Festival Food - does it make a difference?

[Jayden104]

Been heading to festivals for the past seven years and have found myself that the food and the ole beer really seem to add to the buzz of the whole affair. Do you think food/alcohol contributes the experience of festivals? Would music festivals be the same with the absense of food...?

Also, would you bring your own food along to these events or is a better buzz to sample whats on offer from the stalls?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Response in bullet points

-It can be the same without food. I nearly did the whole of Glasto 2007 without eating. I only 'broke' at about 7pm on the Sunday evening when I ate something ridiculous like a burger. The lack of food didn't dampen my enjoyment of the festival (the mud did), but I was heavily dosed with appetite suppressants.

-Food can of course add to the festival experience as you can try a variety of food stuffs not easily available normally. A friend of a friend does mostly just this at Glasto. Him and his wife get smoked up and let the munchies lead them astray.They just go from stall to stall eating - constantly! This must be true, in part, with many other folk ie they like the variety.

- Alcohol, in my opinion, is an essential part of the Glasto experience. It fills a need which other bits and bobs wont satiate.

- I personally would not bring my own food because I probably wouldn't eat it. I never know when I'll want to eat so it's more convenient to eat from an on site outlet.

[Jayden104]

Response in bullet points

-Food can of course add to the festival experience as you can try a variety of food stuffs not easily available normally. A friend of a friend does mostly just this at Glasto. Him and his wife get smoked up and let the munchies lead them astray.They just go from stall to stall eating - constantly! This must be true, in part, with many other folk ie they like the variety.

- Alcohol, in my opinion, is an essential part of the Glasto experience. It fills a need which other bits and bobs wont satiate.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I like gastro experiences too but just can't seem to do it at Glasto as it somehow demands of me that I put all my energy into getting spannered. I suppose it's a shame on one hand as the variety at Glasto is extensive. In fact it's hard to think of any event in this country (including the Food & Drink show at the NEC) which has such a spectrum of food stuffs. Yet another one of the things that makes Glasto so special for folk I'd say.

[Ed209]

Food for me is just a necessity. It helps if its nice, but the truth is eating just gets in the way of what really matters, getting absolutely c**ted.

[rexclark]

When I was younger food wasn't a major thing when i went to fests, a couple of packets of crisps and a pot noodle everyday would be enough for me. Now I look forward to trying all the different food on offer and the selection is fantastic at Glastonbury. Having a really nice meal everyday definately adds to the festival experience for me. Having a shit meal wouldn't ruin my day but I do love trying good food.

As for booze, for me it plays a big part, it's great being able to sit around in a field with your mates having a few drinks, there is no better feeling!

I don't really take much food with me anymore, I used to take loads of tins (beans, spaghetti, fruit etc...) but that was becoming too much of a hassle. To me going to a fest is my yearly holiday and I like to have enough cash to buy whatever food I like so I can't really be bothered bringing any food with me to cook.

[sowfpig]

I just love food generally it makes any occasion !

[Spindles]

I'm not a massive drinker at festivals, personally, I'm not really the getting twatted type, but in recent years the food and drink aspect has become more important a part of things for me. Like Rex I used to get by on snackbars and crisps, lightweight snackfood that was cheap and accessible was my thing.

The last couple of years I have found myself finding favourite places to eat and drink, permaculture for breakfast and the vegan curry place on the corner of undleground for tea were places I kept going back to this year, due to the shear quality and value of the food on offer. The apple juice stall in the greenpeace field that did the ginger apple juice also a firm favourite.

The rich, syruppy sweetness of the various brothers flavours made drinking cider a pleasure (I didn't drink a single lager all week) and my first and last pints were purchased there, both as excellent as each other, happy memories bookending the festival (opened with festival blend, closed with toffee apple )

[blue6field]

Didn't used to bother, odd burger/ bacon roll, but since T brought in healthy T and the choice a glastonbury and camp bestival this year, I really make it a big part of each day, to get a really good meal in!

Alcohol is a must, fealling the morning afters a bit more though! Not as bullet proof as I was 15-20 years ago

[fatyeti24]

i took my parents to Glastonbury this year, so my usual excesses, the 'appetite suppressors' so to speak, were curtailed to just beer and weed instead.

now i don't know about you, but beer and weed will eventually give me the munchies.. im fine one minute but the next i just have to eat, and i can think of no finer place to have the munchies than at Glastonbury.. absolute heaven!

