Can workers set up camp in public fields before Wed?

[lola_bobz]

Nevermind the fence. That's a goddamn gazebo there. How blatant do you want to be?

Someone should email the offices - I know the workers get to see the bands too, but at the end of the day they're there to work. We're the ones who've spent 6 hours online buying tickets, struggled with resales, scraped together cash, queued for six hours to get in, and paid £200 for the privilage!!

[cejx]

Are you serious?

Often people only work as they have tried every single avenue to get a ticket without any joy, and working is their only way to get to enjoy the festival. As a bonus for the festival organisers/charities they get enthusiastic workers who are happy to be there. May also be the only way they can afford to goto the festival.

Workers only get paid for their ticket value, and also have to miss bands they may passionately want to see.

I dont see any problem with workers setting up around site a bit early as a perk. Ok, there are some tents put up, but look at the size of the field, its hardly like the whole field has been taken up?!

As you say you have spent 6 hrs trying to get a ticket, will no doubt have to queue up a fair bit....this is just one little extra 'unfair' thing that is all part of the Glastonbury experience, that you will forget about once you are enjoying yourself in the middle of the festival!

[lola_bobz]

Absolutely fair enough. Workers can set up early. No problems with that. Just in crew camping. NOT in public camping. Simple. Nothing should be intentionally unfair. At the end of the day, workers are there to work - but get decent time off. Maybe they should get rid of crew camping altogether - you can't have it both ways!

[ian the worm]

its always a few that can spoil things for the majority. most workers (~40,000) camp where they should and only a small percentage of them don't. please don't single out all workers as being bad as we're not.

[Journalist and Dad]

Almost everyone I have been talking to on site that are camped in a public field has a ticket - bought with cash money mine for instance bought by my employer. This entitles them to camp wherever they like in public fields and the are not "crew" in any way. Why should they get moved on?

[cejx]

I think this should be the case.... or perhaps crew camping should only be for certain crew, or an applied for space. i.e. when taking on and applying for work, you tick a box that says you want to camp in the workers camp.

From what ive read its a common misconception that all crew get the same treatment... im not sure this is 100% true.

There are so many different types of workers there working for a multitude of different organisations, how do non workers know what perks they can and cannot get?

What an Oxfam worker may be entitled to, may be different to what someone who is employer by the festival may get for example.

Just a thought.

[p.pete]

its always a few that can spoil things for the majority. most workers (~40,000) camp where they should and only a small percentage of them don't. please don't single out all workers as being bad as we're not.

[p.pete]

Almost everyone I have been talking to on site that are camped in a public field has a ticket - bought with cash money mine for instance bought by my employer. This entitles them to camp wherever they like in public fields and the are not "crew" in any way. Why should they get moved on?

[Journalist and Dad]

Public camping / the festival doesn't start until tomorrow morning, great if they have their own ticket - tomorrow morning they should be allowed to bring their tent on site and find a pitch.

[p.pete]

hmm, in theory; but in practice public camping has already started.

[cejx]

Pennards Hill now.

[dondo]

Some intetesting pics here too of tents being set up before the gates open

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/site-snaps-ready-steady

[jmarmer]

Pennard Hill on tue night was covered in tents, however according to the local campsite crew this was at least partly due to paines ground being very wet and churned up by vehicles so crew did not want to set up in there. Row Mead was also busy with the best pitches already gone tue pm along Furlonger. Campsite crew spent the day warning people they had to expect to be moved but security never showed. Bear in mind campsite crew who are all volunteers often set up camp next to their crewbases as they have no allocated camping.

[cejx]

Pennard Hill on tue night was covered in tents, however according to the local campsite crew this was at least partly due to paines ground being very wet and churned up by vehicles so crew did not want to set up in there. Row Mead was also busy with the best pitches already gone tue pm along Furlonger. Campsite crew spent the day warning people they had to expect to be moved but security never showed. Bear in mind campsite crew who are all volunteers often set up camp next to their crewbases as they have no allocated camping.

