Long walk to late night areas?......

[alix08]

Hey!!

As always, had an amazing time in mud and rain but have to say, I was properly annoyed by the time it took us to get up to Arcadia and the late night areas...It was absolutely exhausting to be honest and really, did it really help as everyone simply walked up the fields instead of up the railway line and it all took about the same time. If I'm honestm, it really put sa downer on stuff for me cod we don't really drink but look forward to this time but now, it seems we have to have a 20min walkm, just like every other festival, to see any music after midnight..... what next?... No Drinks at the stge except those you've spent £4 per drink to buy...

Edited June 28, 2011 by alix08

[LusciousLucy]

The site is 1100 acres big, getting anywhere is going to take time especially a part of the city that is tucked away in the furthest away most south eastern edge.

I dont get the part where you say 'just like every other festival we have to have a 20minute walk to see music after midnight'. Not many festivals I know lay on such fun and games anyway.

The one way system was out in place for safety reasons. It didnt work for everyone (see all the other moaning threads out there) but for those that it did work for, there was no issue and the walk was swift into the areas.

[desperateicon]

After going to melt festival in Germany last year (40 minute walk around a lake from all camping areas to see ANYTHING) the walk to Arcadia etc at Glasto is an utter doddle.

[Bisque]

It was a long walk, but so is everything else, especially in the mud.

Worth it when you get there.

[Indian.Summer]

We decided to go shangri-la and Arcadia on Sat night and discovered the 120 minute wait time to get in there. while we decided what we would do I was adamant that I would not wait so long, but the rest of the guys thought it would be much quicker as the the queue seemed to be moving(rather sliding)briskly along. The queue was very brisk but took us 20 minmutes to get there, we were all exhausted with myself swearing with every step.

I wish i had never gone the trek was very, very muddy and very very long compared to last year, I vowed never to return - even though i did the following night

This new system they have created was a massive nightmare, i nearly fell over where the helpful stewards or security i forget which ridiculed me and said i thought you were doing a dance then, i replied yes nearly - you should try it mate !

Once we actually got in it was like packed, slippy sardines, a living nightmare and my worst glasto experience so far. I was working in shangri-la last year and never was it so packed and dangerous, whoever came up with the stupid plan should be shot on site. Anybody i overhead or chatted to about it all complained about the new route. Sunday night we were in before 10pm so were in via the train track and had a fantastic night ! Please change things back!

Edited June 29, 2011 by Indian.Summer

[alfoir]

I like the one way system, last year we only went down once as it was an absolute nightmare getting in with people entering and exiting via the railway track. This year, I went on the Friday and Sunday nights after the headliners and didn't face much of a queue, just a long walk. Booze and banter should make the walk easier!

[dubtee89]

it was so much busier this year than last year, seemed to have been getting more attention in the build up as well

[ukslim]

If you don't like the walk, you could go to see something that's closer.

My mate and I went straight from Beyonce to Maverick's. Sat straight down on proper chairs, and enjoyed a couple of hours of entertainment.

[austrian_zeppelin]

we went there on saturday night and as we were at the avalon stage entry was quite straight forward, certainly a lot better than the railway track pushing and shoving of previous years. yes its a long walk, but we were having a laugh all along and before we knew it in we where. I watched the orbital set (lush) and then went for a wander. it got more and more packed as the night went on, but i still think the queuing system works.

[Pinhead]

All its done is move the pushing and shoving and dodgy bottlenecks up the site to the entrance to the route. Clearly its busier at some times than others, but I have witnessed it as its worst and most shambolic, and clearly its not longer a solution at that point. If it had been even wetter (God forbid, like 2007 or something), this path would have been barely accessible at all given the churning it would receive.

Nope - they need to look closely at how this area has grown during the year off and apply some simple crowd and event management dynamics here, moving some venues and rearranging others or perhaps timetabling things differently and providing some competition elsewhere on site late at night.

[ukslim]

All its done is move the pushing and shoving and dodgy bottlenecks up the site to the entrance to the route.

[geebus]

Recent years I've been trying to keep myself generally fitter - one of the reasons is that it means I can enjoy doing more of what I like for longer .

So pleased that again I never really felt tired physically, despite the walking and dancing in mud, etc.

As above, seemed to be quicker to get in if anything, just a bit further to walk. Do miss the 'trudge' which along with the signs and pronouncements I thought worked well for the 'atmosphere'.

[scorp]

Hey!!