Edited August 13, 2011 by fatyeti24

[Alcatraz]

If it were all burger vans, and more the c**ts who run burger vans, I could see it being more drab. A lot of the more independently minded stall workers seem to have a lot more fun doing what they do

[LondonTom]

Its ortie, I wouldn't go out my way to find some thing but sometimes you get something really nice and its super. Theres always just the atmosphere of having a pieminster and brothers in the west holts and sitting back .

[Jayden104]

now i don't know about you, but beer and weed will eventually give me the munchies.. im fine one minute but the next i just have to eat, and i can think of no finer place to have the munchies than at Glastonbury.. absolute heaven!

[Leedspete]

Response in bullet points

-It can be the same without food. I nearly did the whole of Glasto 2007 without eating. I only 'broke' at about 7pm on the Sunday evening when I ate something ridiculous like a burger. The lack of food didn't dampen my enjoyment of the festival (the mud did), but I was heavily dosed with appetite suppressants.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

No food at all until the Sunday? What day did you arrive on? I've always tried to eat one big meal a day, even when having back to back to back nights.

I do try stuff at the festival I might not usually try. Does anyone know if there's any Cuban food stalls anywhere at Glasto?

[Leedspete]

So we queued up at a stall which was playing Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 on a loop system. I also remember feeling quite peculiar!

Edited August 13, 2011 by Leedspete

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Not surprised, no food, probably not much sleep (if any?) and 9 to 5 in your head. I might have ran!

Worse food related incident I can remember was my 25th, full on weekend clubbing followed by Pulp at Manchester Apollo. I'd only eaten a big Cadbury's whole nut bar from Sat evening to Mon night. Every time a song came on I loved and I got excited I had to move back to vomit. Good times.

Edited August 13, 2011 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[BlackHole2006]

Definately does.

I'm sitting here fretting over wether or not bestival will have any stalls selling Bacon Sarnies so I can get my morning bacon sarnie, if Bestival don't have a bacon sarnie stall then I will probably spontaniously combust in the field out of pure depravement from bacon.

That aside yeah it does make a difference, at Glastonburyt they offer a wide range of food for everyones tastes, for example last year I went with my mate who is a vegitarian and he told me he was literally spoilt for chioce and that he absolutely loved the veggie burgers at the Circus fields. I really enjoy the fact that it does have a wide variety of food there and I like the fact that you can have it any time. We did take our own food this year but never ate it because we couldn't work the gas cooker.

[theampersanddevil]

Food makes a huge difference for me, always has. I am one of those people that gets really grumpy without food.

I am vegi as well and its not so much I get annoyed if there isn't a lot of vegi food, as long as there is one place I will survive, its that its so much better if its everywhere.

[mamoo_51]

The food doesn't necessarily make or break a festival for me but it definitely helps improve the overall experience.

I wouldn't come away from an event that only had overpriced burger vans feeling distraught that I couldn't get my fill of fish curry and vowing never to go back there again but the wide variety and quality of food available at Glastonbury is certainly a factor that, for me, makes it the best festival I've ever been to.

[rabid]

Food makes a huge difference for me, always has. I am one of those people that gets really grumpy without food.

I am vegi as well and its not so much I get annoyed if there isn't a lot of vegi food, as long as there is one place I will survive, its that its so much better if its everywhere.

[theampersanddevil]

Just remembered that pizza guy is going to be back at Alchemy this year. You'll know where to find me. Well, either there or in the Hungry Elephant demanding cake again.

[theampersanddevil]

by flag thing, i meant flag pole. Obviously.

[rabid]

I'm going to suggest that he does deliveries.

'Yeah mate its the worlds smallest tent, just by the wall, gazebo and that red and yellow flag thing with all the fairy lights. Yeah right just give me two ring when you get here.'

[stutheblue]

No food at all until the Sunday? What day did you arrive on? I've always tried to eat one big meal a day, even when having back to back to back nights.

I do try stuff at the festival I might not usually try. Does anyone know if there's any Cuban food stalls anywhere at Glasto?

Edited August 15, 2011 by stutheblue