4danger]

They should build a few modern tower hotels.

Maybe only something like 20,000 rooms so people who want to pay for more comfort can do.

[Cockney_Jesus]

I wish they were better with the bag checks.

My bottle of baileys got confiscated yet the people next to me at Spinal Tap were snorting coke and drinking a bottle of wine!

And flags and chairs too!

[Storm_NL]

I wish they were better with the bag checks.

My bottle of baileys got confiscated yet the people next to me at Spinal Tap were snorting coke and drinking a bottle of wine!

[FrayBentos]

1. Either increase camping space, reduce available tickets or create some system where stewards stop people from taking up too much space - if you arrive on wednesday evening with a big group, you shouldn't have to camp in far extreme corner of the site

2. More toliets, some toilets were so busy and you had to wait for ages, no wonder some people give up and piss in hedges

3. Keep the original timetable that you get with programme at beginning, you shouldn't have to get the newspaper every day, if i have paid alot of money to go to a event, i don't want to miss bands i have eagerly anticipated because they came on 25 mins early

4. Organise the travel routes into the festival better, i know where there can be accidents that slow down, but these should be really expected and taken into consideration, maybe there is nothing that can be done but my journey into the site was terrible, waited about 12 hours in traffic jams to get into site.

Edited June 30, 2009 by FrayBentos

[Storm_NL]

1. Either increase camping space, reduce available tickets or create some system where stewards stop people from taking up too much space - if you arrive on wednesday evening with a big group, you shouldn't have to camp in far extreme corner of the site

2. More toliets, some toilets were so busy and you had to wait for ages, no wonder some people give up and piss in hedges

3. Keep the original timetable that you get with programme at beginning, you shouldn't have to get the newspaper every day, if i have paid alot of money to go to a event, i don't want to miss bands i have eagerly anticipated because they came on 25 mins early

4. Organise the travel routes into the festival better, i know where there can be accidents that slow down, but these should be really expected and taken into consideration, maybe there is nothing that can be done but my journey into the site was terrible, waited about 12 hours in traffic jams to get into site.

Edited June 30, 2009 by Storm_NL

[scappaflow]

I think the most sensible one is more water taps.

Certainly when you have woken up at 8.30 dripping of sweat and hung over, it is a real health issue not to get some water down you.

I mean there are people brushing their teeth at the taps for the full two minutes etc and washing their hair.

Queues are massive!!

As for most of the other suggestions... scheduling, flags, rubbish, people with chairs at stages etc... that's just all Glastonbury and Festivals.

I thought the toilets were as good as I've seen at a Festival, the food was immense, as was the fact you could buy more than one brand of alcohol.

Also loved the music fans that were there, which was a big contrast to other festivals. I went down to see Franz on sat night and there were just loads of indie kids there for them... Franz are prob my fave band and it was really special for me to see such a great crowd for them.

[abu hamster]

1 Widen thebottle necks between themain and other stage.

2 A little bit of thought about the line up times putting bands of the same genreon at the same time doesnt help.

3 Campervan fields (wont be there next year) but those who arive first should be in the areas near the gate not in overflow!

4 Another Brothers bar on site.

5 Rationalise the site. The peel stage is too far out

6 Ban fires in the fields near stages after the music has finished.

7 line the fields with skips that could be removed in the dark hours and encorage people to use them on the screens.

8 Crowdsurfers Kick them off site

9 No more secret gigs just fecking tell us!

Otherwise had a great time!

[FrayBentos]

What????

Do you know how much organisation and time and resources it would take to sort that first point on your list??? At the end of the day, it's you who wants to camp in a nice circle with lots of tents... well, so do other people too. The way it works at the moment, is the only practical way to do it.

If you can't camp where you want to camp... then camp somewhere else. You might like it.

We did this year, and we did. Sure.. we were initially p!ssed off, but actually, turned out really well.

2. More Toilets??????? Seriously???

There are PLENTY toilets. The queues are MINIMAL. You can take a 5 minute walk and go to the NEXT toilets along. Don't be so lazy. There is NO excuse for pissing in the hedges. YOU ARE NOT FIVE YEARS OLD.

3. Wow... so a band pulls out, or there are unforseen events, then you just DITCH a band in order to conform to the original timetable that was printed out two weeks earlier?

Not realistic.

4. Have you looked at a map?

I can't help but think you put all these points here just to make people rant at you.

These can't be serious suggestions.

Edited June 30, 2009 by FrayBentos

[pie_and_a_pint]

Must add a +1 for the soundclash situation - the Glade is lovely and wonderful, but NOT when you can hear it over the sound of an act on the Other Stage (and IMO the sound on the Other Stage was louder and better than the last few years, but you could still hear the Glade...).