As always, had an amazing time in mud and rain but have to say, I was properly annoyed by the time it took us to get up to Arcadia and the late night areas...It was absolutely exhausting to be honest and really, did it really help as everyone simply walked up the fields instead of up the railway line and it all took about the same time. If I'm honestm, it really put sa downer on stuff for me cod we don't really drink but look forward to this time but now, it seems we have to have a 20min walkm, just like every other festival, to see any music after midnight..... what next?... No Drinks at the stge except those you've spent £4 per drink to buy...

[hannahlmoore]

We went up there on the Sat night only to be greeted with a 2 hour queue which of course we decided against. Real shame, especially for the Glasto virgins amongst us who never managed to get to see it in all it's glory.

[geebus]

We went up there Sat night to be greeted with a two hour queue, stuck it out and were in within an hour I reckon .

Much quicker on Sunday.

[Bradders]

Well for one I think all the signs and pamphlets pointing out 'THIS IS WHERE YOU GO FOR LATE NIGHT THIINGS' means that almost everyone is going to go there rather than try anything else. And secondly, everyone who wants to be in there is still going to be in there, so it's not gonna change how busy it is, just puts the queue in a different place. Unless the idea is that it makes it so hard to get there people don't boether, which I'm not sure is very fair or (to quote the old favourite) in the 'Glastonbury spirit'.

We just went at after 4 every day but Thursday. Think I'm a bit bored of it now anyway, sure it's impressive but none of the things there are actually that fun and it's no longer surprising.

[J_J_]

Personally, I have mixed feelings about the one way system. I understand why they've done it, but I took issues with a couple of things. For example, on Friday night, a large bunch of people got held near PGC for about half an hour, purely to let security put up a bunch of barriers that I never saw used. It was really rather pointless!

When I came out of there on Friday night/Saturday morning, Shangri La seemed to be about 25 % full? A bunch of people were dancing their little backsides off in the rain, but it was still much quieter than usual. I came out on the old railway track and, when I got to the security barricade, the security staff were still sending people round the long route. It's a shame that the system seems to have no flexibility to it.

[Miss_Boo]

There never was a 2hr queue from what I saw, even though the signs said there would be. We hesitated at the entrance after seeing the "120mins waiting" sign, but carried on and walked the whole way through (that alone took over 30mins).

I'm pretty fit but doing that walk every night actually nearly killed me on the last day. I was physically exhausted by the time I got to Shangri-La. Surely there must be better ways of managing the crowd??

[504329lt]

The one way system is a complete farce and should be scrapped forthwith.

How can it be safer to move people from a wide well drained path (the old railway embankment) to a narrow muddy path. After Avalon finished on Sat night it was impossible to leave the area safely.

We wanted to walk to Gate C from Avalon and had no wish to go to the SE corner yet had to exit along with the thousands walking from the Chemical Brothers to Arcadia etc.

The whole concept of giant screens with waiting times is awful. It gives the impression that the place is a theme park (perhaps apt for Shranglia etc). The whole idea of being told by boneheads where you can walk at Glastonbury is coompletly against the spirit of the festival.

Would someone please let Emily and Michael know?

[Pinhead]

Feels like queuing up for a ride at Alton Towers. Is that really what we want to see at Glasto? I have faith in the festival though - I think it will come up with something better in 2 years time.

[ukslim]

Feels like queuing up for a ride at Alton Towers.

[falter]

I think that a couple of things would help here:

1. Open arcadia on Thursday night - let people see shangri la and arcadia on a thursday, possibly reducing the numbers on fri/sat/sun

2. Have block 9 open and checked for safety issues before 10pm thursday night - causing less of a queue

3. check people in and out of the late night area - we were told through the PA system at about 2am saturday night that they were checking numbers to see if it was safe to let people in (they had stopped the queue going in). If there is only 1 entrance and 1 exit, then surely people can be counted in and out?

I was gutted, I went to shangri la on thursday and found out arcadia wasn't even open, and shangrila was a bog of people falling over and getting stuck in the mud. When we tried to go again on saturday night there was the 2 hour queue, and when we got there (2am) they had stopped letting people in

[geebus]

In the end, there's a hell of a lot of people wanting to stay up, while a very limited amount of space around the site where such things can go on.

I don't see a 'good' solution really.

On a similar note - after having to queue for two hours in 09 for the Trapeze thingy, nice to see they did it by tickets this year - though was different and less popular as it was just on the ground - glad I've done both however, as both were good in their own ways.

[JC-Mo'Fucka]

wasn't that bad, I have hamstrings of steel now as well. I like the one way system to be honest, it's still packed in there with it in place. Get there early or don't go there at all, I know everyone wants to but the area simply cannot hack it.

[festivalchica]

We went up there on the Sat night only to be greeted with a 2 hour queue which of course we decided against. Real shame, especially for the Glasto virgins amongst us who never managed to get to see it in all it's glory.