benicassim - is it terrible?

[JC-Mo'Fucka]

Off to Exit in Serbia next year as a Glastonbury replacement, it's pretty expensive to get there but once there its around £1 a pint

[Ed209]

I was quite set on exit and then I saw this video for tommorrowland, I've never heard of it but the crowd looks great, the stage + visuals the same and in my head all the birds there are bang tidy (on the basis dance music attracts hot European girls )

now i'm mega tempted by this place.

[russycarps]

If I was planning on a European festival then Bennicasim would not be top of my list to be honest. plenty more out there.

[Paul ™]

That Tommorowland looks amazing!!

[gooner1990]

I did Benicassim in 2007 with 1 other mate.

I think I may have gone the 1st or 2nd year that it was really starting to get overrun with British people (flights were a nightmare to get even 3 months before we went, and we ended up having to fly out to Valencia on the Saturday before the festival as everything else had sold out), although at that point I don't think it was the "I've just done my A-Levels" crowd, I didn't feel old at all (25 at the time) and met some wicked people (mostly British, although some spanish.)

We camped in Bonet and it was mostly British or Australian backpackers round there, although there were a few Spanish and Dutch, but these were in the minority.

I personally struggled with the heat, as we were returning from the arena getting maybe 2-3 hrs sleep and being driven out of your tent by 8am at the latest. The trick was to get out of the campsite as quick as possible as it was more hot there than anywhere else in the town.

As someone else mentioned the place was a complete tip, with abandoned chairs, tents, gazebos, piles of rubbish everywhere...the year I went was the year of "nu-rave" and the Klaxons had a huge crowd and I just remember neon-paint being strewn all over the place.

My mate went back again the following year (2008) with his girlfriend and stayed in a hotel (she wouldn't camp) and said he managed the whole lot better as he was actually sleeping properly, although being in a hotel lacked any sort of interation with other festival goers (we had made friends with all camped around us in 2007)

It's been suggested to return a couple of times.....I would probably do it, but I'm not rushing to do it. A mate of mine's younger brother and his crowd went this year and said they loved it (well they are all 20), but they said it was just like going to Reading/Leeds but in a foreign country!

I really loved my time out there, we flew on the Saturday, did 2 nights in Valencia, train up to Benicassim on the Monday, and flew back the following Tuesday (having spent a night in an airport hotel in Valencia) so were away for 11 nights in total. Spent close to £1,000, but I did treat myself to nice meals and as many beers as I could drink. (only did class-a drugs 1 night as my mate only smokes a bit of pot so didn't see it fair to be off my tits all the time) But as others have said it has become a bit of a Reading/Leeds abroad and I supposedly went when it had started getting bad so can only imagine it's worse now!