[FrayBentos]

I think the most sensible one is more water taps.

Certainly when you have woken up at 8.30 dripping of sweat and hung over, it is a real health issue not to get some water down you.

I mean there are people brushing their teeth at the taps for the full two minutes etc and washing their hair.

[Storm_NL]

I was just trying to offer a few points based on my experiences, yeah there might be flaws in what i said but i don't think it warranted your reply

1. How would it take extra organisation to reduce the amount of tickets or increase size of camping area? As for the other point, yes it probably is impossible but i just thought i would mention it.

2. YES IM NOT FIVE YEARS OLD but i never said i pissed in the hedges. In the area i was camping, at times every set of toilets in a 15 min radius was really busy, if you have weak bowells this isnt very easy.

3. your point is a bit daft, if a band pulled out you can still stick to timetable, just put another band in with same time slot

4. I realise 4th point is impossible, just me letting out some steam for what was a awfull experience

I didn't write these points to make rant people at me (the points are probably just a little badly informed compared to people who know more about large event organisation), in fact you probably made your reply so i would rant back at you

[Brunty9]

definately leaving the festival. It took us over 4 hours to leave the feild we were in and some more than that. Very hostile atmophere as well with lots of people driving straight to the front of the queue and forcing their way in!!

[emmmmma]

More helpful stewards. I found a couple who knew what I needed to but most I have to say were pretty useless. For example asking how to get to Dairy Ground and being shrugged at?! Also when leaving on Monday morning there were a group of people queuing in their cars in East 5 for about two hours because we all thought it was the way out, only for some (amazing) festival goer to point out there was an alternative route. I am literally amazed that no stewards came to point this out to us. Every single one that I saw on my way out was sitting on their arse doing nothing. People might be able to get out of the festival more quickly if they were being more proactive. I understand that they are probably volunteers blablabla, but there is little point volunteering for a job if you aren't going to put effort in. Plus I also realise that lots and lots of stewards were really helpful, it was mostly on the way out that they weren't.

[FrayBentos]

1. You were talking about stewards basically project-managing the campsites... Increasing the camping area would probably mean acquiring more land.

2. I find this really difficult to believe... Of all the toilets I walked past for the duration of the festival, I never saw a set that was really busy every single time. There are plenty of toilets, and even if you do have to queue, it's only ever for a few minutes. It's not like queueing for a shower in the Greenpeace field...

3. Put another band in? Without telling anyone? But that was your point, wasn't it?

4. ok.....!

It's a ranty kind of day, I'm afraid... :angry:

What normally happens here, is that people post stuff post-festival, then the post-festival blues kick in, then people get very upset and annoyed, arguments happen, and then people end up leaving boards for a few months. It's kind of a tradition..

[marktea]

Better line up, I thought this one was a bit dire to be honest. Let's get some good bands who are around their peak or coming up to it.

[Storm_NL]

1. Reduce tickets then

2. Well they were the toilets you saw, maybe were i was camping had worse facilities

3. You were the one that mentioned a band pulling out, not me

[freddyt234]

More Taps

Fix the sound on all stages

More portaloos instead of long drops??

Less difficult clashes - sunday night was painful

More Tacos stands (I only found the one and ended up buying like 20 from the same place)

Oust for the hot mud?

[FrayBentos]

1. Well, I didn't realise this was a multi-choice answer.. Reduce tickets it is.

2. Where on earth were you camped??

3. But there are many other reasons that would require a change in the schedule... Can you not see that sticking to exactly the same timetable is unworkable? In this case, you may have been disappointed for whatever reason, but it's the best solution available.

[Storm_NL]

2. I was camped in the far South West corner of the site, don't know what campsite was called but it was next to the South Park Campsite, the queues in our campsite were always atleast 30 people long and the gueuse for the water taps just as bad, nearby toliets were usually not as bad but nearly

3. I understand that timetables might need to be changed but not for bands to be pushed forward, maybe there are reasons but i can't think of one at moment

[FrayBentos]

2. Dairy Ground. Well, hello there neighbour! :angry:

I never queued for the toilet. There were often queues.. yes... but people have a habit of joining queues without knowing what they are queueing for. I always checked the long drops first to see if there were vacancies. I never had to queue. As for water, just take a decent sized water carrier. I filled mine up on Wednesday and Saturday. Only two short trips to the taps.

3. There were a lot of power failures and problems with equipment this year. There are also other unforseen events like bands turning up late, or being pretentious, and not being able to play at a certain time. Equipment not turning up, weather issues, stage issues, etc

Edited June 30, 2009 by FrayBentos