[NGEddie]

I talked to one of the guys camped on the front row in Row mead (opposite Pyramid stage). He told me that every space along the front of the field was taken before the festival opened.

I can understand why some crew are in the public camping fields, but premium spots like that MUST be available to paying customers. For the price paid it's ridiculous.

Does anyone know how much of family camping was taken up before gates opened?

[pl43]

I talked to one of the guys camped on the front row in Row mead (opposite Pyramid stage). He told me that every space along the front of the field was taken before the festival opened.

I can understand why some crew are in the public camping fields, but premium spots like that MUST be available to paying customers. For the price paid it's ridiculous.

Does anyone know how much of family camping was taken up before gates opened?

[Amii]

Pennard Hill on tue night was covered in tents, however according to the local campsite crew this was at least partly due to paines ground being very wet and churned up by vehicles so crew did not want to set up in there. Row Mead was also busy with the best pitches already gone tue pm along Furlonger. Campsite crew spent the day warning people they had to expect to be moved but security never showed. Bear in mind campsite crew who are all volunteers often set up camp next to their crewbases as they have no allocated camping.

[glasto-worker]

Pennard Hill on tue night was covered in tents, however according to the local campsite crew this was at least partly due to paines ground being very wet and churned up by vehicles so crew did not want to set up in there. Row Mead was also busy with the best pitches already gone tue pm along Furlonger. Campsite crew spent the day warning people they had to expect to be moved but security never showed. Bear in mind campsite crew who are all volunteers often set up camp next to their crewbases as they have no allocated camping.

[EasyUserName]

I just think it is shame is happens (and happened again this year, despite the rhetoric).

The whole process of getting to the festival, until you are settled in, is like a giant lottery. The “joy” of ticket purchase time, the queue in the morning, the “is my gate ever going to open” questions, finding the tent spot – it’s all part of the great lottery game.

It’s just a shame that when you get in, places like the Pyramid Palace exist. It’s not that I am sour about the tent, but rather the method. If they came in through the gate alongside me, I’d say “well done for getting that great spot” – even if they did bring a huge gazebo. I’d be impressed, and speculate as to the amount of planning and effort it took, and how it all ended on one roll of the dice (the gate opening fractionally earlier than others, being in a good spot in the line, so on).

To have it all being down to a kind of “it’s who you know” rather than chance makes me feel a little sad inside.

Maybe it’ll be better next year. As for it being a perk for workers – I’m not sure. Never having worked at the event, I can’t really comment (but will do so anyway!). I vote for the “crew to crew-camping” . If, as some have said, they wish to camp in the main areas, why not have it so that they start at the same starting line, so to speak – and set up after 8am on Wed. I mean, one of the images in this thread has a van next to the tent in Penards! Kind of takes the fun out of thinking “that must have sucked carrying that for 30-45min onto site” thoughts I sometimes get, looking at something that is somewhat impressive but slightly non-functional.

[FunkyDenz]

Maybe it’ll be better next year.

[glasto-worker]

As for it being a perk for workers – I’m not sure. Never having worked at the event, I can’t really comment (but will do so anyway!). I vote for the “crew to crew-camping” . If, as some have said, they wish to camp in the main areas, why not have it so that they start at the same starting line, so to speak – and set up after 8am on Wed. I mean, one of the images in this thread has a van next to the tent in Penards! Kind of takes the fun out of thinking “that must have sucked carrying that for 30-45min onto site” thoughts I sometimes get, looking at something that is somewhat impressive but slightly non-functional.

[whisty]

The people camping on the front of Row Mead don't look anything like staff or workers to me. They're highly organised, self centred & lots of them look like thugs.

[glasto-worker]

The people camping on the front of Row Mead don't look anything like staff or workers to me. They're highly organised, self centred & lots of them look like thugs.